It is always heartening to hear a success story and for nineteen-year-old Ricky Spittal from Glenrothes gaining an apprenticeship with Taylor Wimpey East Scotland through CR Smith’s Hand-Picked programme is exactly that.
Having completed the Hand-Picked training academy, sponsored by the housebuilder, the teenager has been recruited as an apprentice bricklayer and is now dividing his time between learning his chosen trade on Taylor Wimpey’s sites in Edinburgh and Loanhead and attending Fife College’s St Brycedale Campus in Kirkcaldy.
Ricky was one of thirteen 16-23 year-olds who took part in a range of workshops and site visits as part of the week-long Hand Picked Academy, before being interviewed for one of Taylor Wimpey East Scotland’s apprenticeships.
Out of the thirteen, as well as Ricky, nine others secured employment soon after attending the academy. Taylor Wimpey employed four of the young people in apprenticeship roles and the other five have secured apprenticeships with other building and engineering firms in Fife. Additionally, two candidates were successful in gaining places at Fife College on construction courses.
Designed by CR Smith boss, Gerard Eadie CBE, the Hand Picked Academy is part of an employer-based programme of initiatives to support young people into work. It is built to challenge perceptions of the workplace while equipping candidates with the necessary skills and knowledge to enable them look for and secure employment for themselves.
Prior to attending the academy, Ricky had been applying for apprenticeships without success. However, the academy helped him to understand what employers were looking for and how he could stand out from the crowd by presenting himself more effectively through his CV and in an interview.
It also gave him the first opportunity to visit construction sites and talk to others about apprenticeships – something that led him to learn that he wanted to become a bricklayer, rather than a joiner.
By providing real work experience and building his confidence, the Hand Picked Academy proved to be the perfect start to Ricky’s personal career success story.
We wish him the very best of luck in the future.
Businesses and candidates interested in Hand Picked and the Hand Picked Academy should contact Pauline McGeevor atPauline.mcgeevor@handpickedscotland.co.uk or call 01383 747641.
