New Apprentice Opportunities with Highland Council

27th April 2015

The Highland Council is pleased to announce the recruitment of six new building maintenance apprenticeship positions in four different areas of Highland.

The apprenticeships available will be based in Dornoch, Alness, Inverness and Fort William and will cover painting, plumbing and joinery. In Inverness there will be one apprenticeship offered in Plumbing; two will be offered in Fort William, one in Plumbing and one in Painting; in Dornoch one Plumber and one Joiner will be sought; and in Alness one apprenticeship in Joinery will be offered. Applications can be made between the 1st and 15th of May through the myjobscotland website.
Typically, each year six new apprentices are taken on by the Council so that in total there are twenty four apprentices, all in different stages of their training, working across Highland each year.

Former Highland Council apprentice, and current Highland Council plumber, Michael Gordon from Ardross spoke of his experience in the Council's apprenticeship scheme, saying: "Having attended school in Alness, I applied for a Plumbing apprenticeship with Highland Council in 2009. Over the next three years, my time was spent between Inverness college and working with various Highland Council plumbers at our Alness Depot. After successfully completing my plumbing examinations at college, my fourth year was spent working alongside colleagues at the depot and carrying out small jobs alone to help build both my experience and confidence.

"At the end of my apprenticeship I applied for, and was successful in gaining, a full-time plumbing position within the Highland Council Building Maintenance depot in Alness."

He added: "Over the last two years I have worked on a variety of jobs, from fitting a simple tap washer to fitting new bathrooms and heating systems. I find it satisfying that my job involves helping people, and I enjoy the feeling of giving something back to the local community."

Director of Community Services, William Gilfillan, said: "I would encourage anyone who is considering beginning their career in building maintenance to apply for one of our apprenticeship scheme opportunities. The scheme not only gives our apprentices a formal qualification and skills for life, but also offers very good employment prospects at the end of the training period. The majority of our trainees are retained by the Council, while others secure employment with local companies."
The Council's Performance and Building Maintenance Manager Caroline Campbell added: “With the advancement of renewable energy the apprentices we take on are getting the chance to learn about working with these new technologies as well as gaining expertise on the more traditional skills associated with the trades."

The starting salary for an apprentice is £15,103 and this increases annually. Application forms and full details of the posts offered can be found on the Myjobscotland website (www.myjobscotland.gov.uk/councils/highland-council) from the 1st to the 15th of May.