Taylor Wimpey West Scotland’s Young Persons’ Forum is supporting Scottish Apprenticeship Week by highlighting how life changing an apprenticeship can be for young people in and the wider benefits they provide for the industry.

Running from Monday 5 to Friday 9 March, Scottish Apprenticeship Week 2018 aims to celebrate apprenticeships and the positive impact they have on individuals, businesses and economy.

The Young Persons’ Forum – the first of its kind within Taylor Wimpey’s network of 24 regional businesses in the UK - ensures that the business is continuously engaging with its young employees. The Forum underpins Taylor Wimpey West Scotland’s commitment to recruiting, developing and retaining young people in its workforce and it is proud to have secured the Investors in Young People (IIYP) silver accreditation.

Caroline Proctor, senior land manager at Taylor Wimpey West Scotland and chair of the Young Persons’ Forum, said: “Our Young Persons’ Forum is passionate about presenting Taylor Wimpey West Scotland, and the wider housebuilding industry, as an attractive career opportunity for young people in our local community.

“We’ve got an energetic group of young people who are enjoying successful career paths thanks to the commitment shown to them by Taylor Wimpey, and they’re keen to share the word.

“Last year they supported Taylor Wimpey at seven events to promote the housebuilding industry and they engaged with over 600 young people at various school, career and STEM events – aiming to inspire the next generation to following in their footsteps.

“As part of Scottish Apprenticeship Week we’ve shared some of their profiles to showcase their journey so far with us, and we hope that it will encourage more young people to consider our industry.”

Taylor Wimpey, which is building new homes across the west of Scotland, said it is fully committed to supporting its young apprentices who enjoy the combination of working and earning whilst they are learning.

Willie Burns, managing director for Taylor Wimpey West Scotland, added: “Our young people are a real asset to our business. By providing support, mentoring and funding to their apprenticeships, training and learning across many of our departments, we have invested in their future success and that of our business. It is also an important investment in the future health of our wider industry and the economy as a whole.

“As a business we are also keen to retain the skills that our young people have acquired, so it’s important that we support them through each of their transition stages as they develop their career, continue to offer them opportunities to continuously improve. Supporting Scottish Apprenticeship Week is an opportunity for us to showcase their first steps on the career ladder and share their ambitions for the next stage of their journey with Taylor Wimpey.

“We hope that our continued investment in young people will go some way to promote our industry as an interesting and dynamic place to work, which will in turn nurture the future of the housebuilding industry.”

Further information about Scottish Apprenticeship Week is available by visiting the website at www.skillsdevelopmentscotland.co.uk. Or join the conversation using #ScotAppWeek18.