Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Spotlight on future careers
Apprenticeship week
Pupils learned about the many different opportunities available within different companies
Pupils at St Margaret’s High explored their future career options during a series of special events to mark apprenticeship week.
The Airdrie school held a careers fayre, with a wide variety of employers joining them to talk about the range of work options available in their respective industries.
Among the participants were Airdrie-based firm Bell Decorating Group, who ran an interactive stall; former pupil Gary Shaw, who passed on advice from his studies of aeronautical engineering; and joiner Mark Kerr, who helped pupils try out the skills of hanging doors, drilling holes and using tools.
Joining them in running interactive stalls were apprentices and representatives from construction company Taylor Wimpey, Eurocentral firm Bosch automotive training, Skills Development Scotland, creative industries specialists SAE institute – who brought a selection of cameras, drones and technical equipment – and Vodafone, who last year kitted out the St Margaret’s careers room.
Pupils were also able to practice interview skills and find out about employers’ expectations and workplace codes such as health and safety and the requirements for uniforms and protective equipment; and also found out about volunteering from Airdrie charity Hope for Autism during the course of the week.
Luisa Lawlor, the school’s principal teacher for Developing the Young Workforce, said: “Every pupil from all year groups took part and spoke to the employers about their industries, and all felt it was very worthwhile.
“It heightened awareness of apprenticeships and of all the different roles and opportunities within firms they wouldn’t have thought of, such as construction firms employing people like their own lawyers.
“The employers were great; they had interactive stalls with lots of things for the pupils to do and took lots of questions about their industries and apprenticeships.”