Scottish Apprenticeship Awards celebrates business’ commitment to apprenticeships
Growing its own talent through apprentices has helped award winning employer RI Cruden become an eco success story, driving the green energy revolution throughout the Highlands.
The business was named SME Employer of the Year at this year’s Scottish Apprenticeship Awards.
Stand-out apprentices, employers, instructors and mentors from across Scotland were recognised at the Awards, which took place on 8 March at the P&J Live in Aberdeen during Scottish Apprenticeship Week.
The Inverness-based plumbing and heating company began the move into renewables 10 years ago and has installed biomass boilers, heat pumps and solar panels throughout the north-west of Scotland and beyond.
RI Cruden’s Daniel Ross said: “The Highlands doesn’t have enough existing renewables specialists with the skills we need. The best solution is to develop our own.
“We take the traditional journeyman apprentice method and tweak it to meet our business’s needs and for the future of the renewable sector.
“There are no readily available engineers with 20 or 30 years experience in renewables, so we need to upskill existing engineers in new technologies.
“However, when we train young people up to the standards we hold through our apprenticeship scheme, we get the full benefit.”
Daniel’s colleague Greg Mathieson was also a finalist in the Apprentice Instructor of the Year category at the awards and RI Cruden apprentice, Cosima Kramer-Lomax, was shortlisted in the Supporting Net Zero Apprentice of the Year group.
Of the 12,000 apprentice employers in Scotland, more than 90% are small to medium enterprises.
Developing talent to meet business needs is a theme throughout the SME Employer of the Year category, sponsored by Well-Safe Solutions.
The responsive nature of Scottish Apprenticeships is also demonstrated through finalist Icelantic, where apprentices keep the IT support company in touch with the tech needs of a new generation.
“Apprentices bring fresh thinking,” said Icelantic Partner Duncan Reid. “Seeing what the world looks like from their perspective is really enlightening. They represent what our clients are going to be like in five or six years.”
Icelantic, based in Edinburgh, helps SMEs in the central belt and beyond with their computer systems, has up to four apprentices at any one time.
Duncan added: “Apprentices are at the very core to how we operate.
“If we hire someone who has been in several companies, they are established in their careers, they may have their ways of doing things.
“We find the technicians and engineers we grow ourselves through apprenticeships can be more valuable longer term. They are blank sheets. We get to create the ideal employee.”
That’s a sentiment shared by Lochlie Construction Ltd, which was also shortlisted in the SME category and credits apprenticeships with improving retention rates.
Based in Hillington, Lochlie works in refurbishment, construction and maintenance across central Scotland. It also has a renewables division, installing solar panels, heat pumps and vehicle charging points. The company has all the trades needed in house, to avoid sub-contracting out any elements of a job.
Since Lochlie began taking on apprentices in 2016 they have seen 23 join the business. They have an enviable retention rate of 90%.
Claire McBain, Lochlie’s Business Development Manager, says that apprentices are a crucial part of the company’s contractor-free business model.
Claire explained: “The directors here are big believers in growing our own talent. They wanted to pursue this in-house model and started taking on apprentices as early as they could.
“They know there’s a skill shortage out there and that retention rates can be quite difficult. They decided to pursue apprenticeships as a way of nurturing and pursuing talent from the outset.”
As well as recruiting through the traditional channels Lochlie work with charities to bring on apprentices who might not otherwise join their business.
Claire added: “Working with organisations like Action for Children gives more people an opportunity. When we open up our recruitment process we get so many applications. These charities and community organisations give opportunities to people who might not get them through the traditional application process.
“We have two people who work with us right now, who have been with us for more than five years, who came to us through these avenues.”
Score Group Ltd was announced as Scottish Apprenticeship Awards winners in the Large Employer of the Year category sponsored by Anderson Strathern, which also featured finalists BAE System and Morgan Stanley.
For more information on apprenticeships and help to take on an apprentice visit apprenticeships.scot.
