Cabinet Secretary for Justice Michael Matheson paid a visit to Forth Valley College’s Falkirk Campus on Friday (4/03/16) to support Scottish MA Week 2016.
He was there to lend encouragement to a group of eight Bo’ness Academy 4th/5th year students who were invited to a presentation on the new Engineering Foundation Apprenticeship which will be available at the college soon. The pupils also got the chance to speak with current MAs from INEOS, FMC and Fuji Film.
The Cabinet Secretary – who is also the MSP for Falkirk West – was also taken on a tour of the College’s state-of-the-art engineering facilities by Principal Dr Ken Thomson and Kenny MacInnes, Head of Applied Science, Maths and Electrical Engineering Department. During the tour the Cabinet Secretary also chatted to the MAs who were training in the engineering workshops.
Cabinet Secretary for Justice, Michael Matheson MSP, said:
“I was extremely impressed by the engineering facilities I saw today at Forth Valley College and after hearing about the upcoming Engineering Foundation Apprenticeship, I am in no doubt this will not only be a great asset to the College but also extremely beneficial in helping to encourage our young people to consider a career in engineering.
“Modern Apprenticeships form a significant part of our work in addressing youth employment and latest figures show that during the past four years the Scottish Government has supported more than 101,000 Modern Apprenticeship starts – exceeding our target to deliver 25,000 MA opportunities in each year of the current Parliament.
“It is crucial that we continue to invest, not only in our young people by making sure that they have the right opportunities to learn and develop their skills and gain access to the labour market, but also to support industry and businesses right across Scotland.
“Modern Apprentices are key to delivering economic development and a strong economy and I am delighted to be here today at the Forth Valley College Falkirk campus to show my support for Scottish Modern Apprenticeship Week 2016.”
Forth Valley College Principal Dr Ken Thomson, said:
“It was a pleasure to welcome the Cabinet Secretary to our Falkirk Campus once again. He has always been a great supporter of what we are trying to do to Make Learning Work here at Forth Valley College and he is always keen to see how we are encouraging young people into the engineering industry through innovative Modern Apprenticeship programmes.
“The Bo’ness Academy pupils here today all seemed very interested in the new Engineering Foundation Apprenticeship and we hope their visit encourages them to find out more.”
Steve Dougan, Head Teacher of Bo’ness Academy, said:
“This is a fantastic opportunity for our young people. The senior phase is all about creating the right pathways for each and every one of our pupils and this course will give them an added advantage to help get their foot in the door with employers.”