Celebrating 5 years of our Modern Apprenticeship programme

Since 2016, Street League in Scotland has been supporting young people to complete apprenticeships. Working alongside Genius People, Skills for Scotland, Skills Development Scotland and its growing list of committed employers, they have supported 214 young people to complete apprenticeships.

Now offering 53 apprenticeships a year across 5 sectors, with the potential to expand to 85, the team has come a long way from when it started. Initially set up as a two people offering an apprenticeship in Business and Administration, Street League Scotland now facilitate apprenticeships across five sectors including Retail, Hospitality, Warehousing, Leisure and Business & Administration.

However, 2020 has been one of the hardest years since they started. Many of their apprenticeships have been put on hold and sectors such as hospitality and retail, once a key part of their portfolio, have been hit hard by the pandemic. The team has been resilient and shifted its focus, supporting young people into Warehousing, Leisure and Business & Administration apprenticeships while the other sectors try to recover.

Lynne MacMillan, Modern Apprenticeships Manager at Street League said: “We identified the need to adapt our approach in delivering Modern Apprenticeships from face to face to alternative means. Adapting allowed us to continue engaging with apprentices and meant assessors could provide uninterrupted support and guidance to apprentices while they were working remotely or on furlough.”

“We also moved our apprentice portfolios to an online platform allowing apprentices, assessors and internal verifiers 24-hour access. This was very positive in terms of minimising disruption to the apprentices’ progress and has enabled numerous young people to compete their award and receive certification during lockdown.”

Because of the changes the team made, they were still able to support 28 young people to start apprenticeships. When Declan started his apprenticeship with Police Scotland in Business and Administration in 2019, he didn’t think he would be completing his apprenticeship and qualifications remotely. However, because of their ability to adapt and be flexible, Declan passed all of his exams he needed to get his SQV (Scottish Vocational Qualification) allowing him to complete his apprenticeship. He was among 47 other people who completed their apprenticeships in 2019/20. 

Declan said: “My assessor was very flexible, and we were able to shift our meetings around my workload and decide on the frequency of our meetings to allow me to manage my time effectively which helped me make the best use of my time in order to complete my qualification as soon as possible.”

“This experience has been brilliant for me. It has given me a wealth of experience and knowledge while providing me with a job. Since gaining my qualification it has given me the relevant experience to apply for a new permanent role within the Scottish Police Authority which I have recently started. This course has given me invaluable experiences within a highly respected organisation which I would highly recommend to someone like myself who prefers a hands-on approach to learning in the workplace as opposed to college or university.”

Warehousing is one of the sectors which hasn’t been stopped by Covid-19 and has even seen a boom with the rise in online shopping. Robert Young found a job at ARCT Transport through Street League’s employability academy. He is now employed as a driver there. In August 2020 it was agreed that Street League will be offering a Modern Apprenticeship in Warehousing in collaboration with ARCT Transport. The first two apprentices, who are current employees with ARCT Transport, will start in March. This will help them to develop their skills in the sector and add to their existing experience.

Craig Taggart, the director of ARCT Transport said: “Street League has, over the years, provided us with some excellent young people who have blossomed within our organisation and now form part of the very fabric of our business. Street League provide opportunity, direction and support to many young people disengaged with the classroom, but right for the workplace!”

Similar to Declan and Robert, Amber jumped at the opportunity to gain a qualification while working at Haven Craig Tara Holiday Park as a Sports Leader. She found the role through a recruitment session hosted by Street League and the team suggested she complete an apprenticeship.

She said: “It’s been great because I didn’t go to university after school so gaining another qualification for the job that you’re doing and the skills you’re building at work is so awesome and so simple to do. I was so excited to start. From then I’ve been given loads of support and I’ve also realised my own potential.”

With the confidence she gained from doing her apprenticeship, Amber applied for another role in her department. Two years later, she is now working as the Assistant Operations Manager in the accommodation department.

She said: “I can honestly say that without the apprenticeship scheme with Street League, I would not have been able to realise my potential. It was so good just to have a third party there to egg you on to go for it. It allows you to see your weaknesses and strengths and really work on them to make yourself an all-rounded better team member.”

“So definitely if you have the opportunity to do an apprenticeship through Street League jump on the opportunity! Why would you not want to do a qualification when you’re at work? It’s amazing, go for it!”

Vlad Bokijs, Brand Team Manager at Haven, praised Street League and the apprenticeship programme: “Despite everything that’s been going on around the world, I believe with Street League’s support and development opportunities, the future is bright for new team members and the existing team this year. The Street League team are doing a great job we look forward to continuing the partnership once the park is ready to open for business.”

Since Street League started the apprenticeship programme in 2016, we have helped more than 200 young people complete apprenticeships across sectors. This year the team is continuing to grow, this will enable them to support even more young people like Amber, Robert and Declan into apprenticeships.

If you're aged 17-25 and interested in doing a modern apprenticeship through Street League or if you're an employer and interested in exploring apprenticeships please get in touch with Brian Lennox - brian.lennox@streetleague.co.uk