Scottish Apprenticeship Week (4 - 8 March)

Scottish Apprenticeship Week (4 - 8 March) celebrates the transformative power of hands-on learning, helping to bridge the gap between education and work. Apprenticeships help to support people at the beginning of their career, mentoring young talent, diversifying the skills of the workforce, and positively impacting the economy.

This year’s theme “Skills for Life” highlights the longevity of apprenticeships in creating meaningful pathways for life-long careers and commends the dedication of mentors and apprentices who work collaboratively to foster positive working environments.

The business events sector in Scotland reaps the benefits of apprenticeships, as many industries that work with event organisers and DMCs offer these programmes to upskill their workforce and employ people to learn on the job.

We spoke with some of our Scottish partners to learn more about the importance of their apprenticeships and how it impacts people’s careers.

Scotch Whisky Experience

The Scotch Whisky Experience , situated on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile, has been inspiring visitors on the joys of whisky for over 30 years.

Apprenticeships were introduced as part of our continued commitment to develop our team. We recognise that we have a long-serving senior team so opportunities for progression within the business are limited.

We introduced these apprenticeship roles to allow for learning and development for new starts, provide a foundation for understanding specific areas of the visitor attraction, and add to the current knowledge of our senior team.

In 2019, these were renamed the Alastair S McIntosh Apprenticeships in recognition of our founder and Chairman Emeritus.

Angela Dineen , Operations Director said: “The apprenticeship programme is an opportunity for us to develop the team and hopefully set them up for success in the future, be that with us or elsewhere.? The apprenticeship programme also allows our senior leadership team to develop their mentoring skills and learn more about the organisation as a whole.”

Max Maartense, the current Visitor Experience Manager Apprentice, explains why he chose to pursue the apprenticeship: “There were several reasons why I applied for the Visitor Experience Manager Apprenticeship: one of my favourite parts about my role is seeing that we can have a positive impact on the company. After acting as staff representative, I wanted to continue with my learning and contribute to the development of the company through this apprenticeship.”

Gregor MacDonald, graduated from the programme last year and has since joined the management team in the role of Visitor Experience Manager: “The apprenticeship was a fantastic experience and hugely helped in my own development. It gave me the skills and confidence to progress further in my role, and to move up to my current position as Visitor Experience Manager.”

Compass Scotland

One of the top catering companies in the UK & Ireland, Compass Group believe in the delivery of great tasting food, memorable experiences, and vital support services. Their team is at the heart of all that they do and work hard to go the extra mile.

Compass Scotland’s apprenticeship programmes create a career progression roadmap for an individual to work upward, from a Foundation Apprenticeship, Modern Apprenticeship or a Graduate Apprenticeship dependent on their current situation.

The aim is to deliver an industry-leading, aspirational career pathways structure that offers genuine opportunities for skills development and progression, with apprenticeships in culinary, front-of-house, facilities management, business administration, retail, customer service, and management.

David Hay , Managing Director of Compass Scotland, said: “We’re passionate about quality and service and it’s important that we also pass this on to the next generation. Our apprenticeship programme enables employees to change or enhance their careers, whilst supporting the future of the industry we feel so passionate about.”

Jenny Reinbeck, former Compass Scotland apprentice, said: “Coming back from the pandemic and getting busier with events again, I felt ready to take on more responsibility and felt that the apprenticeship would complement my learning and experiences “on the floor” with the theory and knowledge of why or how we do things in a particular way. I completed my apprenticeship and have since progressed at the EICC from Team Leader to Supervisor, and now to Catering and Event Manager, so it definitely paid off.”