Gallery1

An Inverness-based company has promised to create opportunities and provide training for young people at the beginning of their careers.

Cairngorm Group, which is one of the leading employers in the Highlands, is the latest business to partner with Developing the Young Workforce Inverness and Central Highland (DYWICH) to sign the Young Person’s Guarantee.

Under the scheme, the firm – which specialises in installation of windows, kitchens, conservatories, and solar panels – will formalise its 30-year involvement with schools in the area to provide both traditional and modern apprenticeships to school leavers in the region.

Chris Dowling, director of Cairngorm Group and chairman of DYWICH, said: “We’re delighted to have signed the Young Person’s Guarantee, to provide new routes for young people to learn traditional trades.

“When I left school in 1997, my friends who went into the trades were looked down on – even laughed at – for choosing that route instead of going to university. In the years since, there has been a significant lack of investment across the country in apprenticeships – and we’ve seen during the pandemic that a lot of older tradespeople have decided to retire, causing shortages across construction industries.

“By signing up to the Young Person’s Guarantee, we’re not only supporting young people in our local community – but we’re also safeguarding the future of our industry by ensuring that the Highlands is producing world-class tradespeople of the future.”

Sandra McCaughey, DYWICH interim programme manager, said the guarantee asked business owners to commit as much or as little resources as they could.

She added: “Even offering one work experience placement or summer job could change a young person’s life, and lead to the start of a successful career.”

• Visit here.

Do you want to respond to this article? If so, click here to submit your thoughts and they may be published in print.