As part of Scottish Apprenticeship Week, BSW recently attended Inverness College for a career day aimed at promoting the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) industries and apprentice opportunities across the company.

BSW worked closely with local schools, colleges and agencies to promote apprenticeships through ‘Skills Development Scotland’ and ‘Developing the Youth in the Workplace’.

The company also liaised with Wendy Findlay, the Employer Support Manager at Tomorrow’s Engineers, who helped by supplying a STEM training resource and promotional materials.

The resource was a Meccano-style set, whereby students in groups of eight were given a picture of a specific part of a model. They were then given a set amount of time to complete the model, using only the picture as reference.

It tested hand-eye coordination, teamwork, mechanical reasoning – and most importantly, it was deemed to be great fun! The final model was a working wheelbarrow being created which was very well received by the teachers.

Tony Lockey, Learning & Development Manager at BSW, said: “We took several of our current apprentices along to the event and it was a great opportunity for them to improve their own teamwork and leadership skills.

“There were very tight turnaround times for the activity; as soon as one school finished, another started, so it was really busy but fun day – and I think we converted some pupils to think about engineering as a career.”

Around 700 pupils attended from schools in the north of Scotland and it gave BSW the chance to promote the apprentice positions currently available.

Schools included: Dingwall, Charleston, Grantown, Inverness Royal Academy, Culloden, Plockton, Tain, Alness, Golspie, Fortrose, Inverness College, Inverness High School and Millburn.