For the second year in a row, hub South West is providing life-changing opportunities for Ayrshire school leavers to progress in the construction industry.

Last year’s successful course saw 11 young people from the area launched towards careers in the construction industry which might otherwise have been closed off to them.

The course, Your Future Starts in Construction, is an industry-leading taster and the first of its kind to be offered by the construction and infrastructure-focused partnership.

Its initial programme, launched last year, was lauded for its effectiveness in targeting the critical juncture in a young person’s career path between the minimum school leaving age and choosing the options to acquire more skills.

Teachers can refer candidates to the employability programme if they are amongst the planned early leavers – pupils who have elected to leave school before completing exams, and as a result, can expose themselves to greater risk of economic exclusion.

Those selected for the course will then go on to an intensive programme running from May to July, featuring one day a week at college for eight weeks and two full weeks learning employability skills, a week’s work experience on an active construction site, and a series of practical experience sessions in skills such as brickwork, joinery and painting and decorating.

Michael McBrearty, chief executive of hub South West, said: “Construction underpins such a large swathe of Scotland’s economy, yet is suffering from a severe shortage of skilled and enthusiastic young people.

“By supporting this course, we at hub South West want to invest in, not just the future of our industry, but the future of young people in Scotland who might not get this opportunity. Last year showed that, given the chance, young people who could otherwise be written off, will do more than thrive; they will excel.”

Candidates will also have the opportunity to progress to a trade-specific course at the highly-regarded Ayrshire College in Kilmarnock, adding a practical qualification to the experience and skills they will learn.

hub South West partnership enables cost-efficient design and construction of community facilities within South West Scotland. It aims to provide value for money and generate growth in the local economy through a new method of partnership working and procurement.