6 March 2024
Award-winning roofing apprentice Euan Forsyth has described how his apprenticeship has not only helped build work-ready skills but also boosted his confidence.
Euan’s apprenticeship journey is being highlighted alongside other apprentices as part of Scottish Apprenticeship Week which takes place this week (4 to 8 March).
Apprenticeships create the skills every generation needs and every employer wants. This year’s campaign shows that apprenticeships offer people, like Euan, high-quality opportunities, supporting them in achieving their full potential.
Euan, named BMI Redland Roofing Apprentice of the Year last summer, is doing his apprenticeship at the College’s Glenrothes Campus while learning on the job with his Kirkcaldy-based employer Mithril Roofing and Building.
Euan, from Glenrothes, said:
“I started off working as a joiner labourer and then I ended up falling into roofing. My boss told me if I did that for a year he would then put me through my apprenticeship.
“We've been in college for a fortnight, every fortnight, so we've got a different unit every time we go in. It's always changing, picking up loads of skills every time.”
Winning his Apprentice of the Year award last year provided Euan with an extra boost. Putting his skills to the test over two days, he beat off competition from 20 fellow apprentices from across the UK to win the prestigious prize which also came with a £1,000 cash prize and access to three years’ training through the BMI Academy.
“I was a bit surreal, to be honest. I wasn't expecting it. I felt like I'd done well in the competition but I didn’t expect to win it.
“I learned a lot from it too. I was always quite a shy person. After coming back up, I was a lot more confident in speaking to customers and being in college.
“When I came in here, being an adult, I picked things up a lot easier. So, a lot of the things I was quite good at, but it's just excelled me that we bit extra to be a lot more confident in doing things myself on the site. I have definitely built up a lot of confidence and a lot of skills.”
Euan’s lecturer, Brian Hutton, said:
“We were very proud of what Euan achieved for himself, for us as a College and for the Fife region. Euan is a very good student and one of the best we’ve had over the last few years. Nothing is too much trouble; he always thinks ahead and I think that’s what shone through for his award last year.”
Combining working and learning, apprenticeships allow young people to gain skills and experiences while earning. For employers, apprenticeships help develop enthusiastic young talent with the exact skills and experience required.
There are more than 12,000 employers involved in Scottish Apprenticeships with nearly 40,000 apprentices in jobs and work-based learning across Scotland.
There are over 100 different types of Scottish Apprenticeships covering hundreds of different job types including engineering, construction, financial and business services, health and social care, digital technology, tourism and food and drink.
More information about apprenticeship opportunities in Fife can be found here.
