EDINBURGH Napier University has pledged its support for Scottish Apprenticeship Week 2022.
Last autumn saw the university’s first intake complete their degrees four years after it began offering graduate apprenticeships.
This year’s #ScotAppWeek22 (March 7 – 11) theme is apprenticeships work, with the aim of highlighting how apprenticeships are providing the skills employers need now and for the future.
On the benefits graduate apprenticeships bring to business, Terence Mallon, project manager at civil engineers Roadbridge and former Edinburgh Napier student, said, “There is a major skills shortage within construction, particularly in project delivery. Through work-based learning, apprentices know what they are heading into after graduation. They realise the risks and rewards, having been nurtured in the workplace for four years, and therefore develop the knowledge and core skills to cope with the demands of project delivery.”
Professor Sally Smith, head of graduate apprenticeships at Edinburgh Napier, added, “We wholeheartedly agree that #ApprenticeshipsWork so are committed to offering Graduate Apprenticeship places for 2022. Our graduates show how effective they are both for employers with a need for new skills and for individual apprentices.
“More than ever, apprenticeships will prove crucial to Scotland’s economic recovery. Our apprenticeships appeal to school and college leavers including Foundation Apprentices, Modern Apprentices and existing employees. With our apprentices putting their skills to use immediately, both they and their employers benefit from day one.”
