BRIGHT SPARK WILLIAM MAKES MOST OF JOB OPPORTUNITY
A trainee electrician from Argyll earned a place in the West of Scotland heat of the Apprentice of the Year contest after coming out top of his class at college.
William Ward, 17, from Oban, was selected as the Scottish Electrical Charitable Training Trust (SECTT) Apprentice of the Year at Reid Kerr College in Paisley where he has just completed his first year.
William was helped by pioneering social enterprise Workingrite to find an apprenticeship placement with Oban Electrical Services (OES Ltd). He has now been retained on a four-year apprenticeship while also studying at the college.
Audrey Macfadyen, Workingrite’s Area Project Coordinator, said: “We are delighted for William and he is a great example to others.
“The number of young people retained by employers after going through our mentoring programme is very high, but while we and the employers do what we can to help, it is up to the young person to make the most of the opportunity they are given.”
Angus Macpherson, managing director of OES Ltd, said: “We are very proud of William. He is a good lad and very self-driven. This award highlights the importance of giving young people a chance.”
William, a former pupil at Oban High School, had a week’s work experience with OES Ltd, organised through Workingrite, before joining the firm on a six-month mentoring programme when he was paired with an experienced member of staff.
Mr Macpherson said: “William impressed us during his work experience week and that stuck in my mind. We take on two apprentices a year and normally get about 40 applications and William would not have got an interview due to his academic qualifications.
“However, he got an opportunity through the Workingrite scheme and he made the most of that. Basically it was a six-month interview which he came through with flying colours. You hear a lot of negative things about young people but there are good stories out there.”
“It’s a very good scheme which is very attractive to employers and we would definitely recommend it to other companies.”
William added: “Winning the Apprentice of the Year award has been fantastic and is a real boost to my confidence.
“I am very grateful to Workingrite for getting me the chance of employment in the first place and Oban Electrical Services for keeping me on after the initial placement.”
The success at college meant William competed in the West of Scotland heat at Dumfries and Galloway College on 21 June. Unfortunately he was not one of the two students who progressed to the national finals in October.
Earlier this year Edinburgh-based Workingrite was awarded a £500,000 contract from Skills Development Scotland (SDS) to extend its highly successful work-based mentoring programme into new parts of the country.
It will allow Workingrite to spread its reach into Fife, West Lothian, Renfrewshire, Greenock and Moray, building on its existing presence in the Forth Valley, Aberdeenshire, Ayrshire, Glasgow, Argyll and the Highlands.
Between now and March next year, 189 youngsters, aged 16-19, will be paired up for six months with individual construction and other skilled industry tradesmen in a two-way deal in which they work, learn and develop mentoring relationships with role-model adults.
Last year 130 young people undertook a Workingrite placement, with 83 per cent progressing into jobs or apprenticeships.
For further information please contact:
Peter Kane: 44 (0)7742 308213; peter@lucidmessages.com
John Ross: 44 (0)7730 099617; johnross@lucidmessages.com
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