​Scottish Apprenticeship Week shines a light on the vital role apprenticeships play in supporting people, employers and the economy. For 2023 we are highlighting how apprenticeships are unlocking potential in people and businesses. 

Meet Alanah, whose love of cooking has led her to undertaking a Modern Apprenticeship in Professional Cookery at the Macdonald Inchyra Hotel and SPA. 

​If you would like to find out more about what an apprenticeship could offer you or your business visit Apprenticeships.Scot by clicking on the button below

Scottish Apprenticeship Week shines a light on the vital role apprenticeships play in supporting people, employers and the economy. For 2023 we are highlighting how apprenticeships are unlocking potential in people and businesses. 

Meet Jessica, a Business and Administration Apprentice at FBS Bathroom and Plumbing Solutions and hear from Alison, Managing Director, about how an apprenticeship is working for her business.  

If you would like to find out more about what an apprenticeship could offer you or your business visit Apprenticeships.Scot by clicking on the button below. ​

Scottish Apprenticeship Week shines a light on the vital role apprenticeships play in supporting people, employers and the economy. For 2023 we are highlighting how apprenticeships are unlocking potential in people and businesses. 

Meet Adam who is enjoying earning while learning during his Modern Apprenticeship in Hospitality Service.

​If you would like to find out more about what an apprenticeship could offer you or your business visit Apprenticeships.Scot by clicking on the button below. 
 

​Scottish Apprenticeship Week shines a light on the vital role apprenticeships play in supporting people, employers and the economy. For 2023 we are highlighting how apprenticeships are unlocking potential in people and businesses. 

William tells us how he is gaining qualifications whilst undertaking his Modern Apprenticeship in Hospitality Service. 

​If you would like to find out more about what an apprenticeship could offer you or your business visit Apprenticeships.Scot by clicking on the button below.

Let's celebrate the entrepreneurial pupils of Carrongrange High School. Not only did they set up and run successful businesses but learned lots along the way. Click on the image below to find out more. 

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Graeme High School are supporting the national DYW Young People Are Great campaign. Read more about how their pupils are excelling as a result of their partnership with the Macdonald Inchyra Hotel & SPA.  

Click on the image below to open a PDF with active links.
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As part of our commitment to the Young Person's Guarantee, we offered a project based internship to a young person and recruited Effie Nash to work on a project exploring local labour market intelligence (LMI), in support of our School Coordinators.

The brief was to research and develop understanding of the regional landscape of Forth Valley using relevant sources of LMI to inform and assist School Coordinators with employer engagement on behalf of their schools. As part of the project Effie was asked to present to a selection of School Coordinator partners on her findings, proposing sectors and employers they might like to approach to develop activities and establish partnerships. Her project also gave her hands-on experience of managing a CRM system and providing key information for social media purposes.

We asked Effie to tell us why she was drawn to this particular internship and how she has found the project? 

How does this internship fit with your studies, what do you study and how did you decide that this was something you wanted to do? 
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I study Politics at The University of Stirling. The internship fits in perfectly with my studies due to the flexibility and opportunity to get hands-on experience in research. I decided this was something I wanted to do as it gave me the chance to use real world data sets, research and present findings to a credible audience and see what it’s like to work in a professional environment which I had not yet done during my time at University. 
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How has this internship helped your skills development and what is next for you?  ​

​My next steps are a Masters in Human Rights Law and this internship has helped me develop my soft skills alongside my research and presenting skills. Something I struggled with at Uni was presenting due to lack of confidence, and this internship has really given me the opportunity to expand those skills and understand the key to presenting data and keeping research organised.  
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What challenges have you faced and how have you overcome them? 
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The biggest challenge has definitely been juggling the internship, part-time job and university. Although the internship was most flexible of them all, it was hard to juggle this with my dissertation. However, my mentor made sure that I had time to complete any required studies and supported me to manage my time efficiently to overcome this by pre-booking meetings and keeping my schedule consistent.
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What advice would you give to others in terms of selecting a suitable career or embarking on an internship?
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I would say in terms of selecting a suitable career, speak to the Careers, Advice and Guidance team at you school, college or uni. I did this before applying for the internship and it really opened my eyes to the opportunities out there. This meant that exploring my CV and approaching how to improve it and write a cover letter was more meaningful to the process. I would also take up any opportunities that arise, whether they are directly associated with your dream career or not, as this will give you the chance to explore options and gain relevant personable skills along with professional skills.  

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At DYW Forth Valley we understand that in order to commit to the Scottish Government's Young Person's Guarantee, industry needs to be confident that we will support them to engage in a meaningful way. From understanding what is being asked via 'The 5 Asks' to referring to the right partners, to connecting to our School Coordinators across Forth Valley; which is why we're delighted to welcome Clare as our new Strategic Lead in Forth Valley. 

At the heart of businesses across Forth Valley it is people who graft, people who set the direction, people who inspire and we believe in order to support, inspire and engage our team needs strong leadership and Clare is the woman for the job!

We caught up with Clare to find out a bit about her, why she was drawn to this role and how she hopes to lead the team:

Very simply bridging the gap between business, education and the wider community to benefit all motivates me. 

For over 20 years I have worked in education and training, 15 of these within the college sector, in a variety of roles, from Lecturer to college Senior Leadership. My own #NoWrongPath didn't begin via the traditional route of straight from school to university, like some of our young people that path was not the option I wished to take at the time but I am always happy to share my own career journey which is intertwined with qualifications gained throughout my journey in Business, Management & Leadership and Education.
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I believe partnership working and collaboration are key to supporting the success of our young people. I am passionate about how vital the business community is to improving the opportunities for young people and how key their input is to their journeys. Equally I have seen first-hand the real benefits engagement with young people has for businesses across Scotland and beyond; be it SMEs or large organisations, this connection with our young people and having benefited from their skills and knowledge, has truly supported local businesses. And is so rewarding! I have been very fortunate to be part of local, regional and national projects to improve and create opportunities and life chances for the communities we serve and know I can continue to make a difference in this role.
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​It is my hope the DYW team here at Forth Valley support engagement between business, education and the local community. It is our aim to ensure the business community are able to engage with our young people with ease as I know employers across Forth Valley have so much to offer. I truly believe their engagement will have such a positive and long lasting impact to our young peoples’ journeys.  The school co-ordinator network are vital to this success and make such a difference to providing the platform for business and young people to meet.  It is my aim that here at Forth Valley, we are leading the way in our business to education engagement in support of the Young Person’s Guarantee.

​The partnership between Larbert High School teachers & pupils and Strathcarron Hospice is truly special;  from a pupil idea in the classroom to the delivery of a project focused on enhancing creativity skills, supporting the circular economy, and encouraging intergenerational community connections. 

The video below captures one of the many projects that are being delivered as part of this partnership, supporting the Young Person's Guarantee and providing amazing benefits for all involved.  Have a watch and be inspired.

Click on the image below if you would like to find our more about how your business could benefit from supporting the Young Person's Guarantee. 

Where better to learn new skills and appreciate the beauty of the great outdoors than at Cloybank Estate, where a collaborative partnership has supported pupils from Graeme High School to thrive. 

Find out more below, click on the images to open a PDF with active links.

Are you able to offer outdoor learning experiences for pupils who would benefit from this type of learning environment? If so we would love to hear from you and connect you with one of our local schools. Get in touch using the button below.

Scottish Apprenticeships are playing an essential part in the nation's economic revival.
 
There are thousands of apprenticeship opportunities available across Scotland. They allow individuals to work, learn and earn to gain the skills employers need. 

Tanya tells us how an apprenticeship with Syngenta in Grangemouth worked for her and gave her hands on industry experience and practical skills 2 years earlier than if she had chosen a traditional university degree route.  Click on the image below to read more about Tanya's apprenticeship pathway.

If you would like to find out more about the range of apprenticeships on offer visit Apprenticeships.Scot by clicking on the button below. ​

"I have met new people, my isolation has reduced and I have a positive daily routine".  Hear more from Lewis about how work experience has helped him embark on a new career path and from Carol whose business has benefited enormously from offering a work experience placement. 
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Click on the image to open a PDF with active links.

If you are an employer, why don't you show your support for the Young Person's Guarantee and offer a work experience opportunity to a young person in your community, helping them to explore roles within your industry as well as further developing essentials skills for work. Get in touch using the button below and we can help you get connected.​

​Scottish Apprenticeship Week shines a light on the vital role apprenticeships play in supporting people, employers and the economy. Adam, an ex pupil of Graeme High School in Falkirk, tells us why an apprenticeship works for him.

​Click on the image below to read more.

If you would like to find out more about what an apprenticeship could offer you or your business visit Apprenticeships.Scot by clicking on the button below. 

A truly immersive project where community and employer partnerships were critical to supporting pupils to develop key skills and to achieve tailored qualifications in their senior phase at school.  Find out more below. 

If you are an employer, why don't you show your support for the Young Person's Guarantee and share your skills and experience to help young people become more prepared for the world of work. 

You can get in touch with us directly, using the button below, to explore the many ways in which engaging with young people could benefit your business. ​

Having spent 17 years in nurseries I can’t think of a more rewarding and fulfilling career. For me, it wasn’t the first path I took after school and I’m happy to share that, looking back, its OK to do that. If your decisions mean that everything doesn’t fall into place first time, try again or try another route. 
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​We encourage everyone who is passionate about supporting children to grow and develop, to consider what a career in Early Learning and Childcare could look like for you. There are a range of roles including support worker, practitioner, senior, manager or leader and various ways to learn.

​Take a look at some of the amazing individuals who have contributed to this Profile Pack and be inspired to consider a career in Early Learning and Childcare.
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Having a good financial education can help young people be more prepared for life after school.  Read the case study below to find out how the Royal Bank of Scotland are contributing to the delivery of the school curriculum by helping pupils to understand more about key money moments. 
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If you are an employer, why don't you show your support for the Young Person's Guarantee and share your skills and experience to help young people become more prepared for the world of work. 

You can get in touch with us directly, using the button below, to explore the many ways in which engaging with young people could benefit your business. ​

At DYW Forth Valley we are delighted to have had the partnership work between Museums Galleries Scotland, The Smith Gallery and Museum in Stirling, Cornton Primary School and Stirling Council's Care Experienced Virtual Head Team recognised on the DYW Scot Inspiration Station.

Click on the case study below to open the PDF with active links on the DYW Scot Inspiration Station. 
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If you would like to explore how your business can support the Young Person's Guarantee by engaging with education, contact us at getinvolved@dyw.forthvalley.ac.uk

Grangemouth High School's commitment to the Young Person's Guarantee has seen them establish multiple partnerships to enrich the pupil curricular experience. One example of a newly established school/employer partnership has been with Tesco Bank.

Click on the case study below to open an PDF with active links and find out how this partnership has benefitted both the employer and the pupils.
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This year the #NoWrongPath campaign took to social media to support young people receiving their results by, once again, encouraging industry to share their experience, routes and pathways. This year's leavers are the second cohort of young people facing a move into their next destinations in the wake of the pandemic and the messages from industry are more important than ever. 
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​#NoWrongPath was also supported by an open letter from Sandy Begbie, CEO Scottish Financial Enterprise, Chair of Young Person’s Guarantee Implementation Group and Chair of DYW in which a message of support for all young people was signed by many of Scotland's employers. 

​#NoWrongPath stories feature heavily within the profiles submitted to Build Your Future, released in March as part of Scottish Apprenticeship Week. ​DYW Forth Valley were keen to share some of these great stories from a few of the individuals working within the built environment, as part of the campaign.

Support from our partners across Forth Valley added to the strength of the campaign: from direct messages to motivational  tweets shared across social media. Below is a small selection from our partners, click each image to view the original tweet in more detail, or click #NoWrongPath anywhere in this blog, to view all the inspirational messages from those who took part.

In support of #NoWrongPath, DYW Forth Valley, JAG Auto Engineers Ltd and Stirling Council would like to share this case study detailing the benefits of education/employer partnerships on the young person, business and the organisations that support them. 

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An open letter to Scotland’s Young People

While you enjoy the summer and a well-deserved break from your studies we wanted to write to you in our role as Scotland’s business leaders and on behalf of our networks of thousands of Scottish employers. As you receive your official SQA results, we want to reassure you that we recognise and value your qualifications as much as any other year. We congratulate you on everything you’ve overcome and achieved this year, and you have our support, whatever your needs and wherever your ambitions lie.

Over the past 18 months you’ve had to deal with a situation like no other and the flexibility, ingenuity and resilience you’ve shown gives us confidence in you as future employees.

We are committed to helping to create job opportunities for you so that you can have a positive future. We are also committed to ensuring that there are opportunities available for every young person and that you have help and support to develop further.

Many people in interesting job roles across Scotland may not have taken an obvious or traditional path. Look out for #NoWrongPath which will show you that, whatever your results, there are different routes into jobs. There are lots of industries continuing to grow and new ones emerging which offer exciting opportunities. Employers need young people with fresh ideas and experience to get involved and work together with us to tackle big challenges, such as climate change. We will do all that we can to help you find ways to use your skills and talents in the workplace.

We all support the ambition of the Young Person’s Guarantee and its commitment that within two years, every young person aged between 16 and 24, will have the opportunity of a job, apprenticeship, further or higher education, training programme or volunteering. And we’ll keep speaking to young people across Scotland to understand how we can keep delivering on our commitment to you.

Wishing you the very best of luck with your next steps. Scotland’s employers stand ready to support you. This is our #CommitmentToYOUth.

Signed:
Sandy Begbie, CEO, Scottish Financial Enterprise
Marc Crothall, CEO, Scottish Tourism Alliance
Louise Macdonald, National Director Scotland, Institute of Directors Damien Yeates, CEO, Skills Development Scotland
James Withers, CEO, Scotland Food and Drink
Dr Liz Barron-Majerik, Director, LANTRA
Lee Ann Panglea, Head of CIPD Scotland and Northern Ireland, CIPD Tracy Black, Director Scotland, CBI
Anna Fowlie, CEO, SCVO
Fiona Hodgson, CEO, SNIPEF Training Services
David Lonsdale, Director, Scottish Retail Consortium
Karen Betts, CEO, Scotch Whisky Association
Martin Crewe, Director, Barnardo’s
Susan Love, Head of External Affairs, The Federation of Small Businesses Liz Cameron, CEO, Scottish Chambers of Commerce
Sara Thiam, CEO, Scottish Council for Development and Industry
Paul Carberry, Director for Scotland, Action for Children
Iain MacRitchie, Founder and Chair, MCR Pathways
Anne Wexelstein, Director for Scotland, Career Ready
Kate Still, Director Scotland, The Prince’s Trust
Kirsten Urquhart, CEO, Young Scot
Linda Hanna, Interim CEO, Scottish Enterprise
Carroll Buxton, Interim CEO, Highlands and Islands Enterprise
Jane Morrison-Ross, CEO, South of Scotland Enterprise

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Read the full statement by Sandy Begbie, CEO Scottish Financial Enterprise and Chair of Young Person’s Guarantee Implementation Group, Chair of DYW here.www.sfe.org.uk/news/an-open-letter-to-young-people/

#NoWrongPath is back and, in a year with significant disruption to education, the messaging of the campaign is more important
than ever.

Now in its fifth year, #NoWrongPath is a social media movement created by Developing the Young Workforce which provides
inspiration and reassurance to young people receiving their exam results and with the continued uncertainty, it’s vital that
Scotland’s young people are aware of the options that are available to them.
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