As part of this year’s Scottish Apprenticeship Week events the City of Edinburgh Council celebrated the achievements of 26 apprentices recruited through the Edinburgh Guarantee, as well as 56 existing colleagues who have been given the opportunity to upskill through its apprenticeship programme.
A virtual graduation was held yesterday afternoon (8 March) with apprentices from a wide range of departments right across the Council, including childcare, health and social care, business administration and building services.
Gordon Dalgleish, one of the graduating Health and Social Care Apprentices, spoke during the ceremony sharing his story and experiences. He said: “It was a lot of work but well worth the effort and I’d highly recommend an apprenticeship to anyone considering one. It gives you real on the job training and learning that I’ll be able to take forward and my apprenticeship has helped me to think about my future, the work I do and the next steps in my career.”
Another apprentice graduating was Nicole Crawford who completed her apprenticeship in Social Services (Children and Young People) SCQF level 7. She said: “I really enjoyed doing the qualification while working. For me it was the best way to learn. I’m really proud of my achievement – it helped me realise that I am definitely in the right job.”
Attending the ceremony yesterday was Councillor Eleanor Bird, the Council’s Young People’s Champion and Vice Convener for Education, alongside Councillor Mandy Watt, Vice Convener for Fair Work.
Cllr Eleanor Bird, Vice Convener for Education and Young People’s Champion said:
“It’s been fantastic to join in the celebrations today with so many apprentices within the council graduating in their qualifications across a range of service areas. It’s always heartening to see the wealth of talent we have the privilege to foster as a council, for the benefit of the city and our future workforce.
Hearing from the young people about their experiences of completing their qualifications and embarking on their working lives has been an inspiration, and it is through these high-quality career opportunities that we will continue to lead by example and ensure no one is left behind.”
Cllr Mandy Watt, Vice Convener for Fair Work said:
“Congratulations to all our apprentices who are graduating today and my best wishes to them all. I hope that many of them will be staying with us, in the Council. Whether they are staying or are looking for other opportunities, they are the future for our workforce and our City.
It’s never been more important for Edinburgh that our citizens have the skills and experience that we need to keep Edinburgh amongst the best places in the world to live and work. I want to thank them for all the effort that they’ve put into being part of our apprenticeship programme. I’d encourage anybody, regardless of age or current experience, to take a look at the information about apprenticeship opportunities available in Edinburgh and I hope that we’ll have many more graduates in the years to come.”
The City of Edinburgh Council aims to lead by example through the Edinburgh Guarantee by offering apprenticeships to develop its workforce. With funding towards the training costs from Skills Development Scotland, the Council has recruited over 350 City of Edinburgh Council Apprentices since the Edinburgh Guarantee started in 2011. The Council Apprenticeship Programme has evolved over the past few years and no longer just offers Modern Apprenticeships. With new frameworks being developed for Foundation and Graduate Apprenticeships it is making the most of these new opportunities.
The Council hopes to recruit more apprentices again this year. For more information about apprenticeship opportunities available in Edinburgh please visit www.edinburghguarantee.org.
