Hammering out a career

New blood is needed in all walks of life and business is no different. For young people with little or no experience, taking their first steps into the labour market can be a hugely daunting – if not downright disheartening – experience.

And for time-served workers looking to make a change – whether through choice or enforced circumstance such as a redundancy situation – it can be just as difficult to contemplate a return to the classroom to retrain or upskill to adapt to the changing work environment.

The June issue of Business Matters looks at how our economy is tackling this problem.

There’s the ground-up approach which is being spearheaded in our secondary schools, colleges and through schemes such as the Scottish Government’s Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) programme.

Regular Business Matters contributor Ian Forsyth has spoken with DYW Dundee and Angus manager Angela Vettraino about how the scheme is shaped by local priorities and is providing opportunities for young people by helping with everything from CV’S to a “real life” taste of the world of work.

Skills Development Scotland gives a national perspective, while Rob Mclaren has spoken to Fife businessman Gerard Eadie about his mission to provide young people with a future.

Power giant SSE – a major employer of apprentices – has also opened up the doors of its Perth training centre to Business Matters.

At the other end of the scale, David Watt, executive director at the Institute of Directors Scotland, speaks about the IOD’S mission to keep some of the country’s top executives ahead of the pack through continual professional development (CPD).

We also speak to one Angus company, IED Training Solutions, which has turned CPD into a flourishing business with ambitions to expand into new territories overseas.

In addition, we have all the news and views from the world of business in Tayside and Fife. Enjoy.

For young people with little or no experience, their first steps into the labour market can be a hugely daunting experience

Picture: Sandy Mccook. Getting a trade is one pathway into the world of work.