Scottish Apprenticeship Week kicks off with BT event attended by school children and Scottish minister
APPRENTICESHIP WEEK in Scotland kicked off with an event which sought to highlight the growth of opportunities for young Scots in cyber security.
Children from two schools in West Lothian met with British Telecom (BT) employees and the minister for higher education, further education and science, Shirley-Anne Somerville, to learn about skills such as encryption and digital forensics.
The Scottish Government has been keen to emphasise efforts to increase educational attainment and grow the sectors of future employment.
“Apprenticeships promote economic development, reduce unemployment and match skills to the current and future needs of the labour market.” Shirley-Anne Somerville
Somerville, said: “Modern Apprenticeships are an important support for people who are looking to access rewarding careers and high quality jobs.
“I am delighted to visit BT today to hear about the variety of apprenticeship opportunities available within the organisation, and to meet pupils from St Kentigern’s Academy and Armadale Academy.
“The Scottish Government is committed to supporting 30,000 new MA opportunities annually. Apprenticeships promote economic development, reduce unemployment and match skills to the current and future needs of the labour market.”
Last week BT announced plans to bring 145 new apprenticeship and graduate jobs to Scotland in the area of encryption and cyber security.
It organised the event, with computing science pupils from St Kentigern’s Academy, Blackburn, and Armadale Academy at BT’s Edinburgh headquarters, to encourage the S3 pupils to think about careers in digital forensics and cyber security.
Students heard from BT’s cyber security apprentice, Leah Robertson, who shared her experiences since embarking on her MA.
Pupils had the chance to discuss their interest in computing science and their reasons for considering a career in tech with Ms Somerville. BT’s apprentices were also able to share their experiences on the scheme.
Last week BT announced plans to bring 145 new apprenticeship and graduate jobs to Scotland in the area of encryption and cyber security.
Brendan Dick, director of BT Scotland, said: “Apprentices are at the heart of BT’s business, bringing fresh ideas and talent into our teams. BT employs one in seven employees working in Scotland’s IT and communications industries and cyber security is a growing part of our business, with around 2,500 employed around the world. We support public sector and businesses of all sizes with the evolving threats posed to data and networks.
“From engineering to cyber security and customer service roles, apprenticeships are a fantastic way to combine qualifications with on-the-job learning. Today is a great opportunity for us to showcase how rewarding they can be.”
Cyber threats and hacking are considered a ‘Tier 1’ top level threat by the Home Office and Ministry of Defence (MoD) and this belief has been agitated by the current tensions between the west and Russia over allegations of US election tampering by Russian hired hackers. According to the Law Society of Scotland, Scottish legal bodies and commerical businesses have been increasinly targetted by fraudsters over the last two years.
Commenting on the event and government’s plan BT cyber security apprentice Leah Robertson, aged 21, said: “Since I joined BT in 2015 I’ve learnt so much and continue to develop in my career. I started an accountancy course at university but it just was not for me, I much prefer to learn in the workplace combined with regular trips to university. I’d recommend an apprenticeship to anyone, the support and opportunities I’ve had in BT have been fantastic.”
Scottish Apprenticeship Week which began on March 6 will continue until March 10.
Picture courtesy of Hot Tin Roof
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