An Apprenticeship in the modern world

If there is one thing I know inside out, it is the value of a proper apprenticeship. My whole career started from one.

I always had a thing for construction, but I also fancied a career in policing. The different paths I could have taken were both exciting, but while I was working through my apprenticeship I started getting recognised for my work. The rewards kept coming and I could see I was being watched by the office, but in a good way.

I was a fresh faced 16 year old earning £90 a week, grafting hard, listening, learning and taking pride in what I was doing. I pushed myself and wanted to prove that I was worth every chance I was given. I was also working part time and juggling shifts as an officer with Strathclyde Police, later Police Scotland, serving for 13 years while still building my construction career.

That experience shaped me. It taught me how to deal with people, how to handle difficult situations and how to problem solve under pressure.

During my apprenticeship I was given the chance to complete my advanced craft, something not every apprentice gets, and later on it became my golden ticket. It earned me an extra pound an hour more than my workmates because I had put the work in. I was a sponge. I wanted to learn more, do more and build something for myself, and that is exactly what set me on the path to the career I have today.

Let me rewind the tape a bit and tell you about my journey . The important bit in life. Picking subjects and trying to keep my options open. I was lucky enough to be selected in third and fourth year for a pre-vocational construction course that gave me proper hands-on experience. It was a brilliant taster and it opened my eyes to what the trade was actually like. The only downside was that I had to give up two weeks of my summer holidays to complete the part of the programme that sat outside the normal timetable. All my pals were out playing football, hanging about and going on their holidays, while I was stuck in college. But I stuck at it because we were told that if we put the effort in, there was a real chance of an apprenticeship at the end of it with City Building/Glasgow City Council.

Unfortunately, due to budgets that year, a lot of us were let down and there were nowhere near enough places. Looking back now, the experience still put me on the right track.

Before I even left school, I was working as a kitchen porter in a busy restaurant called Kaldis in Baillieston. Some of you from Glasgow will know it. It was nowhere near what I wanted to do, but I came from a hard working family and I wanted to get out there and earn my own money. I had the bug early. I always remember my mum saying to me to go out and get a trade and then I could flip burgers in McDonalds if I wanted, because I would always have something to fall back on. That stuck with me. My aim was simple. Get my trade and then go into policing full time. The owner at Kaldis knew I wasn’t interested in progressing in catering, but it worked for both of us. I was earning a wage, he had cheap labour and it kept me grounded. It taught me responsibility and work ethic long before I ever stepped into the construction world.

I still remember my interview like it was yesterday. I was nervous and trying to do everything right. I had prepared for all the usual questions about myself and what I could bring, rehearsing everything in my head. I walked into the reception shaking, sat down and waited. My name was called and I was taken through to the manager’s office where I met a cracking guy, John Morrison. I genuinely walked out thinking I had flumped the interview and I felt deflated. Then the very next day, I got the call welcoming me on board. From there I worked hard and picked up awards, some of them more than once, including Apprentice of the Year, the British Gypsum Award and the Lady Macdonald Award in Glasgow’s Trades House. I was later promoted and moved into the office side of the business, learning even more and taking on surveying work. Today I sit as Managing Director. That entire journey started with an apprenticeship, and that is why I care so much about the topic.

How It Was For Me

When I was an apprentice in Scotland, you were expected to graft from day one. You showed respect, you showed willing and you learned quickly what the older tradesmen would and would not tolerate. If you were caught working on your knees at low level, you’d get a boot to move and a loud reminder about what it would do to your joints in years to come. It sounds wild now and you would never get away with that today, but back then I knew fine well it came from a place of experience. The older boys had been through it all.

They had standards, discipline and a way of doing things that was passed down from generation to generation across every trade in Scotland.

• You showed up.

• You listened.

• You put the effort in.

• You took responsibility for yourself.

It was tough at times, but it shaped who I am today.

How Things Look Today

The world has changed. Society has changed. And attitudes have definitely changed.

It is now common to see parents phoning companies on behalf of their teenager asking about apprenticeships. Another one you see all the time is the teenager firing a casual “awrite mate, you taking any apprentices?” message onto a business page. If you cannot enquire for yourself, or you do it in a way that shows no effort or respect, it raises questions straight away. Confidence. Maturity. Readiness. Effort. All judged in the first ten seconds. First impressions always count.

The amount of times I have also interviewed people who walk in wearing the latest tracksuit and brand new Nike trainers is unreal. It is not about being judgemental. It is about the message it sends. You would not turn up to your aunt’s wedding dressed like that. This is a big moment in your life. Let your dress code show your interviewer that you have put some effort in.

From my experience, when someone walks into the room wearing a smart shirt or a suit, they already have my attention. It tells me they care and they want it.

The Hard Reality For Employers

Let’s be honest about it. Taking on an apprentice in Scotland is a massive commitment and the funding simply does not match the real cost. Government support is nowhere near what people think it is. It barely touches the sides. Small local businesses like us end up carrying the burden.

By the time you add insurance, college block release, PPE, materials, supervision, fuel, training time, mistakes that need repaired, the extra hours a tradesperson loses teaching, and the drop in productivity, it becomes a serious financial hit. Every employer feels it. We still need to fund their wage whilst they are college.

Folk think apprentices save money. They don’t. Not at the start. A one person job becomes a two person job straight away. Your tradesperson has to slow right down, show every step, explain the why behind everything, double check their work, and often fix wee mistakes because that’s part of learning. That’s extra time you never get back.

And here is the bit nobody ever says out loud. Apprentices are young. They’re still learning how to turn up on time, think ahead, work safely, read drawings, handle tools, look after gear, talk to customers, clean up properly, and stay off their phones. All normal. All expected. But all extra work for the business.

This is the gamble employers take. You’re putting faith, money and time into someone who can’t yet give you a return. You’re hoping they’ll stick at it, grow, mature and eventually become a tradesperson you can trust on their own.

That is the reality. It’s tough, it’s costly and it’s a responsibility most people don’t appreciate. But when it works, it changes a young person’s life.

What Employers Are Really Looking For

Here’s the part nobody tells you. Employers in Scotland aren’t looking for the finished article. We don’t expect you to know everything. We don’t expect you to be the quickest, the strongest or the most skilled. What we do look for is the basics, because the basics tell us everything we need to know.

• Turn up on time.

• Show respect.

• Listen.

• Ask questions.

• Show a bit of hunger.

• Take pride in what you do, even if it’s sweeping up.

• And most importantly, try.

You’d be amazed how far those simple things take you. I’ve seen young people with average school grades become brilliant tradespeople because they had the right attitude. And I’ve seen people with talent go nowhere because they thought the world owed them something. I started my apprenticeship in a class of 20 - less than a quarter of us qualified!

Employers aren’t daft. We can spot potential within the first ten minutes. It’s not about perfection. It’s about attitude, effort and how you carry yourself. If you show willing, we’ll graft with you. If you don’t, you make it an uphill battle before you even start.

That’s the reality of it.

Money

Let’s talk about money, because young people think that’s the big decider. And fair play, it’s important. Bus drivers, supermarkets operatives, content creators, gamers and all sorts of jobs can pay more than an apprenticeship at the start. But here’s the question you need to ask yourself. Where is the ladder?

A lot of these jobs can dry up, change overnight or rely on trends. Buildings don’t. Houses don’t. Scotland’s construction industry is never going away. Roofs will still leak. Timber will still rot. People still need trades. Always have. Always will.

A trade gives you progression. It gives you respect. It opens doors abroad to places like Australia and Canada if you ever fancy a fresh start. It gives you the chance to specialise, grow, earn more and, one day, become self employed if that’s the path you want.

And there’s proof of that in what my mum told me all those years ago. She hammered it into me to go out and get a trade so I always had something to fall back on. She wasn’t wrong.

A trade gives you something solid under your feet. Something that lasts. Something you can build a life around. Trends come and go. Skills stay with you for life.

It’s worth pointing out that when you qualify, you don’t automatically jump to the same rate as the tradesman who’s just trained you. That’s not how it works. It’s the same as learning to drive – you only really learn once you’ve passed. Trades are no different. The more you push yourself, listen, show respect and stay switched on, the faster you climb to the proper rates. Your attitude will get you there quicker than anything else.

Responsibility Matters

This is one a lot of folk don’t want to hear, but it needs said. Relying on your parents to drag you out of bed, run you to work and keep you organised isn’t sustainable. Employers notice it straight away. We see the ones who take ownership of their travel, their timekeeping and their attitude, and we see the ones who don’t. It tells us everything we need to know before the tools are even out the van.

If you want treated like an adult, you need to act like one. Taking responsibility is the quickest way to get respect in any trade in Scotland.

• Sort your transport.

• Sort your times.

• Sort your head.

• Show that you’re trying.

And listen, I’m not saying this from some high horse. I’ve got three teenagers facing the exact same challenges. I see the reality from both sides of the fence. I’m not being hard on young people. I’m trying to help you by telling you the truth nobody else will.

I’ve been the apprentice. I’ve been the one getting up early, balancing jobs, grafting to prove myself. Now I’m the employer, and everything I’m saying here is to give you a fighting chance. To help you shine above your peers. To help you get noticed for the right reasons.

Responsibility isn’t a punishment. It’s the first step towards becoming someone people can trust.

Taking responsibility isn’t just about turning up. It’s the wee things that separate the ones who go far from the ones who last six months then disappear. It’s getting yourself out the door without your mum shouting three times. It’s leaving early enough to deal with buses being late. It’s turning up with the right attitude, not moaning that you’re tired. It’s keeping your boots clean, looking after your tools, listening when you’re shown something and not pretending you know it already. It’s putting your phone away. It’s asking questions when you’re unsure instead of guessing and causing more work. These things matter. Employers notice them instantly.

Respect goes a long way in this game. Trades in Scotland talk. Word gets around the workplace fast. If you graft, listen and show willing, every tradesperson there will help you. They’ll show you tricks of the trade, give you wee shortcuts, teach you things you’ll never find on YouTube. But if you come across as cheeky, lazy or entitled, doors close just as fast. You become the apprentice nobody wants to take out with them.

On the flip side, if you show the right attitude, you rise quickly. I’ve seen young lads who started out sweeping floors end up running jobs within a few years because they kept their head down, took advice and wanted to learn. The opportunity is there for anyone who shows they’re worth the time.

Your Application Matters More Than You Think

A good covering letter goes a long way. Tell the employer why you want the job, why you chose the trade, why their company, what makes you reliable and give real examples from your own life.

You would be shocked at the amount of applications I’ve seen where the covering letter says “I wish to be considered for a shelf stacker or warehouse operative” when they’ve applied for a joinery apprenticeship. Yeah… they sound serious, don’t they?

And avoid copy and paste letters. Employers notice straight away. We see the same lines, the same layout, the same words. It shows zero effort and zero interest. That can be the difference between getting an interview and going straight in the bin.

If You Want a Real Chance - Here’s my advice

• Know the trade you want.

• Phone the company yourself.

• Learn what the job actually involves.

• Try to get work experience. Offer to volunteer for a week. See if you even like it.

• Write a proper CV

• Write a proper covering letter – in your own words.

• Turn up early for your interview. Not on time. Early. It shows respect and it shows you care. I’d even go as far as telling you to do a dummy run beforehand. Travel the route, see what the traffic is like, find the building, work out parking or buses. That way on the day you’re calm, organised and walking in confident, not flustered and late. Employers notice that level of preparation.

• Ask for feedback after your interview.- This is a Biggy- We do give it.

• Show reliability from day one.

These things matter. They show you’re serious, you’re switched on and you want a future in the trade.

My Final Word

Every person has a journey. You will go through life lessons, hard times, good times and you will build memories along the way. Everything I have spoken about above is part of my own journey. It never went the way I originally planned, but I am content with where I am now. Your journey will shape you too.

Apprenticeships are massive gambles for employers nowadays. Companies do not have money to waste, so make it as easy as possible for them to choose you. Show effort, Show maturity, Show potential! I hope some of what I have shared has given you real food for thought.

Your journey will be scary at times, but know this. People want you to do well. They want to see young folk come through the trades and make something of themselves.

If I can help in any way, reach out to me directly. Even if it is just to bounce ideas off me, get interview advice or chat about your options. If even one person secures an apprenticeship after reading this, I would be a very happy man.

I did it. And if you put the effort in, you can do it too.

All the best,

Jon Short

Managing Director