Tag Archives: foundation apprentices

East Lothian Council’s Foundation Apprenticeships 2022-2024

Foundation Apprenticeships are a fantastic opportunity for S4 and S5 students in East Lothian. They provide pupils with valuable work experience while gaining a qualification at SCQF Level 6 (equivalent to a Higher). They help build skills and knowledge to assist them in entering into:

  • The job market
  • A Modern Apprenticeship
  • A Graduate Apprenticeship
  • College or University

Foundation Apprenticeships take two years to complete. Students typically spend the first year of the programme working in a classroom-based setting to complete the National Progression Award (NPA), and spend the second year undertaking work experience with local employers in their industry of choice.

The course takes place on a Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, and does not interfere with any other subjects students may wish to choose as part of their subject choicing.

The course has been designed to address areas where there is a demand for skilled workers. Therefore this ensures that the students have the knowledge and expertise to succeed in future job opportunities. East Lothian Works currently offers four frameworks.

Accountancy

Students will learn about recording financial accounting information and bookkeeping, management accounting, and preparing financial information, amongst other subject areas.

Current employers we work with include:

  • East Lothian Council Accountancy department
  • Trainline
  • Enjoy Leisure

Business Skills

Students will learn about management and business priorities across the industry, such as: working with IT software, managing people and finance, and contemporary business issues. They will learn how to plan, manage, and improve their own performance within the business and administration sector.

Current employers we work with include:

  • FES Group
  • Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce
  • Scottish Seabird Centre

Scientific Technologies

Students will learn about the development of new medicines, bioinformatics, medical technologies, as well as how the industry can contribute to society through improving people’s health, wellbeing, and quality of life.

Current employers we work with include:

  • Charles River Laboratories
  • Scotland’s Rural College
  • University of Edinburgh

Social Services Children and Young People

Students will learn about the safeguarding of children, as well as how to develop, interact, and play with young people.

Current employers we work with include:

  • Almond Park Nursery
  • Aberlady Nursery
  • Dunbar Nursery

If you are interested in undertaking a Foundation Apprenticeship, please speak to your Guidance Teacher and choose it as one of your subject choices. If you would like more information, please email elworks@eastlothian.gov.uk and we would be happy to help. You can also find us on social media:

Twitter – @el_works

Facebook – facebook.com/eastlothianworks

Scottish Apprenticeship Week: An Interview with a Foundation Apprentice

As you may have seen, this week is Scottish Apprenticeship Week #ScotAppWeek20, led by Skills Development Scotland. This campaign aims to highlight the fact that there’s no limit to where an apprenticeship can take you; it creates talent without limits!

Today I sat down with Stefanie, a Foundation Apprenticeship student in Scientific Technologies, to ask her a couple of questions.

Continue reading Scottish Apprenticeship Week: An Interview with a Foundation Apprentice →

Foundation Apprenticeship Interview with a Scientific Technologies Student

Today we are speaking to Emma, a Scientific Technologies Foundation Apprenticeship student, in order to learn about her experiences on the programme. This is part of a series on this blog in which we meet with Foundation Apprenticeship students on all five of the frameworks on offer in East Lothian to find out more about this opportunity.

Continue reading Foundation Apprenticeship Interview with a Scientific Technologies Student →

An Interview with a Foundation Apprentice: Social Services Children and Young People

Today marks the start of a new series on this blog. We will be going to individual students who are currently undertaking Foundation Apprenticeships to get a sense of their experiences and opinions of their course. Today we will be focusing on Jodie, a Foundation Apprentice in the Social Services Children and Young People framework. She is just beginning her second and final year of the programme. Jodie is a fantastic example of an Apprentice; not only has she expressed an interest in working with individuals with Additional Support Needs (ASN), but she also volunteers her free time to work at ‘The Hub’, East Lothian Council’s centre for support for primary children with severe and complex needs. I sat down with Jodie to ask her a couple of questions:

Continue reading An Interview with a Foundation Apprentice: Social Services Children and Young People →

Media Education’s Scientific Technologies Video

East Lothian Works have partnered up with the organisation ‘Media Education’, who aid young people in creating media projects. Together with some incredibly talented young people, the team have put together a fantastic video providing an insight into the Scientific Technologies Foundation Apprenticeship.

Check it out below:

I’d like to extend a huge thank you to Media Education and the entire team for putting this incredible video together. If you’d like to find out more about Foundation Apprenticeships, have a read of our blog post about them here.

Keep up to date with East Lothian Works:
Twitter – twitter.com/EL_Works
Facebook – facebook.com/EastLothianWorks

An Interview with Katie Higgins

Now that the campaign on Foundation Apprenticeships is winding down, now is a good time to chat to Katie Higgins, Co-ordinator for Developing the Young Workforce at East Lothian Works. She is responsible for the planning and logistics of Foundation Apprenticeships in East Lothian, and so Katie is one of the best people to speak to on the subject matter. She is fairly new to the role, having only started less than a year ago, and yet she’s gone full steam ahead, implementing three new Foundation Apprenticeship frameworks, and co-ordinating many different events and activities.

I sat down with Katie to ask her a couple of questions. Continue reading An Interview with Katie Higgins →

The Foundation Apprenticeship in Business Skills

If you follow East Lothian Works on Twitter and Facebook (links at the bottom of this post), you may have seen that we are currently running a social media campaign that focuses on a different Foundation Apprenticeship each week. This week, we’re looking at the Business Skills course. Have a read below to find out more about this framework. Continue reading The Foundation Apprenticeship in Business Skills →

An Interview with a Foundation Apprentice

Jennifer, a Foundation Apprentice in Financial Services, was kind enough to sit down with me and answer my many questions about her experiences over the past year studying Financial Services. Foundation Apprenticeships allow secondary school students in S4 to S6 gain experience in a work environment while they are still attending school. They can work towards an industry recognised qualification, undergoing a mix of traditional classroom teaching, and real-world workplace experiences. If you’d like to find out more, check out our blog post on Foundation Apprenticeships here.

What made you decide to apply for a Foundation Apprenticeship?
I was interested in what they had to offer. In fourth year I did work experience at Standard Life, which is a financial organisation, and I wanted to know more about it. When they were going through all the courses at college there were lots of choices, like cookery, but financial services caught my eye, because I wanted to get to know more about it, and I’ve actually really enjoyed it. I didn’t know anything about Financial Services before my week of work experience, but I ended up being interested enough to study it further.

Why did you choose Financial Services?
I thought it would give me a good career path, as I think this might be something I want to get into and know more about it. I was really intrigued to find out more, as I did my work experience, but I didn’t fully understand everything they were talking about. Now I think that if I went back I would be able to have a conversation with them and engage more with the work.

How have you found doing a Foundation Apprenticeship?
It’s really good. First year focuses on the theory side of financial services, but it’s not all classroom based. We’ve been to the Museum on the Mound and Black Rock (a corporate business), and we’ve had speakers in to tell us what they’re experiences are in the field.

What has been your favourite part?
I’ve liked being able to meet new people that have the same interest as me.

What has been the most difficult part?
There’s not really been any difficult parts. When I made a mistake I took it in my stride and made it better. Everyone makes mistakes so you just need to learn from it. You won’t get it first time as it’s all new, so the providers aren’t expecting you to know everything.

Did you enjoy doing the placement? Where did you go for it?
I’ve finished my first eight week block of placements at Social Investment Scotland. It’s been really good to put your knowledge that you learn in first year to the test. You’re part of a team in a business and being handed real life work that this organisation is giving you, so you’re really trusted. It’s good to know what you’ll be going out to do after sixth year, so it’s good to have the opportunity to practice before you go and do it yourself.

Would you recommend a Foundation Apprenticeship to other students?
I would recommend a Foundation Apprenticeship as you learn the knowledge and then get to put it to the test.

What advice would you give to anyone about to do a Foundation Apprenticeship?
Stick with it; you get good opportunities from it, so if you’re engaged properly, then you’ll get the satisfaction and the rewards.

Do you know what you want to do when you leave school?
This Foundation Apprenticeship has given me so many opportunities to put me on the right path. if I hadn’t done the Foundation Apprenticeship and you had asked me this question, I would say that I didn’t know what I wanted to do. There’s lots of opportunities that have come from this, e.g. the Investment 2020 Programme. If I put in enough effort then maybe Social Investments will keep me on, or I could go on to do a Modern Apprenticeship.

How does doing a Foundation Apprenticeship help you reach those goals?
Foundation Apprenticeships have given me more knowledge of the sector as a whole, as you don’t have to just do finance; you could also do business marketing, for example.

I would like to take the time to thank Jennifer for speaking with me – it is greatly appreciated. I wish her the best of luck with the rest of her studies. If you’re interested in undertaking a Foundation Apprenticeship, speak to your guidance teacher for advice and/or an application form. Feel free to send any questions to vocationalopps@eastlothian.gov.uk.

Keep up to date with East Lothian Works:
Twitter – twitter.com/EL_Works
Facebook – facebook.com/EastLothianWorks