Help young people learn from the best

Like all Scottish rugby fans as a youngster I daydreamed of sitting in Murrayfield dressing room, listening to the coach’s team talk before bursting onto the pitch to do battle in the dark blue. Last Friday, along with a graduating class of Modern Apprentices, I got as close as I ever will to that experience. Handing out the scrolls, Scotland coach Andy Robinson used the experience, and motivational prowess, gained during a long career with Bath, England and the British Lions to impart some wisdom to this year’s batch of successful Scottish Rugby community coach apprentices.

In a truly inspirational speech he drew on the lessons learned from his own career – he worked as a teacher when the game was still amateur – to advise the next generation. It really was powerful stuff and showed how a set of core skills can be transferred and built upon throughout a career. This advice touches on the core strength of the Modern Apprenticeship scheme. Scottish Rugby are using the same qualifications as those who may be training, for example, in telecoms or plumbing –but the essential skills needed are the same.

For a rugby coach it is about being part of a programme that has extended rugby development to approximately 400 primary schools and 100 secondary schools across in the past year rather increasing the bottom line. But whatever the organization is it’s the same result – another person with a solid qualification and a set of skills they can call upon for the rest of their careers.

Last week also included a visit to a brand new scheme using an age-old method to get new graduates into work. The adopt-an-intern scheme matches recently qualified graduates with a wide range of organisations offering work placements. Operated by the Centre for Scottish Public Policy (CSPP), with financial backing from  the Scottish Government, it has already placed 35 interns in just a couple of months with the aim of getting 80 in place by April next year. Although most placements are for an initial three months, the majority of internships have been extended, with several already securing full-time employment.

I made the short trip from Parliament to Leith and the new HQ of Craftscotland, a registered charity that represent craft makers and outlets across Scotland, to meet two graduates, Melanie and Rick, taking part in the programme.

I was impressed to hear how much both employers and graduates get from the scheme. With competition increasing all of the time, the scheme presents an invaluable opportunity for new talent to develop the CV that will enable them to have a shot at the best jobs.

An internship is not a new concept but what is innovative is having the public and private sector work together to make the process simple and beneficial to all involved.

To learn more about the Adopt an Intern Scheme vist the CSPP website.

Keith Brown Minister for Skills & Lifelong Learning

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