The cabinet secretary joined apprentices and members of staff at Ayrshire College’s Ayr campus for the final donation of 8,000 bricks, where she laid the final brick in a model created by Persimmon apprentices, Chantelle Muir and Billie Murray, who are studying at the college.

Persimmon reached a record number of 45 apprentices across its sites in Scotland last year and the cabinet secretary met with four of the homebuilder’s current crop to hear about how they are building the skills and experience they need to succeed in the industry.

Persimmon has donated materials to construction colleges across Scotland, from Ayrshire to Arbroath. The materials, both bricks and roof tiles, were provided by the builder to the colleges to ensure that they have the materials they need to train the next generation of construction professionals.

The donation to Ayrshire College marks the 50,000th brick donated and follows other donations to South Lanarkshire College, New College Lanarkshire, West College Scotland, Kelvin College, Forth Valley College, Dundee and Angus College, and Edinburgh College.

Ms Gilruth said: “Apprenticeships provide people of all ages with a fantastic opportunity to upskill, reskill and helps them progress within their chosen careers.

“Listening to young people at Ayrshire College today and learning more about their successes shows the life-changing impact that apprenticeships can have on the lives of young people across Scotland.

“It is also clear that they are also a key way for employers to invest in their workforce, providing the important skills the economy needs both now and in the future, supporting our transition to Net Zero.”

Angela Cox, principal and chief executive at Ayrshire College, said: “Ayrshire College has a proud history of working in partnership with the construction industry.

“With more than 1,200 construction students and apprentices enrolled at the College at any given time, we are grateful that Persimmon have been able to donate materials to the brickwork students so that Ayrshire College is able to continue to provide an outstanding learning experience for our future workforce.”

William Smith, Persimmon regional apprenticeship manager, said: “We’re committed to working in partnership with colleges across the country to support the next generation of construction professionals – whether that’s reaching a record number of apprentices across a variety of trades or donating materials to help with training.

“It was great to introduce the cabinet secretary to some of our talented young apprentices and let her see some of the excellent work they’re doing as they develop their skills.”