Scottish Apprenticeship Week celebrates the important role that apprenticeships have in supporting people, employers and sustainable economic development.
Marking Scottish Apprenticeship week, Cunninghame South MSP Ruth Maguire visited Merck’s Learning academy today.
Ruth met young people who shared their positive experiences of apprenticeships and heard from some of the staff supporting them through their hands-on training opportunities in Engineering, Quality control, Quality Assurance, Business Administration, Project, Process and Digital at the biopharmaceutical company’s Irvine site.
Ruth Maguire said:
“People from all backgrounds and abilities can use apprenticeships to gain skills that will support them not only in work, but throughout their life. It was a pleasure to join the apprentices this morning and hear directly from them about the high-quality learning and work experience they are gaining at Merck.
“Growing our workforce is crucial, which is why we must continue to increase opportunities for young people by providing them with quality work-based training such as I saw this morning.
“Apprenticeships also support economic renewal and key priorities, including our Net Zero ambitions. A skilled workforce is vital to our economic growth and we want as many businesses as possible to benefit – I would encourage all employers in Ayrshire to find out more about the opportunities available to them.”
Chair of Skills Development Scotland, Frank Mitchell, said:
“Designed by industry, for industry, apprenticeships not only help the economy but also create sustainable jobs across all parts of Scotland. These opportunities have been taken by individuals from across society, including many young people traditionally with restricted opportunities to progress who have gone onto flourish in the workplace.
“These are real jobs backed by employers who contribute £10 for every £1 spent by government, and at the same time apprentices contribute by paying their taxes.
“Creating a diverse and inclusive workforce through work-based learning is benefiting employers as apprentices enable them to adapt and sustain their business.”
Find out more about Scottish Apprenticeships here.
Ruth Maguire MSP 