Scottish Apprenticeship Week 2017: Case Study on Sport Apprenticeships- Sandy Morris

Sandy is the youngest of five siblings and has lived in Kirkwall all of his life.

As a young child, Sandy attended Papdale Primary School before moving on to complete his secondary education at Kirkwall Grammar School. Although, whilst attending Kirkwall Grammar, Sandy liked doing Maths and Art, he was soon to realise that school was not where he wanted to be. Sandy stuck with it, his attendance was good and he continued through to fourth year. In his spare time, Sandy likes to swim, go to the gym and play guitar.

When Sandy was very young, his older brother was a lifeguard at the local swimming school. Sandy looked up to, and admired, his brother, so thought that being a lifeguard would be a ‘cool job’. Despite this, Sandy went through secondary school not really knowing what he wanted to do for a living. After leaving school, Sandy started on a Digital Media course at Orkney College, but on realising that his interest in computers and gaming was not enough to sustain his interest in the college course; he left to spend some time at the Connect Project.

Sandy’s next step was to join Skills Development Scotland Employability Fund at Stage 3. This was again at Orkney College and Sandy spent a number of weeks on work placement with various companies around Orkney whilst undertaking his Lifeguard Training at The Pickaquoy Centre. By this time, Sandy had decided he wanted a career that was in some way related to sport or fitness, so one of his placements was arranged to be at The Pickaquoy Centre.

Sandy finished on the Employability Fund in August 2015 and shortly afterwards manage to pick up some part time hours at The Pickaquoy Centre as a Lifeguard. Sandy has now worked at the centre for around thirteen months, during which time he has seen his hours increase to somewhere closer to full time.

Sandy was approached by his employer to discuss the opportunity to complete a Modern Apprenticeship (MA), and he is now delighted to be starting his MA at Level 2 in Sport, Active Leisure and Operational Services. Sandy sees this as his employer offering a commitment towards his future employment and potential advancement within his job role. Sandy is excited about the prospect of learning more about the job. Sandy commented that, because of the units he and his employer have chosen for him, he will now have the opportunity to work with staff he would otherwise not work alongside and will learn how other areas within the centre operate. He said that completing the MA will give him a better understanding of his job and The Pickaquoy Centre as a whole.

Sandy also highlighted the advantages of undertaking a Modern Apprenticeship;

“Working and studying with my friends and colleagues is a good thing”.

“Because of the units I chose to do, I am getting the chance to work alongside staff members I wouldn’t normally work with”.

“Earning money whilst gaining a qualification is a great way to study and learn more about the job you do”.

Amanda Spence, HR Officer at the Pickaquoy Trust also said;

“MAs are a way to promote staff retention and ensure our staff have the skills they require for the business to run smoothly”.

“The whole apprenticeship scheme helps our young employees underpin The Pickaquoy Centre’s company values of communication, team working and customer focus”.

“The main challenge was getting the whole thing off the ground but the support offered by Orkney College has helped this process greatly”.