Scottish Conservative and Unionist MSP for Central Graham Simpson, visited South Lanarkshire College this week to celebrate Scottish Apprenticeship Week and support their Future Jobs Careers Fair.
During the visit, Graham heard from local employers, students, staff and College Partners about the opportunities in Apprenticeships and the brilliant work of the Future Jobs Market - which is aimed at sustainable practices within traditional trades.
The event, which was hosted in partnership with Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) Lanarkshire and East Dunbartonshire, attracted over 100 visitors and 25 employers on the day including Morrison Construction, McCrae Training, Sunbelt Rentals, Antibody Analytics, Lang O’Rourke, NHS Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire Council, Scottish Power and many more.
It aimed to provide secondary school pupils and those looking for a new job with a wider understanding of the Future Green and Sustainable Jobs Sector and Industries and the potential job opportunities in those fields.
The event also tied in with Scottish Apprenticeship Week. South Lanarkshire College current enrol in the region of 1,000 modern apprentices each year - amounting to around 20% of all students.
MSP for Central Scotland, Graham Simpson said: “This was a great event which offered a wide range of opportunities for students.
“It highlighted the enormous value of apprenticeships and I applaud the college and the companies who took part in it for their engagement.
“Apprenticeship Week is a great way of showcasing this first class route into work and training in which colleges play a crucial role”.
Nicola Murray, Curriculum Manager for Construction said: "It was great to welcome Graham Simpson to our Step Into Future Jobs Careers Fair this week. The event was a great opportunity for employers to speak with potential recruits, for businesses to network and find out more about good practice in sustainable practices.
"At South Lanarkshire College we work closely with partner organisations Nationally and locally to ensure that we are supporting the economy, helping businesses thrive and our students to be as successful as they can be after graduating from College. This event has really showcased the brilliant partnerships we have at South Lanarkshire College.
"We are a key provider of Modern Apprenticeships in Scotland in partnership with Skills Development Scotland, and we provide one of the highest numbers of construction Apprenticeships each year in Scotland.
"The College has its largest ever apprenticeship contract with Skills Development Scotland for the academic year 2022-23 and had 123 new starts this year alone.”
Scott Purdon, from DYW Lanarkshire and East Dunbartonshire said: “Step into Future Jobs was DYW LED’s feature event for Apprenticeship Week 2023 and it has been and an amazing event to pull together with our partners at South Lanarkshire College.
"We are looking to make this an annual event to highlight the importance of Green and Sustainable jobs and career pathways for our young people.
"Future jobs and sustainability is not where we are heading to, it is the here now and very much part of the DYW agenda for highlighting to our schools.”
