A group of young people are taking their first steps on the road to success through a winning partnership between New College Lanarkshire and Amey.
The training programme, entitled Entry to Work with Amey, is preparing another 10 trainees for the jobs market through a mix of employability skills and practical work experience.
They are following in the footsteps of William Smith, 19, from Motherwell, who earned the coveted title of Lanarkshire Apprentice of the Year 2016 after completing the same course.
The trainees had six weeks of tailored classroom-based study at the Motherwell Campus of New College Lanarkshire. They are currently nearing the end of a seven-week-long assessed work placement with Amey.
Amey is a leading engineering consultant and public service provider that employs more than 1,500 people in Scotland.
Work placements could be in the company’s social housing, roads, railways, waste disposal or administration teams.
This is the third course of its kind to be operated between the College and Amey since its inception as a pilot programme in January 2015.
The programme – supported through Skills Development Scotland’s Employability Fund – aims to enhance opportunities for unemployed people living in North or South Lanarkshire, while developing skills for employment.
Successful candidates will receive a SQA Certificate of Work Readiness Award on completion of the course.
A high proportion of previous learners have gone on to secure apprenticeships, full-time employment or higher level programmes at the College.
The innovative collaboration was recognised through a Partnership Working Award at last year’s North Lanarkshire Community Learning and Development (CLD) Partnership Celebration of Learning ceremony.
Stuart Matson, Community Programmes Manager for New College Lanarkshire, said: "New College Lanarkshire is one of the largest providers of Employability Fund provision in Scotland and we are delighted to continue our partnership with Amey.
“These programmes provide an invaluable opportunity for young people to develop their skills with a major national employer.”
Bruce Lunn, Account Manager at Amey, said: “Working with New College Lanarkshire to see how programmes such as these benefit individuals, the local community and the business sector is incredibly rewarding.
“I’m looking forward to continuing our work with New College Lanarkshire to further develop the programme and support young people with their future careers.”
John McNair, Head of Regional Business Development at New College Lanarkshire, said: “Amey has been a passionate and proactive partner whose support and input to the Certificate of Work Readiness programme has been vital in its success.
“This qualification goes way beyond simply preparing young people for the world of work but can, by matching the right candidates with the needs of the employer, assist talented young people and companies in finding each other.”
To find out more, or to apply for a place on an employability course, email: employabilityfund@nclan.ac.uk