Four Foundation Apprentices were praised recently at an event to celebrate them completing their Financial Services Foundation Apprenticeships.
Logan Cameron (Stirling High), Nanayakkara Gunasinghe (Dunblane High), Joely Reid and Olivia Urquhart (Both Larbert High) have all completed the placement element at Prudential where they have attended one day a week since September 2017.
The event was a celebration of the achievements of the first cohort of students from Stirling and Falkirk schools who have achieved the Foundation Apprenticeship in Financial Services through Forth Valley College.
Dylan White, Regional Partnership & Delivery Manager at Skills Development Scotland, said: “Foundation Apprenticeships are employer-led, designed by industry, for industry and delivered with industry. So the skills apprentices learn are the ones employers want and need
“Foundation Apprenticeships help align education with the skills system, so we can equip both Scotland’s businesses and our workforce with the knowledge, skills and capabilities employers and industry need now and in the future. “
Maria Wilcockson, Apprenticeship Scheme Manager at Prudential, said: “The four young people who have graduated from the Foundation Apprenticeship programme should be very proud of their achievements. They have shown real determination and commitment during their time at Prudential. Not only did they gain important employability and life-skills as well as valuable work experience and a qualification, they pursued their cause with infectious energy and enthusiasm. I am confident that this achievement has given them the real advantage needed to further their career in whichever field they choose. ”
Fiona Brown, FVC’s Vice Principal of Learning and Quality, said: “The achievements of these four Foundation Apprentices are to be celebrated and we are delighted to see them complete their course and move on to the next stage of their further education journey. We are also very grateful for our strong industry links with companies such as Prudential and for the continued support from SDS and look to build on these in the months and years ahead.
“These students are a great example of how effective Forth Valley College’s School Parternship Provision can be and we hope to hear from more senior school pupils in the Forth Valley area to show them how we can help them progress.”
Forth Valley College’s range of Foundation Apprenticeships which will offer S5 pupils from local schools the opportunity to complete elements of a Modern Apprenticeship (MA) while still at school, gaining the skills and experience that employers need.
These innovative programmes, being offered in partnership with Falkirk, Stirling and Clackmannanshire schools, will link senior school pupils with local employers and aims to help them to build their future careers. Upon completion of a Foundation Apprenticeship pupils can progress onto a Modern Apprenticeship, college study or a university degree.
In academic year 2018-2019, Foundation Apprenticeships will be available in Social Services and Healthcare; Social Services Children and Young People; Business Skills; IT Hardware System Support ; Engineering; Accountancy; Civil Engineering; Creative and Digital Media; Food and Drink Operations; and Scientific Technologies (Laboratory Skills). All are due to start in August 2018 and applications will go live for the FA courses in January 2018.
Foundation Apprenticeships have been developed by SDS in partnership with employers, colleges and Sector Skills Councils to create stronger links between education and industry.
They combine academic learning with hands-on skills to develop the knowledge, skills and work experience that will help to broaden options for students, enabling them to go on to complete a Modern Apprenticeship, attend college or university or go directly into employment.
The innovative frameworks, which are at the same level as Higher qualifications, are based on the success of existing MA qualifications. Pupils will embark on the programmes in S5 with the duration varying depending on the subject area. Pupils will spend time undertaking learning at college and also benefit from high quality work experience with local employers.
For more information on Foundation Apprenticeships at FVC and the application process, please contact schools.co-ordinator@forthvalley.ac.uk , call 01324 403211 or visit www.forthvalley.ac.uk/FA