The multi-disciplinary engineering consultancy, which has offices in Edinburgh, London and Glasgow, has helped guide young people through university or college, while balancing on the job experience, and currently employs eight graduates.

It also has four employees currently at university part-time, and four at college on day release. For Danny Ross, the construction industry is in his blood, having got initial experience working with his dad as an assistant tiler. Starting his journey with Harley Haddow in October 2012, Danny is now marking ten years with the company and working as a principal engineer in Glasgow.

The 28-year-old benefitted from an apprenticeship scheme, with his first year spent working and getting valuable on-site experience, and then starting a combination of work and university study.

While Danny heard about the opportunity at Harley Haddow through word of mouth while on a job with his dad, his experience is testament to the power of the apprenticeship scheme and how it can bring young people into the industry.

With the ongoing skills crisis in the construction industry well documented, there is a real need for young people to plug the gap and benefit from apprenticeship programmes like this.

With around 43,000 apprentices in jobs and work-based learning across Scotland, it is a great route into a career, offering both practical skills and an education. As well as its apprenticeship programme, Harley Haddow also works closely with local universities, regularly taking on industrial placement and summer students.

Danny said: “I was just 18 when I started and the opportunities I have been given through an apprenticeship have got me to where I am in the industry.

“Balancing studies with work was a challenge but well worth it and it taught me a lot about task management. This was a huge benefit of working with Harley Haddow and getting my start in the industry here, that investment in education and getting to work on the job at the same time was invaluable.

“I would definitely recommend others to follow an apprenticeship, it’s the best way to get hands on experience and it’s really important to get students into the sector, doing that year in industry, then doing the mix of work and study. It’s a brilliant way to learn in a balanced way.”

As Scottish Apprenticeship Week gets underway, it’s never been more important to highlight the positive impact apprenticeships can have on individuals, businesses, and the economy.

Chris McLaren, director, Harley Haddow, said: “It has been fantastic to watch Danny’s development at Harley Haddow since he first started as an apprentice. Supporting young people as they are making that first step into the industry is something we are hugely passionate about and we are committed to playing our part in nurturing the next generation of engineering talent.

“Scottish Apprenticeship Week is a great platform to highlight both the value of taking on apprenticeships and how employers can give a helping hand to those starting out. Particularly at the moment with the effects of the pandemic still being felt, it has never been more important to continue doing what we can as a company to help create routes into the industry.”

Scottish Apprenticeship Week is an annual week-long celebration of apprenticeships that brings businesses and apprentices together. This year’s theme is Apprenticeships Work, which aims to highlight how apprenticeships are providing the skills employers need now and for the future.