Minister makes special visit to see Ayrshire College apprentices build for the future

Ayrshire College (@AyrshireColl) takes pride in helping apprentices build their future careers — so it was the perfect venue to host a recent visit by Scotland’s Education Secretary to meet budding bricklayers from one of the country’s top housebuilders.

Jenny Gilruth MSP joined apprentices from Persimmon at the College’s Ayr Campus to celebrate the final donation of 8,000 bricks taking the total to 50,000 across Scotland. This formed the final part of the firm’s landmark project to provide bricks and roof tiles to colleges, ensuring that they have the materials they need to train the next generation of construction professionals.

The Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills had the honour of laying the final brick at Ayrshire College in a model created by apprentices and spent time talking with college staff and current students about their apprenticeship journey to hear how they are laying the foundations needed for students and apprentices to succeed in the industry.

Jenny Gilruth MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Education, said:

“Apprenticeships provide people of all ages with a fantastic opportunity to upskill, reskill and helps them progress within their chosen careers.

“Listening to young people at Ayrshire College today and learning more about their successes shows the life-changing impact that apprenticeships can have on the lives of young people across Scotland. It is also clear that they are also a key way for employers to invest in their workforce, providing the important skills the economy needs both now and in the future, supporting our transition to Net Zero.”

Angela Cox, Principal & Chief Executive, Ayrshire College, said:

“Ayrshire College has a proud history of working in partnership with the construction industry.

“With more than 1,200 construction students and apprentices enrolled at the College at any given time, we are grateful that Persimmon have been able to donate materials to the brickwork students so that Ayrshire College is able to continue to provide an outstanding learning experience for our future workforce.”

William Smith, Persimmon Regional Apprenticeship Manager, said:

“We’re committed to working in partnership with colleges across the country to support the next generation of construction professionals — whether that’s reaching a record number of apprentices across a variety of trades or donating materials to help with training. 

“It was great to introduce the Cabinet Secretary to some of our talented young apprentices and let her see some of the excellent work they’re doing as they develop their skills.”