And that's a wrap... DYWICH does Scottish Apprenticeship Week

This month Developing the Young Workforce Inverness & Central Highland (DWYICH) got involved in Scottish Apprenticeship Week (4-8 March). The week is a great opportunity to showcase the opportunities that apprenticeships give young people right here in the Highlands. It also is a great time to help employers think about apprenticeship as a way to foster the skills they need now and in future, as well as providing growth for Scotland’s economy.

Online, DYWICH shared lots of local job opportunities as businesses looked to enroll the next cohort of apprentices to grow their operations. The team was also involved in supporting several webinars being run by Skills Development Scotland for employers, young people and parents to help each group to find out what they needed to know about apprenticeships, how they benefit each, and how they provide the skills they need in a changing world.

On the ground, our team of School Coordinators were very busy. Four large scale events were held across seven high schools bringing together a wide variety of business from the public, private and charity sectors. Young people heard first-hand about the opportunities to earn as they learn, build new skills and expertise, without the burden of getting into debt, and being part of a thriving Highland economy. During the events many of the organisations were actively recruiting apprentices so the young people had the chance to directly apply for the roles.

Here’s an overview of what happened...

At Charleston Academy, School Coordinator, Emma Donald hosted an Apprenticeship Fayre, bringing together a wide variety of employers. The students from S3 to S6 were all really engaged which was great to see. Businesses that were involved included West Fraser Europe, Les Enfants Nurseries & Events, High Life Highland, The Highland Council, Dicksons of Inverness, Saffery, Morgan Stanley, Inverness Kart Raceway, Norscot Truck and Van,

The Armed Forces, RAF Lossiemouth, The Royal Navy, Lifescan, Scottish Ambulance Service, RYBKA, UHI Inverness, J.Murphy & Sons, Nuclear Police and Morrison Construction

Emma said, “The Apprenticeship Fayre was a great success. The employers, staff and young people all had a great day. The employers praised the young people on their engagement and interactions. They S3/4s learned about the different apprenticeships available to them whilst the seniors networked and had lots of encouraging career conversations!”

Meanwhile at Nairn Academy, Louise Taylor, DYWICH School Coordinator hosted businesses including Scottish Water, Barratt Homes, West Fraser Europe, RAF Lossiemouth, McDonald's Nairn, Morrison Construction, RYKBA, Moray Firth Training Group, and Morgan Stanley for an Apprenticeship Fayre showcasing opportunities in the Highlands and Moray coast.

Louise explained, "Over 50 young people from S3-S6 came along. It was great to see so many good conversations happening between the students and the employers. After the event we got a lot of great feedback saying how engaged the students were which was great to hear.”

Further north at Invergordon Academy, School Coordinator, Kirsty Huner, ran a Future Career & Pathways Festival as part of Scottish Apprenticeship Week. Students and parents were invited from Invergordon, Alness and Tain Royal Academy to meet with over 40 exhibiting businesses and organisations.

The event had a great turnout with over 20 apprenticeships being actively recruited for on the evening.

Kirsty said, "The Festival was about bringing together our wonderful supporting employers, partners and learning providers to showcase all of the incredible opportunities there are for our pupils as they plan for their future. With over 40 exhibitors and more than 80 visitors the event was a huge success with our young people enjoying the interactions with local and national experts as they plan for their year ahead, making option choices or discover pathways for leaving school this year".

Thank you to the insightful employers, learning providers and support services who came along to inspire the young people which included Harper Macleod, Balnagown Estate/Savills, NHS Highland and NHS Midwifery, Morrison Construction, UHI NWH, UHI Inverness, UHI North, West and Hebrides, University of St Andrews, Royal Bank of Scotland, Royal Airforce, Port of Cromarty Firth, Global Infrastructure, Care And Learning Alliance, Institute of Civil Engineers, The Armed Forces, Johnston and Farrell Vets, PSG Marine & Logistics Ltd, High Life Highland, Scottish Fire & Rescue Service, Skibo Ltd, Fèis Rois, The Place Youth Club, Barnardos Works Highland, Enable Works, Skills Development Scotland, The Highland Council, The Archie Foundation, Network Refrigeration and Highland Hospice.

Finally, to the south of our region, a fantastic Post-School Pathways Evening was held at MacDonald Aviemore Resort. The event invited S3 to S6 parents and pupils from Kingussie High School and Grantown Grammar School and was organised by our DYW School Coordinator Debbie Khadi, Bryony Addison from Countryside Learning Scotland and supported by Skills Development Scotland’s Joan Duncan and Joanne Mitchell.

Sponsored by Macdonald Aviemore Resort, the evening kicked off with two speaker presentations from Skills Development Scotland Careers Advisor, Joan Duncan and Hydrasun CNC Operator (former apprentice and former pupil of Grantown Grammar school), Toby Harrison.

After the presentations pupils and parents/carers were free to circulate around stations to speak to exhibitors including Wilderness Scotland, Cairngorms Connect, Toncam, Highland Council Apprenticeships, University of Highlands & Islands Schools Team and School of Construction and Forestry, Vattenfall UK, Hydrasun, Johnston Carmichael, Harper Macleod, McGowan Environmental Engineering, Macdonald Aviemore Resort, Tesco, Skills Development Scotland, Lynemore Care Home, Growbiz, Scottish Ambulance Service, The Cairn Distillery, Frontier Science, Conboy Creative, Cairngorm Hotel, Highland Wildlife Park, and Care & Learning Alliance.

Debbie said, “It was great to partner with SDS and Countryside Learning Scotland again to bring together a broad range of organisations to support conversations with parents and young people about their potential next steps. It was also a fantastic opportunity to build on relationships with employers, and several have expressed that they would like to participate in further engagement with local schools, such as mock interviews, class presentations/demonstrations, curriculum-based projects and work experience. Thank you to all those who supported the event.”

Are you a business, organisation or charity and want to get involved?

We have School Coordinators in 14 secondary schools across our region. If you are an organisation that would like the opportunity to engage with young people in your area, please get in touch – info@dywich.co.uk