We are supporting Scottish Apprenticeship Week 2022 to show the value of Scottish Apprenticeships to people, businesses, and the economy. This year’s theme is Apprenticeships Work, to highlight how apprenticeships are providing the skills employers and employees need now and for the future. ACD has its own dedication to apprenticeships within the “Trades for All” company, currently employing two apprentices, and will further produce over thirty apprentices over the next five years. We also have a trainee trainer for our Transition to Trade programme.
Developed in partnership with employers, apprenticeships continue to adapt to respond to industry needs. Scottish Apprenticeships work by providing thousands of opportunities to get a job, get paid, and get qualified across Scotland every year. The Scottish Government is committed to increasing the number of apprenticeships in Scotland.
With this in mind, we would like to take the time to highlight our apprentices and trainees.
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- Kerr Snee (Left) and Brandon Robertson (Right)
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- Dylan Chalmers
Kerr Snee is our joinery apprentice within the Trades for All company. He joined our team in early 2021 after doing volunteer work as part of our Community Support programme. Kerr is our premier apprentice and will gain an SCQF level 5 award in Carpentry and Joinery once he completes his training. His work has been stellar so far, with numerous successful projects in both renovation and construction. Having Kerr on the team has meant that we can provide our services for a reduced cost to the client, whilst also investing in training up the next generation of tradespeople.
Brandon Robertson is another one of our apprentices. Brandon went through our Transition to Trade programme in November 2021 and excelled to such a high degree that we hired him as soon as we could. He joined us as a part of the Kickstart Scheme in November 2021 and will be a permanent apprentice after his probationary period. Trades for All has enjoyed his high energy and positive attitude when working on a variety of projects. His responsibilities mostly consist of joinery but he has shown competence in the painting and decorating side of projects.
The most recent project they have been a part of is the renovation of two shops in St. Mary’s, where our apprentice’s joinery and painting skills were integral to the renovation process of the units. The variety of different successful projects is astounding for such young apprentices. A gallery detailing some of their work over their time in Trades for All is included below. Further information about the St. Mary’s renovation can be found here. The qualifications and experience these young men will receive during their apprenticeships are incredibly important to their development into competent and confident tradespeople.
Last, but certainly not least, is our resident trainee trainer. Dylan Chalmers joined us in April 2021 through the Kickstart Scheme as a trainee trainer. His responsibilities over the past year have been to study under our trainers and learn how to effectively lead a class and deliver a multitude of different qualifications. Dylan is currently attaining his 9DI and will soon be able to spearhead his own classes and, possibly, train up another trainer the way he was trained. He develops a genuine connection with the participants of our courses and embodies the core principles of ACD within his teaching style. All of our participants love working with him and we are ecstatic about how far he has progressed within his role.
Apprenticeships can help to drive equity of opportunity and give employers the tools and support to be inclusive in recruitment. Scottish Apprenticeship Week is a time to show that apprenticeships provide opportunities that work for everyone. To find out more about how Scottish Apprenticeships work and how to get involved, please visit the official apprenticeships website here.