OXFORDSHIRE County Council now has more apprenticeships than ever before, according to new figures.

It now employs 48 apprentices, either in the council itself or across the county’s schools.

That represents three times the number employed in 2015/16.

The current apprentice roles employed in the council include paralegals employed in its children’s legal services.

Other roles are taken up by customer service delivery assistants who are working in libraries and the council’s Customer Service Centre.

Others are employed in IT, business administration, civil engineering and digital marketing.

A report that will go to the council’s performance scrutiny committee on Thursday also notes that there are apprentice teaching assistants and early years educators.

The performance scrutiny committee will also hear about other plans carried out by the council over recent months.

Those campaigns will include the council’s public consultation on recycling and household waste. 'Talk Rubbish With Us' was held at the start of the year and will be used to inform the council’s Waste Strategy.

The strategy will seek to reduce the amount of rubbish thrown away and increase the rate of recycling.

The committee will also note the reopening of Oxford’s Central Library in December. Amongst improvements, a new ‘Makerspace’ area was opened for community events.