Learn and Earn

There was a time when apprenticeships were looked down on; when, mainly boys, leaving school and going into a trade was viewed somewhat negatively.  Thankfully, those days are gone and young people have a bright future as modern apprentices.

By Tracy Mukherjee

Images:© Sandy Young Photography/scottishphotographer.com

apprenticeships Scotland

Apprenticeships in Scotland

My dad was an Engineer.  He was the most intelligent man I ever knew.  He left school at 15 years old. Working hard in the late 1950s at night school in Edinburgh, during the day he worked for the American Air Force, based nearby.  He became an apprentice.

Back then, an engineering apprenticeship was viewed as prestigious, sought after.   THAT was how you became the best engineer.  Somewhere along the road, as the ability for working class students to leave school and access university more freely, becoming an apprentice has been viewed as second best.

Modern Apprentices

But the tide is turning and modern apprenticeships in Scotland are once again something to be proud of.  Students all learn differently, and all have very different skill sets.  One company who have embraced and are actively investing in their apprenticeship programme is The Bell Group.  Bell is currently one of the largest property services contractors in the UK.  Their apprenticeship programme is a Tour de Force.  Craig Bell the CEO of Bell Group UK, refers to apprentices as ‘the be all and end all’ of their organisation.  That is how integral the young people becoming tradesmen of the future are to the Bell Group.

Lee Hamill, Chief Revenue Officer at Bell says ‘(apprenticeships)..have been part of our DNA since the business was formed in 1988 taking on our first apprentice within four weeks. We now have over 300 in the business and our passion and drive to grow our own hasn’t changed since 1988. Four of our current Board Directors started their careers as apprentices as well.’ 

apprenticeships Scotland

Bell work closely with colleges, but they have 14 Bell Academies across the UK. These support full and part time students who are studying construction diplomas or national progression awards.  The company carry out masterclasses for students at college. Then there is the possibility of work experience for those that are interested in becoming tradesmen after the classes.  From there, they may progress to Bell’s exceptional apprenticeship programme.

Learning Models

Do young people continue to become apprentices?  You bet they do!  The Bell Group receives around 800 applications each year for around 100 apprentice positions.  Lee has also noted the mix in applicants. ‘We have seen an evident increase in females entering our programme and through our academy model, have significantly diversified our recruitment over the past five years.’

The apprentices at Bell study many trades throughout their time with the company, become skilled, proficient and employable young people.  The learning models can be very different from that at school.  Third year apprentice at Bell, Hope Phillips says, ‘I found learning at school very challenging, I am not an academic person so being forced to learn was hard for me, I always preferred more hands-on practical ways.’  It’s a theme echoed by her fellow apprentices.   Third year apprentice John Duffy says ‘I found it challenging at times as I would not consider myself academically gifted, but it did benefit for going on in life.’ 

Life Skills

Bell’s trade apprentices are learning life skills too.  Josh Lamb, a fourth-year apprentice says, ‘I have enjoyed my apprenticeship so far and feel I have come a long way from where I was when I started. Just coming out of a lockdown and school, I didn’t know really what it was like to work or even understand the importance of having a job but as time has gone by, I feel like overall doing this apprenticeship has changed a lot of things for me.’

apprenticeships Scotland

Hope is loving her apprenticeship too. ‘I always wanted to be a joiner but did a college course which included painting, joinery and bricklaying and immediately fell in love with painting…. I’m finding my apprenticeship very interesting. I love learning new things every day on site and visiting new places to work.’  John’s self esteem has improved too. ‘I feel like I am gaining confidence and experience each week I also find it beneficial that I interact with other people such as tradesmen, other apprentices and working alongside other trades.’

The Future’s Bright

It’s clearly an excellent pathway for young people who may not feel further academia is for them.   And there’s still a road to go in terms of education establishments.  Lee explains. ‘There is still a degree of work to do within the education system in raising the awareness of apprenticeships to young people, particularly those who do not necessarily want to pursue a traditional further education pathway or university. That said, UCAS have now successfully embedded degree level apprenticeships into their collateral, and we have been fortunate to benefit from a number of degree level and professional apprentices.’

The future is looking bright for the modern apprentice and apprenticeships in Scotland.  It seems like a great option for those school students who may have been overlooked in traditional education.  Lee agrees. ‘Apprenticeships are a perfect balance of vocational learning and certainly support candidates from underrepresented group who would generally not thrive in an academic environment.’

Bell are an exceptional corporation, fully invested in encouraging young people to thrive. They capture it in one quote from their website  –

‘Todays Apprentice will one day have the ideas that shape our industry.’ 

Well said.

To read more on apprenticeships in Scotland at the Bell Group Apprenticeship Scheme visit –

bellgroup.co.uk/careers

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