Councillor Steven Purcell, Leader of Glasgow City Council, has welcomed around 200 modern apprentices and skillseekers as they begin their schemes in the Council and its arms-length organisations.

They will be learning trades in fields as diverse as horticulture, roadwork, business administration, youth work, information technology, and cultural heritage, as well as training for more traditional skills at the Council’s external construction company, City Building (Glasgow) LLP.

Modern apprentice and skillseeker programmes offer high-quality training for young people in a wide range of jobs. Positions in these programmes are available to those aged 16 or over, and new or existing employees can be trained.

Steven Purcell, Leader of Glasgow City Council, said: "This is yet another step to get more people into work and offer our young people the chance to get an apprenticeship. The more skilled trades people we have in the city, the easier it is to attract more investment and jobs. This is a win-win situation for Glasgow and everyone that lives here.


"We want to give people the skills to find work and fulfil their aspirations for a brighter future. There is £4.5bn of construction work under way or planned in Glasgow and our apprenticeship scheme and other measures we are taking will leave the city extremely well-placed in the future.

"We have an opportunity over the next few years, particularly with the 2014 Commonwealth Games coming, to secure apprenticeships for many more school leavers."

Since 1996, Glasgow City Council has participated in a range of skillseeker and modern apprenticeship programmes. Training lasts between 18 months and four years, depending on the skill area undertaken

Skillseekers have the shorter of the two programmes and can obtain an SVQ level 2 qualification and modern apprentices can obtain an SVQ level 3. Both routes offer excellent training programmes and high-quality work experience placements.

Funding for these schemes comes from Glasgow City Council, Skills Development Scotland and Glasgow Community Planning Partnership. Success rates for young people completing their training are very high - approximately 95% of those completing the programme go on to find permanent employment - many within the Council.

Some of the young people recruited are based within our arm’s-length external organisations, for instance Glasgow Community and Safety Services and City Building (Glasgow) LLP.

Apprentices at City Building will be trained at its award-winning Queenslie Training Centre where over 500 apprentices are trained every year for the public and private sector.

(GK/JM)