It’s an overused cliché ‘young people are our future’ but Ayrshire Chamber of Commerce firmly believe in providing young people with opportunities to start their journey into the world of work whilst reaping the benefits for the business.
Part of the ‘social media generation,’ they bring new ideas to the workplace and at the same time create a younger, more vibrant image of Chambers of Commerce. Five of the 18 members of staff at Ayrshire Chamber are under the age of 30 and the youngest members of the team, Danielle McPherson and Amy Storrar, both began in administrative roles within the organisation – Danielle in 2012 and Amy in 2015 – using the modern apprenticeship framework to develop and progress their careers.
Val Russell, Chief Executive, Ayrshire Chamber of Commerce, explained: “It would have been hypocritical of us to encourage our membership to employ young people and not do so ourselves.
“The Chamber leads the Developing the Young Workforce Ayrshire group which aims to create better links with educational establishments and employers and that includes encouraging them to hire young people.
“By bringing in Danielle and Amy to our team and supporting them through their development we have invested in their future within the business.
“With Modern Apprenticeships you play a major role in moulding the next generation as well as giving them a head start in their career.
Danielle, 21, who has now progressed from administration assistant to Developing the Young Workforce Ayrshire’s Communications and Administration Officer feels a Modern Apprenticeship gave her a start she wouldn’t have got elsewhere. She said: “The best thing about a Modern Apprenticeship for me is that I feel as though it has given me a real opportunity to learn different roles within the business. I feel I am miles ahead of where I would be if I had gone to college or university.”
And the work-based learning of a Modern Apprenticeship appealed too. She added: “I have always been a hands-on-learner, so choosing a Modern Apprenticeship seemed the best option for me when I left school. It’s opened up opportunities for me and I’m glad of the places it has taken me already.”
For Amy, 20, she has been able to use her apprenticeship as a springboard for further learning. She said: “I worked really hard to ensure that my portfolio was of a high quality but also looking forward to completing it so that I could develop my skills further and learn even more within the workplace. I have now started my second apprenticeship studying Digital Marketing and IT which was a personal interest but one that the Chamber has encouraged me to take further. They have even invested in new software just for me to grow my design skills.
“I would never have imagined a year ago that I’d be where I am today.”
Both Danielle and Amy are also fully qualified in Export Documentation which is of huge benefit to the business so win – win!
To find out more about Modern Apprentices in Ayrshire contact Gillian Cameron, Developing the Young Workforce Employee Engagement Officer on 01292 678 666.
