More young women encouraged to take up apprenticeships in new campaign
Young women are being targeted in a campaign to bost the number of females taking up apprenticeships.
To kick-start Scottish Apprenticeship Week - March 2-6 - Higher and Further Education Minister Ben Macpherson met Arnold Clark apprentices in Edinburgh, including mechanics Zoe Stewart and Jody Nisbet, who were recruited through the car retailer’s Girls with Skills programme.
Since Arnold Clark launched Girls with Skills in 2019, the Scottish family-run firm has recruited 43 young women through the programme, which offers first-hand experience of an apprenticeship to young women interested in a career with the automotive industry.
The Girls with Skills 2026 programme kicked off in February with a total of 28 participants. Those who successfully complete the programme will be offered the opportunity to begin an apprenticeship with Arnold Clark in September.
Latest figures show that 40 per cent of 25,507 Scots that started a Modern Apprenticeship in the last year were female, which is a year-on-year increase.
Ben Macpherson, who is MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith, said: "Scottish Apprenticeship Week is an excellent opportunity to celebrate the remarkable contributions that apprentices make to many businesses and communities right across Scotland, and to our economy as a whole.
“Apprenticeships play a really important role in our society, providing people with pathways into rewarding careers and employers with the skilled workforce they need now and in the future.
“With International Women’s Day approaching, this feels like the perfect moment to reflect on how much more we can achieve when we invest in women’s potential. When women thrive, we all rise – and that is why initiatives like Girls with Skills matter so much.
“We are encouraged to see more women choosing apprenticeships, but there is more to do, and I would encourage every young woman in Scotland to consider whether an apprenticeship could be the right path for them.”
There are currently around 12,000 apprentice employers in Scotland, investing in over 40,000 Foundation, Modern and Graduate Apprentices.
Modern Apprentices' completion rates are at an all-time high and completion rates for females are also high at 82 per cent, while nine out of 10 females who complete their apprenticeships are still working for the same employer they started with three months after completion.
Mechanic Zoe, 18, from Newbridge, is in the second year of her Modern Apprenticeship with Arnold Clark. She said: “I’ve always been into cars and I did some work experience in a garage and so was really interested in Girls with Skills when I saw it and signed up for it.
“My grandad has his own plant hire business and my uncle is a mechanic, and my family have lived around stock cars our whole life, so that definitely inspired my interest in a career around cars.”
Zoe, who has a Ford Fiesta race car to she tinkers with in her spare time, started her apprenticeship last September. She said: “I like learning about the electric vehicle side, the amount of safety involved and the tools. I love engine work, gear box repairs, and the bigger jobs.
“I’m fully behind Girls with Skills as it’s such an amazing programme to help young women want to achieve. When I was a wee girl I was put off about a career as a mechanic, but by having that community about me in the programme, I knew I could do it, and I hope I can inspire another girl to go for it and take an apprenticeship in automotive.”
Arnold Clark Group people director, Lynne McBurney, said: “Girls with Skills reminds us that opportunity matters. By giving young women the chance to explore new roles, learn on the job and challenge themselves, we can help to build their careers – while also strengthening the future of our industry.”