Meet our Apprentice of the Year!

 

Meet our Apprentice of the Year!

Stephen Archer and Mason Fawcett with his winning shield.

This week the council’s apprentices came together for the second annual Apprentice of the Year Awards. On Wednesday 20 May during Scottish Apprenticeship week, the winner and runners up were attended the prize giving ceremony which was hosted by Stephen Archer, Director of Infrastructure.

Winner Mason Fawcett, Modern Apprentice (ICT) was joined by the runners up, Jade Fraser and Kimberley Menzies, care assistants from Blythewood and Allachburn care homes, and Daniel Stanford who is a Travel and Employee Benefits Modern Apprentice, along with their families and representatives from their employing service.

Organised by the Recruitment Team, who are looking to further a culture of the recruitment of apprentices across the organisation, this was an opportunity for our youngest colleagues to receive some acknowledgement for the strides they’ve taken in their professional careers over the last year and meet similarly minded fine folk. Now over to our Apprentice of the Year, Mason Fawcett who took up his modern apprenticeship within ICT last year…

My name is Mason Fawcett. I am an ICT Modern Apprentice within support. I joined at the age of 17, leaving school close to the end of what would have been my last year in school.

I achieved a C within Higher Computing, however my ambition to drive this places within the IT field kicked in. I was alerted to the presence of apprenticeship opportunities throughout the Shire in all kinds of areas of work, ICT catching my eye.

Apprenticeships are a work and learn at the same time scheme, which have become a huge trend within most employers as of late. For my apprenticeship, the qualification which is the ultimate goal at the end is to achieve an SVQ level 3, regarded as an IT Diploma. The program is run through an external company called Youtrain. The course itself is an online portfolio, with various units laying out questions about each aspect of an IT and telecoms professional’s job (have you tried turning it off and on again?).

I am now at the end of my apprenticeship and have been taken on board as an ICT Support Analyst. Overall the apprenticeship was superb, and I have learned more than I could imagine. I would recommend apprenticeship schemes to anyone who is nearing the end of their school years, and those who want to get a foot in the door of their desired profession. Looking forward to working with you all!

For more information about apprenticeships, email samara.moir@aberdeenshire.gov.uk or kathryn.briggs@aberdeenshire.gov.uk