By Scott Wright
HISTORIC Scotch whisky company Gordon & MacPhail has achieved recognition for the work it does to help young people.
The Elgin-based whisky distiller, retailer and wholesaler has been named a Young Person’s Guarantee Employer following an assessment of the support and career opportunities it provides to 16 to 24 year olds. It said the accolade is the latest illustration of its commitment to become one of the best places to work for employees and young people in the Moray area.
Gordon & MacPhail, which was established in 1895, is a long-standing Scottish Living Wage Employer and has worked alongside Developing the Young Workforce to provide foundation and graduate apprenticeships in recent years. The company has also created its first modern apprenticeships to help young people establish careers in the whisky industry and will offer seven over the next 12 months. In that time it will also collaborate with schools and colleges to introduce more young people to opportunities, and offer further foundation apprenticeships.
Jodie Clayton of the human resources team at Gordon & MacPhail said: “It’s particularly important to us at Gordon & MacPhail to create a diverse workforce that provides opportunities to people from all backgrounds and skillsets. There is a misconception that young people need to move away to a big city to pursue an exciting career, however we want to show that this isn’t the case, and that there’s a wealth of opportunity and talent to learn from in the local area if you know where to look.
“We have long been committed to developing our young workforce, now adding the introduction of modern apprenticeships to go alongside our existing foundation and graduate apprenticeships. Achieving the Young Persons Guarantee employer accolade demonstrates our commitment to continue to provide opportunities for our future workforce and ensure we are an employer of choice.”
In November, Gordon & MacPhail signalled its recovery from the pandemic when it reported a pre-tax profit of £13.9 million for the year to the end of February 2021, up from £9.8m the year before. Managing director Ewan Mackintosh said the results showed there is “light at the end of the tunnel”. The company is currently building a second distillery, The Cairn, in Grantown-on-Spey.
It acquired its first, Benromach in Forres, in 1994.
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