Fears the young risk missing out on careers

MORE than two-thirds of people in Scotland say they don’t view apprenticeships as the best starting point to reaching a senior position in their career.

The statistics, released by Scottish Gas owners Centrica to mark the start of Scottish Apprenticeship Week, suggest thousands of young people could be missing out on careers by dismissing apprenticeship opportunities.

The study also found that almost half of adults believe going to university provides the best start to a career.

Craige Heaney, head of learning and development at Centrica, said: “It’s worrying that future leaders in Scotland are limiting their options and not considering an apprenticeship as a route into an exciting and high-flying career.

“We have several examples of people who started their career as a Scottish Gas apprentice and now hold a leadership position.

“Over the past 10 years, we’ve invested more than £260million in training 6,000 engineers and apprentices because we recognise the positive impact this has on both our customers and business performance.

“By choosing to pursue a high-quality apprenticeship that is developed by leading employers for apprentices of all ages, which also offer flexibility and transferable skills, the opportunities for people in Scotland to reach to the top are limitless.”

Organisers of Scottish Apprenticeship Week are hoping it will encourage more employers to take on young people.

In the past decade, participation across the UK has hit record levels, with 899,940 funded apprenticeships being created in the 2015/16 academic year.