RI Cruden Ltd, a local Highland business investing in apprentices and reaping awards

Earlier this year, during Scottish Apprenticeship Week, we caught up with Greg Matheson, Heat Pump Installation Manager and Apprentice Co-ordinator at RI Cruden Ltd who shared his thoughts with us on how apprentices can unlock potential in a business and provide a skilled workforce for the future.

He talked about the apprenticeship scheme at RI Cruden Ltd and how they see it as a vital part of their business, allowing them to tailor the workforce to meet the demands and requirements of the future, saving valuable time and money on recruitment drives for years to come. With 11 apprentices ranging from 1st year to 4th year, the business invests heavily in its apprenticeships and offers a wide variety ranging from plumbers and electricians to heating engineers and service maintenance engineers.

Since we spoke to Greg, we were delighted to hear that RI Cruden Ltd has gone on to win the Net Zero Apprentice Employer of the Year 2023 with Skills Development Scotland and Scottish apprenticeships and recently 4 of their apprentices have been recognised with awards at both regional and national level:

• Joe Embelton – 1st Year Inverness UHI Plumbing Apprentice of the Year 2023
• Michael Vass – 1st Year Electrical Apprentice of the Year at the SECTT Awards 2023
• Finlay Calder – 3rd Year Scottish Plumbing Apprentice of the Year 2023
• Ricky Mackenzie – 4th Year Edinburgh College Heating and Ventilation Apprentice of the Year 2023

Ricky Mackenzie and Dylan Burke are also nominated finalists in The Building Services Association (BESA) awards this October at their national awards ceremony in London.

Callum Cruden, Director, RI Cruden said:

“We are extremely proud of our award-winning apprenticeship scheme and determined to progress the future of our business by investing in local young talent. We hire a minimum of 3 apprentices each year in different areas of the business and were delighted that so many have been recognised for their hard work. We hope all our apprentices go on to develop long careers with RI Cruden, following in Greg’s footsteps by progressing into senior supervisor roles. I came through an apprenticeship program myself and know first-hand the opportunities apprenticeships give not only to young people, but to our business and the wider construction industry as a whole.”

Sandra McCaughey, Employer Engagement Manager at DYW Inverness & Central Highlands added:

“Congratulations to Joe, Michael, Finley, Ricky and Dylan. Its great to see a local business so committed to developing the young workforce and offering opportunities for local young people. Demand for green jobs and green skills is expected to increase rapidly as a result of policy, legislative drivers and consumer choice and RI Cruden Ltd is at the forefront of this up here in the Highlands driving forward with a policy to contribute to net zero and offering training and job security for our future workforce”