A group of 24 young apprentices have started working at Mears, the UK's leading provider of social housing repairs and maintenance services. Following a tough recruitment process, they were selected from 160 applicants to join the workforce, and are based in Paisley and Coatbridge.
The new employees, all aged between 17 and 21, will now embark on their three or four year programme of training, work experience and study where they will be earning and learning at the same time.
All the new apprentices will be working towards an NVQ , gaining experience within a variety of trades including plumbing, carpentry, electrical and floor laying. They join Mears' 400 apprentices nationwide, all on progression routes to their chosen careers.
New apprentice joiner Francis Kidd, 17, from Paisley said: "I am really grateful to Mears for giving me this opportunity to get a qualification."
Walter Matthews, Mears Regional Director, Scotland said: ''We are committed to investing in our apprenticeship programme and supporting young people in our local communities into employment and support them as they develop their careers. We recognise that the apprentices of today are the workforce of tomorrow and we are delighted to have them as part of the Mears family."