Colleges link to benefit young apprentices

Glasgow’s three colleges are blazing a trail in the delivery of the new Foundation Apprenticeship frameworks created by Skills Development Scotland (SDS) and supported by the European Social Fund.

The planned programme will give young people in central Scotland the opportunity to learn practical workplace skills while they are still attending school, and build their confidence levels. Employers can then be assured that their young apprentices will be experienced and qualified in the skills they need for a strong and resilient workforce.

For the first time in Glasgow, a single, regional bid was approved by SDS on behalf of the three Glasgow colleges – Glasgow Kelvin College, Glasgow Clyde College and City of Glasgow College - to develop and deliver this ambitious programme.

Margaret Cook, Chair of the Glasgow Colleges’ Regional Board, said,
“This joint work demonstrates the existing close-collaboration between the Glasgow colleges and the potential for further development in other areas to benefit students and employers”.

The bid, which was co-ordinated by the Business Development Units at Glasgow Kelvin and City of Glasgow Colleges, will ensure that the new frameworks are delivered consistently across Glasgow, East Dunbartonshire and East Renfrewshire local authority areas.

 

This initiative will give school pupils in S5 the opportunity to gain apprenticeships in Civil Engineering; Engineering; Financial Services; Care and Young People and IT delivered by the Glasgow colleges. It offers young people the opportunity to begin an apprenticeship-based learning journey whilst still at school, running alongside their S5 subject choices. Ultimately, the programme will be a launchpad for young people to achieve their career goals and, with the valued input of local employers, will help to create a skilled and qualified workforce for the future.

Graeme Hendry, Foundation Apprenticeships Regional Manager for the West Region of Skills Development Scotland said:
“SDS is delighted to be working with the three Glasgow Colleges to deliver Foundation Apprenticeships. The knowledge, skills and experience the young people will gain will give them a head start in their career and equip them with the skills that employers are looking for.”

The programme will be launched officially in the late spring of 2016. Working closely with schools, local authorities and employers, the colleges have designed a framework and outcomes which will be ready for young people starting in August of this year.