Foundation Apprenticeships can engineer prestigious careers

Nearly all Foundation Apprenticeships, chosen as a subject at school, are completed through a series of assessments across the academic year.

There are 12 Foundation Apprenticeships available at SCQF Level 6, to gain industry experience and a qualification at the same level as a Higher which is recognised by all Scottish colleges and universities for entry.

There is also a pilot programme of Foundation Apprenticeships in selected areas available at SCQF Level 4 and 5.

Skills Development Scotland and Scottish Funding Council work with learning providers to fund and support Foundation Apprenticeships.

In the next academic year from August there are up to 5000 more Foundation Apprenticeship opportunities available to young people, delivered by colleges, local authorities and independent learning providers across the country.

Foundation Apprenticeships at SCQF Level 6 take up to two years to complete with a lot of that time spent out of the classroom with a learning provider and 
an employer. 

Apprentices spend time with an employer completing industry projects that can be done either in person or virtually, helping them to develop industry knowledge and experience that an employer is looking for.

Completing a Foundation Apprenticeship opens opportunities to all pathways and, in particular, helps with progression on to a Modern or Graduate Apprenticeship. Learners build confidence and develop key skills such as creativity, problem-solving and communication.

A survey of learners showed that 90 per cent or over said taking a Foundation Apprenticeship increased their communication, teamwork, confidence and organisational skills.

Nine out of ten would recommend a Foundation Apprenticeship to others. 
Harley Higgins got a foot in the door with his Foundation Apprenticeship employer and engineered his future career.

Harley, 18, of Greenock, chose a Foundation Apprenticeship in Engineering at school as he wanted to work in engineering and realised that getting on-the-job experience would help him decide which sector he wanted to go into. 

The Foundation Apprenticeship made his career path clear and after completion he secured a Modern Apprenticeship job in Multi-skilled Engineering at power supply specialist Aggreko – ahead of 300 other candidates.

Harley studied three days a week at West College Scotland in Paisley during his Foundation Apprenticeship completing practical work and giving detailed explanations of processes and systems in his portfolio.

On his work placement at Aggreko’s Dumbarton base he spent time in different sections of the workshop. His success means he is now held up by the college as the ‘gold standard’ learner for the next generation of Foundation Apprentices.

Harley said: “A Foundation Apprenticeship gives you the opportunity to experience the workplace and get involved in it, which was invaluable.  Choosing a Foundation Apprenticeship opened my eyes to the opportunities that are available and helped me develop relevant skills and knowledge.  

“Being able to talk about my work placement through my Foundation Apprenticeship gave me the edge when I applied for my Modern Apprenticeship. A Foundation Apprenticeship was the best subject choice I made.” 

Harley says the Foundation Apprenticeship boosted his time management, teamwork and communication skills. He gave an online presentation about Foundation Apprenticeships at a recruitment evening and took questions from viewers. 

The talented teen’s achievements led to him winning the Foundation Apprentice of the Year category, sponsored by the College Development Network, at the Scottish Apprenticeship Awards.

Aggreko Manufacturing Trainer Paul McGarry said: “Apprentices bring massive value to the business – they bring fresh ideas and we mould them into the perfect engineers for Aggreko.  

“Harley has a real passion for engineering and clearly has a bright future ahead of him.” 
West College Scotland Senior Administrator for Foundation Apprenticeships Ashleigh Bonnar said: “Harley’s confidence has really grown as a result of doing the Foundation Apprenticeship and he learned valuable life and work skills.” 

Councillor Jim Clocherty, Inverclyde Council’s convener of education and communities, said: “Foundation Apprenticeships are a great way to kickstart a young person’s career and work-based learning pathway.

“Our very own Harley Higgins, a former Inverclyde school pupil, is a perfect example of just how beneficial and rewarding a Foundation Apprenticeship can be as a platform to learn on the job while working towards recognised qualifications and onto continued learning and development. 

“A Foundation Apprenticeship is a fantastic opportunity for young people and employers and I encourage S5 and S6 pupils to find out about the range of courses available right on their doorstep and apply now.”

Find out more information at apprenticeships.scot

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PACE made career switch to digital sector easy PC 

FOLLOWING redundancy, Phil Fowler got the support he needed to retrain for a new career.

Phil had been working for student accommodation company Unite Students for 12 years when he was made redundant. The 41-year-old father of three who lives in Dunfermline, realised that redundancy was inevitable as the company suffered during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Phil said: “The company went through a restructure and I realised then that my job was under threat. I was told in March 2022 that I was being made redundant. That’s when I started looking for support. I knew I wanted to move on and change career, and the redundancy gave me that opportunity. I was interested in the tech side of my job and felt that this was something I wanted to pursue a career in.”

Partnership Action for Continuing Employment (PACE) is the Scottish Government’s initiative for dealing with redundancy situations. 

Skills Development Scotland (SDS) leads on the delivery of PACE support in conjunction with a number of partners including Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), Citizens Advice and learning providers.

Phil said: “I searched online for different opportunities and found redundancy support available from Skills Development Scotland as part of PACE.”

Phil received support from PACE Adviser Anupama Rao. He explained: “I spoke to Anupama about my situation and that I was keen to move into the digital sector. 

“She spoke to me about making informed choices, told me about websites that have information about training, including My World of Work, and spoke about funding options.

“She suggested that I look at job adverts in that sector to see what was in demand and what employers were looking for, which would give me an idea of what training options I should consider.”

Phil researched relevant jobs and courses in the digital sector, while continuing to speak to Anupama about his progress.

He continued: “Anupama also helped me with my CV, giving me lots of advice on the things to include and what employers would be looking for. Once you’re made redundant you start to lose confidence in yourself and your skills. It was great to have that contact with Anupama to keep me on track, as it was a really worrying and challenging time.”

After a few weeks of applying for jobs, the responses and job interviews started to come in.

Phil said: “All the work I had done on my CV with help from Anupama had paid off. It got to a point where I was turning down opportunities as I had quite a few coming in.”

Phil was successful in securing a Technical Support Analyst role with Currencycloud, a global payments platform, which is owned by Visa, that enables businesses to move money across borders quickly and easily.

He said: “I’ve been doing the job for six months and I love it. The help I had definitely helped me achieve what I wanted following redundancy. 

“I would 100 per cent recommend the support from SDS and PACE.

“I’d say to anyone who may be dealing with redundancy to speak to SDS. 

“They can help you with planning what your next steps will be, whether that’s planning a career change or looking for another role in the same industry. 

“They will talk you through the steps you need to take and the options available to you.”

Find out more at redundancyscotland.co.uk

This article was brought to you in partnership with Skills Development Scotland