Scotland's Economy

An Apprenticeship Week pledge

March 4, 2016 by admin No Comments | Category Economy, Employment

One of the Scottish Business Pledge’s nine components is investing in youth. To mark Scottish Apprenticeship Week 2016 Deputy First Minister John Swinney met with modern apprentices in the banking sector as their employer Barclays made the Scottish Business Pledge.

Here they explain what investing in youth means to them.

Ben Dalziel, 18

“I work in wealth client services where we look after the day-to-day banking of high net worth clients. It could be anything from couriering out a new card to making payments worth million of pounds. So there’s quite a lot of variety and, working with wealth clients, there’s a lot of demand over which services they require.

“In the MA you get a lot of support from mentors. My mentor is a private banker, which is something I would like to do in the future, and we meet once a month where he gives me lots of advice. Coming straight out of school you don’t have much experience about working in an office, so even someone sitting down and talking you through these things is really important going forward.

“There is a big discrepancy between what apprenticeships were then, and what they are now. When I first thought of them I thought it would be plumbing and joinery but not working in banking and moving millions around. They are very versatile.

“You don’t have to go to university to find a good role. I have colleagues who have come out of university and they are in the same role as me, only 10 years older. In the future I’d like to stay within the private banking sector, perhaps a relationship advisor with the clients.

“I’m glad Barclays made the Scottish Business Pledge. I can’t see anyone seeing the initiative as a negative. It gives clout to government and it gives clout to businesses and it helps people working within the businesses. You don’t think about it much at the start, but now – looking back on what I’ve achieved – you see how important it is that businesses invest in youth.”

Lauren Butler, 18

“My Modern Apprenticeship is the Barclays higher apprenticeship for leadership and management. I work in the branch full time, but I also get a degree through Barclays, which is fantastic for me. I’m a cashier at the moment but I’ll move up to personal banking, management and secondments throughout the businesses so it’s a great thing that Barclays do.

“I didn’t see myself working in a bank until I started looking into the various opportunities and Barclays was the best by far. An apprenticeship is great because I enjoy the hands on element and putting my skills into use. I’m learning how to manage people, and why things are done in certain ways, and what the job is and that gives me credibility and understanding if I do move into management. The programme will make me the best leader that I can be.

“I had a place at University, and I was going to go and study business, but my mum took me aside and said you can do so much more – look at modern apprenticeships because you can get professional qualifications. There’s a lot of university students out there who don’t have the practical experience that you do get from the programme.

“I think the Scottish Business Pledge is a great idea. Barclays is one of the few businesses that has the same ratio of women to men as in the general population and that’s a big thing for us. Equality and diversity, as well as investing in youth, are important and I think it’s a great thing that the Scottish Business Pledge recognises them.”

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