Praise for Inverclyde apprenticeship programme
TWO modern apprentices have been sharing their positive experiences of working for Inverclyde Council to mark Scottish Apprenticeship Week 2021.
Rhys McCole, from Greenock, and Kayleigh McCabe, who lives in Port Glasgow, are among 20 modern apprentices (MA) who have just completed the first year of their traineeship having joined the local authority in January 2020.
They are among 25-35 MAs employed by the council at any one time working in areas such as childcare, business administration, electrical engineering and customer service across a variety of departments.
Both have been sharing their experiences to mark Scottish Apprenticeship Week 2021, which runs from 1-5 March.
Rhys, 20, is a business admin apprentice currently working with the council’s environmental services department.
He said: “I’ve really enjoyed it so far.
“As part of my apprenticeship, I recently received my SVQ business administration certificate which I was really pleased about.
“With the pandemic it was a bit challenging at first but the people I work with have been great and given me the best experience they can with everything that’s going on.”
MAs are hired to join a qualified team of people and receive high quality ‘on the job’ training throughout their apprenticeship while also undertaking a nationally recognised qualification.
Kayleigh, 21, an apprentice at Port Glasgow High School, said: “I applied for an apprenticeship to gain further education after being out of school for a few years.
“By doing an apprenticeship it has let me gain hands-on experience of the actual job I am doing and getting experience within the work place whilst allowing me to gain a new qualification in business administration.
“My experience during this apprenticeship has been very different to what I imagined it would be because of the pandemic, but due to my placement in a high school I have been very lucky and I have been able to still be in the work place and gain experience I wouldn’t have been able to get in other settings.
“The support I have received within my workplace during this time has been immeasurable, they are extremely understanding and have been very accommodating by assisting me with tasks required to complete my qualification.”
While an apprenticeship is for a set period of time, usually 1-4 years, many apprentices go on to full-time jobs once they have completed their training.
Last year, seven newly-qualified childcare apprentices all secured permanent posts within Inverclyde early years establishments.
A further 10 MAs were recruited in March 2020 to support the introduction of the 1140 hours early years expansion programme.
Despite the challenges faced by the pandemic and associated restrictions, these apprentices are currently working towards their qualifications and have also recently began additional training on relevant childcare units that will enhance their learning portfolio.
In addition to the childcare successes, a further 17 council apprentices were successful in gaining full-time posts in areas including legal, waste management, schools technician and business administration.
There have also been successes outwith the local authority with two apprentices finding employment externally and two continuing with their qualification attainment by moving on to further education.
One of these former MAs is 24-year-old Lewis McGachy, from Greenock, who was a nominee for an MA of the year award and was successful in gaining a full-time job as a science technician at Notre Dame High School following completion of his SVQ in life sciences and related industries in March 2020.
He said: “A modern apprenticeship is such a unique opportunity to gain real-life experience in a live working environment while continuing to learn and gain a qualification.
“The programme also opens up doors for continued employment and I’m delighted to have secured a full-time position at Notre Dame where I can further my career.”
With the current restrictions and social distancing requirements of lockdown, most apprentices have had to adapt to a mixture of working from home and within the workplace where possible.
By utilising remote learning and attending meetings with college assessors remotely, they have been able to progress with their qualifications.
To ensure trainees can access as much work experience as possible and benefit from the skills and knowledge of experienced staff, the council has extended their posts by 12 months to provide additional support.
An apprenticeship can take between one and four years to complete, depending on the level of the programme, the apprentice's ability and the vocational sector.
The programme is only open to Inverclyde residents and is predominantly aimed at the 16-24 age group, although there can be opportunities for those aged 25 and over.
Councillor Stephen McCabe, leader of Inverclyde Council, said: “Jobs are going to be a crucial part of the recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Last year we committed £6 million towards an Inverclyde jobs recovery plan to provide 200 employment opportunities locally and apprenticeships are a key element of that.
“An apprenticeship is a fantastic platform for our younger residents to get onto the jobs ladder through the first-class MA programme we have here in Inverclyde.”
Details of the apprenticeships the council will have on offer in 2021 will be advertised later this year through the MyJobScotland website – the local authority’s recruitment portal – and via partners such as Skills Development Scotland, the local job centre, West College Scotland, and Developing the Young Workforce.