Scotland's Economy
Scottish Apprenticeship Week
May 24, 2012 by Peter Breslin 4 Comments | Category Employment
As a company, we offer young people another route into the engineering sector, enabling them to gain work experience and qualifications at the same time. We are delighted to support Scottish Apprenticeship Week, which is organised by Skills Development Scotland (SDS).
We currently employ 36 modern apprentices, including 4 adult apprentices. This includes a group of 8 school leavers from Renfrewshire, who were recruited in a programme developed in partnership with Renfrewshire Council. The youngsters had the opportunity to visit the Steel site with their parents before committing to the programme. The group includes Steel’s first female apprentice, 16-year old Nicole Mitchell, a former pupil of Castlehead High School in Paisley.
The transition from high school to the work environment can be challenging and we wanted the youngsters (and their parents) to appreciate exactly what they were getting into, as engineering and fabrication can be a cold and tough environment. As I know, it can also offer wonderful career opportunities.
As well as on-the-job training, our apprentices attend Anniesland College on day release to learn further skills in welding, plating and fabrication and they get the opportunity to gain real qualifications as they work towards SVQ Level 3 in Fabrication and Welding and 4 of the apprentices from the drawing office have achieved their HNC and are now working towards their HND at Motherwell College.
We have been thriving for the past 90 years and have just been awarded with the Investors in People accreditation. Our turnover is growing and we aim to double our workforce over the next year, in order to service a range of new contract wins in the Scottish renewable sector. We recognise that our people and their skills are fundamental to the great service we give our customers – and the overall success of Steel Engineering.
Tags: modern apprentices, Scottish Apprenticeship Week, Skills Development Scotland, Steel Engineering
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We are looking at starting an apprenticeship scheme at http://www.scottishtrustdeed.co.uk. Finding a job after education can be tough and we believe by offering an apprenticeship is an excellent way of giving a school leaver a starting block in life to develop the key skills necessary to take them forward in life. Support individuals to reach their potential can benefit both the company and the employee/trainee.
Is the Scottish Apprenticeship Week an annual scheme? Is there any information on a similar scheme running this year?
At http://www.debttherapyscotland.co.uk we are always looking to provide job opportunities to young, talented individuals, as we realise how difficult it can be finding a job after school or college, and the need for these young people to find work is heightened by the financial situation they find themselves in after leaving further education. If anyone can point me in the right direction to find more information on this, it would be much appreciated.
Best regards,
Brian
“LondonerApprentice” – you are mistaken, apprenticeships are on the up, and increasing dramatically year on year. From normal apprenticeships to adult apprenticeships, opportunities and people ceasing upon them are increasing loads.
For those interested in reading up on apprenticeships in 2012 should visit http://www.theapprenticeshipsway.com.
Jocky.
Compared with most other European countries, employer involvement in apprenticeships in the UK remains poor.
Employers could do more to actively support young people in building their skills. This includes boosting participation in apprenticeship programmes, as well as linking employment opportunities to higher education programmes.
Apprenticeships jobs available in a wide range of industry sectors with employers listed: http://www.circlem25.co.uk/apprenticeships-jobs-employers.html