Eden leads way in work experience
Eden Gordon on his work placement A Perthshire schoolboy says he has high hopes for the future after taking on groundbreaking work experience at a local business.
Eden Gordon (15) from Blairgowrie High School has been taking part in a year-long work placement with SteamPunk Fit Out, a joinery and interior fitting contractor.
The placement has seen the fourthyear pupil spending half a day at the company each week as part of the Business Partnership programme.
Eden has been able to learn and develop basic bench hand joinery, sanding and assembly skills, typically learned in entry level apprenticeships.
Blairgowrie High School’s wider achievement in vocational education programme is thought to be the only one in Scotland that offers year-round experience rather than week-long work placements.
Pupils on this programme can achieve a SQA employability award at national four level, and businesses can receive a gold business partnership award.
Eden said: “I’ve wanted to be a joiner since starting woodwork in first year but I didn’t think it was possible to do work experience in joinery, so I was really pleased to get a placement within a local company.
“I’m absolutely loving it and feel like one of the team.
“Having such long-term placements mean that the pupil and the business really get to know each other, which will hopefully lead to lots of opportunities.
“The programme is making a big difference to me and has given me a chance - I’m really grateful to the school and SteamPunk for starting me on this career path.”
Darren Wilson, managing director of SteamPunk Fit Out, says he hopes to take on Eden as an apprentice at the end of the year if he can achieve good exam results.
He said: “Eden’s future is in his hands but it’s certainly our hope to offer him an apprenticeship which will see him gain an amazing skills set.
“At SteamPunk, we’re not just about standard joinery - we’re a versatile and multi-skilled team and Eden has the right attitude and ability to be part of that.
“If we take him on, he’ll learn traditional bench hand joinery and cabinetry from our Blairgowrie base as well as travelling nationwide working on-site on an array of shopfitting projects, using modern methodology and some rare and wacky sourced materials.”
He continued: “Youth unemployment levels are currently double that of the average working age population, yet only 27 per cent of employers offer work experience.
“In many ways, Scotland is not preparing or equipping many young people for the world of work.
“We are therefore delighted to be bucking the trend and giving Eden this opportunity.
“We saw his potential the first day we met him.
“He’s bright, motivated, hardworking and a great team player, qualities we strive for.
“There are many pathways into the world of work and we very much hope to continue working with Blairgowrie High School by accommodating future placements in the years ahead.”
And Melissa Lawrence, project officer for Developing Young Workforce at Blairgowrie High School, said: “Our year-long placements have proved very successful and are a great opportunity to introduce young people to the reality of working life and to help them secure and sustain employment.
“We encourage all pupils to choose work experience prior to leaving school, whether they are directly entering employment or further education and Eden is a prime example of what can be achieved through hard work and commitment.”