Crazy Golf Award Winning Apprentices

A team of young Prestwick engineers behind a crazy golf course for cancer patients has scored a glittering community award.

Ten Modern Apprentices from BAE SYSTEMS and four from Goodrich Corporation designed and built a 7-hole crazy golf course in Prestwick for the Malcolm Sargent Cancer Fund for Children.

A team of young Prestwick engineers behind a crazy golf course for cancer patients has scored a glittering community award.

 

Ten Modern Apprentices from BAE SYSTEMS and four from Goodrich Corporation designed and built a 7-hole crazy golf course in Prestwick for the Malcolm Sargent Cancer Fund for Children.

 

The wheelchair-friendly golf course provides entertainment for the families of young cancer sufferers who attend the centre, and was officially opened by Scottish golf great Sam Torrance.

 

The project took top billing in the Modern Apprentice Challenge, organised by Scottish Enterprise Ayrshire and Ayrshire Business in the Community (ABiC), supported by Scottish Enterprise and Ayrshire Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Forty Modern Apprentices (MAs) from Ayrshire companies formed four teams to compete for the prize.

 

The Community Challenge invited company apprentices to dedicate their time and skills to put something back into their local communities.

 

Each group completed a community project which they selected themselves after consulting their local residents. Their project portfolio was judged by a panel of independent judges.

 

Hot on the heels of the winning project were the team from North Ayrshire Council that decided to upgrade the grounds of Bonnie Leslie Court sheltered housing unit in Stevenson, for the elderly residents to enjoy. After consultation with the residents, the apprentices installed a water feature, lighting, flower beds, a rockery, bird table and garden seating.

 

Linda McIlvanney, Executive, skills and learning, Scottish Enterprise Ayrshire, said: “The MA Community Challenge is a super project that demonstrates the calibre of young people Ayrshire has to offer.

 

“The MAs, who are still learning their trade, have delivered some great projects that will mean a lot to their communities, while contributing significantly to their own personal development.

 

“The Modern Apprenticeship programme offers real benefits for the young people themselves while local businesses benefit from recruiting capable, motivated people – and initiatives like the Community Challenge show how our communities can profit too.”

 

Jan Hay, Ayrshire Business in the Community said: “This is an excellent opportunity for the Modern Apprentices to put their training to good use. They use their skills to the benefit of the wider community by revamping important communal venues.

 

“It’s great to see the different companies working together as a team – there is a great camaraderie within the challenge but there has also been some fierce competition!”

 

Modern Apprenticeships offer those aged over 16, who have the potential to achieve a vocational qualification at Level 3 or above, paid employment combined with the opportunity to train for jobs at craft, technician and management level. They deliver skills and qualifications that will help to start a career without having to study full-time, and are available now across a wide range of industries. Modern Apprenticeship frameworks can also be used as the basis for training of more mature employees.

 

Contact your nearest Careers Scotland centre for details on how to become a modern apprentice. Visit the www.careers-scotland.org.uk or call 0845 8502 502 for your nearest centre.