Scottish Brewer awarded the top prize in the arts & culture category for partnership with The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo
Scottish brewer Innis & Gunn was awarded one of the top prizes at the prestigious European Sponsorship Awards held last night (9 March) at the Brewery in London, for its iconic sponsorship work with The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo.
Innis & Gunn was awarded first place within the Arts & Culture sponsorship category in recognition of two iconic brands coming together in a first-class sponsorship of an internationally renowned spectacle rooted in Scottish tradition. This award win is the latest accolade in a string of coveted awards for the brand.
Hundreds of sponsorship industry professionals from dozens of countries joined the ESA Awards last night (9 March) to see winners awarded across 25 categories. With sponsorships from nine different countries, as well as a range of multinational campaigns.
The objective of Innis & Gunn’s sponsorship of The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo in 2022 was to bring together two brands which at their heart are all about originality and creativity and to create a phenomenal customer experience.
The opportunity enabled Innis & Gunn to take its flagship beer, The Original, and award-winning Lager to a quarter of a million ticket holders over the month of August. The partnership even made history as this was the first time The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo had been licensed in its 72 years of running.
The results of the sponsorship speak for themselves. In the first year of the partnership, Innis & Gunn created an exceptional bar experience in a historic location – combined with outstanding customer service achieved industry-beating satisfaction scores from guests.
Commenting on the win, Innis & Gunn’s founder, Dougal Gunn Sharp, said: “The huge success of this inaugural year of our partnership is a testament to the shared vision and incredible talent both at Innis & Gunn and The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo.
“Our beers are known across the world for their originality and creativity. Working with the Tattoo has enabled us to bring our creative vision and award-winning beers to new drinkers who, for the first time, are able to enjoy Scotland’s most iconic beer, at Scotland’s most iconic event, in Scotland’s most iconic location.
“We are passionate about our commitment to our local community and are already planning how we can elevate the experience even further at this year’s show.”
Living standards will be improved for thousands of residents in Edinburgh after Councillors agreed a £173 million spending package to upgrade and build new homes.
At a meeting of the Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work committee on Thursday (9 March), decisions made during February’s budget meeting were built upon to agree a comprehensive spending programme for the year ahead.
Under the plans for the 2023/24 Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Capital Programme an extra £50m will be invested compared to last year. This will continue the city’s pipeline of new builds and ramp up capital investment into existing homes, including innovative energy efficiency upgrades.
The council is one of the first local authorities in Scotland to pilot a ‘whole house retrofit’ approach and this will be adopted fully in 2023.
This will focus on improvements to the fabric of buildings and energy performance including design and development work for at least four multi-storey blocks.
Retrofitting will not only help with issues like damp but help to lower tenants’ fuel costs and support Edinburgh’s net zero carbon by 2030 commitment, with largescale rewiring, roof replacements, new kitchens, bathrooms, windows, and doors due to be identified.
The spending programme is also set to involve improvements to common areas and stairwells, adapting homes in response to people’s health needs and transforming derelict sites and void properties into much needed new homes for tenants and people experiencing homelessness.
Councillor Jane Meagher, Convener of the Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Committee, said: “More than 3,000 older homes all over the city are set to benefit from improvements – making them greener, safer, and more accessible for generations to come. Our capital housing programme is about spending money where it is most needed so that we can help as many residents as possible live well in safe, warm homes.
“That means making council homes more energy efficient which will help to drive down bills. It means building brand new homes in response to the huge demand we’re seeing, and we need to keep listening to our tenants so that we can invest in those areas which will make the biggest difference to people’s lives.
“Post-pandemic, Brexit and in the face of a cost-of-living crisis and war in Ukraine, it remains a challenging time for residents, for council budgets and for construction at large. Like everyone else we’ve seen our running costs rise, but we must remain committed to tackling Edinburgh’s twin housing and homelessness crises. We also need to improve the standard of the housing we provide.
“I’m proud that, despite many pressures, we’ve had agreement from the Chamber to invest so substantially this year. As we move forward, we’ll need to continue to work with partners and make our case to the Scottish Government to maximise funding opportunities and keep our longer-term plans on track.”
The capital budget is prepared annually, following consultation with tenants and regular review of the council’s Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Business Strategy. It is shaped by tenants’ and elected member priorities, the most pressing maintenance and improvements needed to keep homes modern and safe, statutory requirements and the commitments outlined in the council’s Business Plan.
Chancellor set to announce new funding package for veterans across the UK at the Spring Budget
£33 million package will increase availability of veteran housing and support veterans with serious injuries as a result of their service
Comes on top of £8.5 million package announced last year to end veteran homelessness
The Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is set to announce in this week’s Budget an additional £33 million over the next 3 years to support veterans, in recognition of the sacrifices they’ve made for the UK.
The majority of the funding package (£20 million) will go towards the Veteran Capital Housing Fund – a new project to provide extra housing for veterans through the development of new builds and refurbishment of veteran social and charitable housing.
The Chancellor will also extend the Veterans Mobility Fund – backed by £3 million – to provide enduring support for veterans with serious physical injury resulting from their service.
The remaining £10 million will go directly to the Office for Veteran’s Affairs to increase the service and engagement provided to veterans over the next two years.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt said: “We all owe our veterans a huge amount of gratitude for defending democracy and keeping our country safe – and it’s only right that we provide them with all the support they need when they come home.
“This government is firmly on the side of our veterans, and this week I’ll set out a comprehensive package of policies that will solidify our enduring commitment to our ex-servicemen and women for years to come.”
There are thousands of units in houses, village settlements, care homes and other accommodation specifically for veterans across the country. Many of these could be in need of modernisation, replacement or expansion. Providing sustainable housing is key to helping those who have left service – particularly those who are vulnerable and with complex needs.
The new £20 million Veteran Capital Housing Fund will go towards this alongside action to end veteran rough sleeping within this Parliament – helping the government deliver its pledge in the Veterans’ Strategy Action Plan 2022-24.
The Veterans Mobility Fund has previously been used to provide dedicated equipment for hundreds of eligible veterans, including specialist wheelchairs and orthotics which is not usually available via the NHS or through the Ministry of Defence. The additional £3 million will refresh this fund to ensure veterans continue to get the specialist support they need.
The government has a strong record of supporting veterans. At the end of last year, the government announced more than £8.5 million of funding to deliver services in more than 900 housing units in England, where specialist help for veterans, including with health, education and employment needs are provided.
As part of this, the government established a new referral scheme – Op FORTITUDE – that will enable veterans at risk of homelessness to access supported housing and wrap-around specialist care in health, housing and education from later this year.
The government also introduced Op COURAGE, a bespoke mental health support service for veterans in the NHS in England, backed by over £18 million a year investment plus an additional £2.7 million to be invested over the next two years. The service has already helped tens of thousands of patients since it was established in 2021.
Headline Business Activity Index at 51.0 in February, up from 47.1
Recovery in growth of new orders as firms cite greater demand
Price pressures continue to cool
The Scottish private sector registered the first rise in private sector activity for seven months in February according to the latest Royal Bank of Scotland PMI® data.
The Business Activity Index – a measure of combined manufacturing and service sector output – moved back within in the expansion territory, printing 51.0, up from 47.1 in January, as growth resumed across both the manufacturing and service sectors, with the former leading the expansion.
Panel members reported an improvement in demand conditions and growth in new clients helped boost activity. New orders also rose, following seven consecutive months of decline.
The upturn in new orders helped with the first rise in workforce numbers in three months. Furthermore, despite remaining stubbornly high, cost pressures continued to diminish. All in all, the positive performance of the Scottish private sector fed into higher levels of confidence.
Inflows of new business rose across Scotland in February, ending a seven-month period of decline. Upturns were similar across the two sub-sectors. Panel members noted growth in sales and new projects and clients helped revive growth.
New orders also rose at the UK level. However, the pace of increase was stronger than that observed for Scotland.
Sentiment was firmly positive and improved further from December’s recent low across Scotland in February. Expectations were largely pinned on new product launches, increased marketing and projected growth in customers and sales.
That said, optimism across Scotland remained muted when compared to the UK as a whole.
Employment rose across Scotland, following back-to-back months of decline. The respective seasonally adjusted index ticked up to a five-month high, signalling a rate of job creation that was firmer than the long-run average. According to anecdotal evidence, employment increased to meet order intakes and replace leavers.
The pace of job creation across Scotland was faster than the UK-wide average, which also recorded a rise in employment for the first time in three months.
Private sector companies across Scotland continued to reduce their backlogs during February, stretching the current sequence of reduction to nine months. Improved efficiency and previous months of fewer orders allowed firms to complete unfinished orders. That said, the pace of depletion was the weakest in the aforementioned sequence, reflecting only a fractional decline at service providers.
In contrast, backlogs of work rose across the UK as a whole for the first time in four months.
A rapid rise in input costs was registered across Scotland in February. Respondents blamed the latest increase in private sector expenses on energy prices, higher costs from suppliers and inflation generally. While historically elevated, the rate of input price inflation was the softest in 21 months and weaker than the UK-wide average.
Scotland registered one of the slowest increases in input prices among the 12 UK regions, ahead of the North West and East of England.
Charges levied for the provision of Scottish goods and services rose sharply in February. Inflation, Brexit and higher costs from suppliers continued to push charges up, according to anecdotal evidence. However, the pace of increase slowed notably to the weakest since April 2021.
Of the 12 monitored regions, Scotland reported the weakest incline in output charges.
Continued…
Source: Royal Bank of Scotland, S&P Global.
Judith Cruickshank, Chair, Scotland Board, Royal Bank of Scotland, commented: “Private sector output registered growth mid-way through the first quarter of 2023.
“The headline index signalled a mild expansion in output and marked the first month of increase since July 2022. Firms reported that a revival in customer demand and growth in new clients helped boost sales and activity.
“Growth in business requirements resulted in higher intakes of staff across both goods producers and service providers, while backlogs fell for the ninth month running.
“Furthermore, with inflationary pressures continuing to cool off, the Scottish private sector reported a modest performance overall, a change from the contractions seen since last August. Additionally, with confidence strengthening to an 11-month high, we hope that the upturn across Scotland will continue in the coming months.”
The Brachycephalic Working Group (BWG), a national group of the UK’s leading dog health and welfare organisations, has launched a new three-point plan that calls on the public to play their part in protecting the health of flat-faced dogs.
The launch of the plan comes during Crufts – which offers a platform to talk about the serious health and welfare issues of some flat-faced dogs and the opportunities there are to drive improvement – and follows the recent announcement from online card retailer Moonpig that Pugs and French Bulldogs will no longer feature on its products.
Many flat-faced dogs such as Pugs, French Bulldogs and English Bulldogs, especially those bred for profit and for extreme features like very flat faces or excessive wrinkles, can face serious health and welfare issues related to breathing difficulty, eye problems, skin fold infections, spinal problems and difficulty giving birth.
Endless exposure that portrays these dogs as ‘cute’ looking in the media has resulted in an explosion in their popularity in recent years, with high demand being met by poor quality breeding both within the UK and via illegal importation from the EU.
The BWG, which is made up of veterinary associations, welfare organisations, universities, the government, breeders and dog owners are highlighting the public’s shared responsibility to protect dogs from the health and welfare harms that can result from breeding for the flat-face ‘look’.
The new BWG plan lays out how dog owners and the wider public can help protect the health of flat-faced dogs. The new national plan comes at a critical tipping point when growing evidence suggests that the UK dog-buying public may finally be beginning to ‘Stop and think before buying a flat-faced dog’ as the BWG recommends.
BWG has been working for the past seven years to reduce public demand for flat-faced dogs in the UK, and this work now appears to be taking effect.
Figures from the UK’s largest canine welfare charity, Dogs Trust, show a significant decline in the importation of flat-faced breeds over the last five years*, while results from classified advertising website Pets4Homes suggests similarly decreasing interest in flat-faced dogs from buyers to their site**.
Dr Dan O’Neill, Chair of the Brachycephalic Working Group (BWG), says: “Maximising good health, welfare and temperament overrides all other considerations for dogs. Our new three-point national plan sets out how everyone in the UK can play their part in ending the flat-faced dog crisis.
“The BWG national plan asks prospective dog buyers to ‘Stop and think’ before buying breeds such as English Bulldogs, Pugs and French Bulldogs or before promoting images of flat-faced dogs publicly, for current owners of flat-faced dogs to be prepared for the extra health needs that can come with these body shapes, and finally in the future to only buy dogs with non-extreme body shapes.
“The recent decision by Moonpig to cease selling products with imagery of Pugs and French Bulldogs is a welcome move that reflects growing public sentiment about the serious health issues of many flat-faced dogs. However, there is still plenty of work to be done and we need everyone in the UK to pitch in and help turn the tide on the flat-faced dog crisis for good.”
Bill Lambert, spokesperson for Crufts and The Kennel Club – a founding member of the BWG – added:“We all have shared responsibility to flatten the demand from the general public for unhealthy extremes in dogs which has been driven by popular culture.
“Whilst some flat-faced dogs lead healthy lives, some have severe respiratory disease and we must tackle these serious health concerns, which is why we have developed a test for this condition – the Respiratory Function Grading Scheme – offered free at Crufts.
“It’s so important that educational platforms like Crufts highlight these issues, provide resources to drive health improvements and signpost people to make responsible decisions when it comes to dog ownership.”
British Veterinary Association Senior Vice President Dr Justine Shotton says:“The news that Moonpig will remove Pugs and French Bulldogs from its cards, following years of campaigning by vets and animal welfare groups, shows how powerful collective action can be in bringing about positive change.
“It underscores the importance of our shared responsibility as advertisers, owners, breeders and vets to improve the health and welfare of dogs.
“We’re now calling on dog lovers across the country to play their part, to ‘stop and think’ before buying these breeds of dog and help share the painful truths about the extreme health issues they can suffer. Together we have an opportunity to make a real difference to these terrible breed-related welfare problems.”
BWG’s three-point plan suggests:
1.‘Stop and think’ if you’re considering getting a flat-faced dog or breeding from a current pet.
If you’re planning to breed your dog, make sure it has passed the official Kennel Club/University of Cambridge respiratory function testing and other breed-specific veterinary health checks first. Avoid sharing social media posts that feature imagery of flat-faced dogs and encourage big brands to do the same. These steps can contribute to dramatically reducing the numbers and popularity of flat-faced dogs.
2. If you already own a flat-faced dog, help protect their health or welfare by learning to recognize the problems that these breeds can commonly suffer from.
For example, audible breathing and/or snoring at rest is never normal or acceptable. If you have any concerns, always consult your veterinary practice and don’t rely on advice found or given on the internet or on social media.
3. If you still plan to buy a flat-faced dog in the future despite awareness of their health and welfare risks, make sure the puppy and its parents have passed all relevant health tests for their breed.
Use the Kennel Club Assured Breeder Scheme and the Puppy Contract to help protect you and your puppy from unscrupulous and low-welfare sellers. Only get a dog that has been bred away from extreme body shapes, such as extreme flat faces, skin folds and lack of tail, all of which are linked to poor innate health.
Visit the BWG website at http://www.ukbwg.org.uk/?page_id=513 to view the full National Plan statement and to download the associated infographic.
Councillors have confirmed UniqueAssembly will deliver both Edinburgh’s Christmas and Hogmanay festivals for 2023.
Following an update on performance of the 2022/23 editions of the festivals on Tuesday (7 March), the Culture and Communities Committee recommended the one-year extension for Edinburgh’s Christmas which was considered and ratified by Finance and Resources Committee on Friday.
UniqueAssembly already has a contract to produce Edinburgh’s Hogmanay 2023/24 and Councillors today approved the continuation of this contract.
Councillors discussed the levels of success for both festivals including lessons learned, noting the short turnaround time UniqueAssembly had to produce Edinburgh’s Christmas.
The decision for UniqueAssembly to produce Edinburgh’s Christmas 2022/23 was taken at a special meeting of the Council’s Finance and Resources committee in October, convened following the request to withdraw from the contract by original producers Angels Event Experience (AEE).
Over the 39 days of Edinburgh’s Christmas, the market stalls and funfair rides in East Princes Street Gardens and Mound Precinct, Santa Land in West Princes Street Gardens, and Lidl on Ice (ice rink) on George Street saw an overall footfall of 2.4 million.
Edinburgh’s Christmas provided a number of community benefits to citizens. Over 6,000 tickets were given to 30 local charities and community groups and 82,200 20% discounted rides and attractions across all the sites for residents.
Edinburgh’s Hogmanay welcomed over 65,000 people to events across the three days of the festival which included a Night Afore Concert at the Ross Bandstand, headlined by Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Street Party and Concert in the Gardens headlined by Pet Shop Boys and large programme of free live events and family entertainment on 1 January 2023.
City of Edinburgh Council Culture and Communities Convener, Cllr Val Walker said: “Edinburgh’s Christmas 2022/23 proved to be more challenging than usual to deliver, and my thanks to UniqueAssembly for taking over the contract last year with just seven weeks to deliver such a successful event in addition to Edinburgh’s Hogmanay.
“Today’s decision not only confirms our satisfaction with the 2022/23 Winter Festivals, it gives our support to UniqueAssembly to realise more of our shared ambitions for even better events this year, including a greater spread across the city and ensuring that our greenspaces are used sensitively.
“There’s no questioning the popularity of our Winter Festivals or the benefits they bring to the Capital – the enjoyment and wellbeing of our residents, but also the economic impact for our businesses and the city as a whole.
“Following the termination of our contract with the original Christmas provider it was our absolute priority to ensure that we provided high-quality festive celebrations for the city – and that these were delivered in the spirit of the feedback received in our consultation with residents, businesses and stakeholders. The update report shows this was achieved and I’m looking forward to this year’s offering.”
Directors of UniqueAssembly said: “The Edinburgh’s Christmas celebrations are so important not only for visitors to the city, but also for our fellow residents, local businesses and city economy.
“The confirmation of the contract for this year means we can build on the success of 2022, and with longer lead-time realise our ambitions for Edinburgh’s festive celebrations.”
– Chancellor declares “prepayment meter penalty over from July”, cutting energy bills for over four million families. – Families on prepayment meters will no longer pay more compared to people on direct debts. – Follows support this winter which has already cut the typical household bill by almost half.
OVER FOUR MILLION families are set to save £45 a year on their energy bills from July as the Chancellor ends the prepayment premium.
Households on prepayment meters pay more on average compared to direct debit customers due to extra costs firms take on managing meters – such as supplying vouchers and collecting payments – being passed on to users.
The vast majority of households who rely on prepayment meters are typically vulnerable or low income, which means the higher tariff and inability to spread the cost is hitting those who can least afford it.
At his Spring Budget next week, the Chancellor is expected to announce fairness reforms to energy bills, bringing the bills of families on prepayment meters in line with average direct debit energy bill under the Energy Price Guarantee.
Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt said: “It is clearly unfair that those on prepayment meters pay more than others. We are going to put an end to that.
“From July four million households won’t pay more than those on direct debits. We’ve already cut energy bills by almost half this winter, and this latest reform is proof again that we’re always on the side of families.”
Energy Security Secretary Grant Shapps said: “Charging prepayment meter customers more to receive their energy is a tax on some of our most vulnerable – this change will stop that.
“It’s even more important at a time Brits are faced with high energy costs and when we’ve seen vulnerable households wrongly forced onto them. While actions I’ve pushed for have meant forced installations are on pause, warrants aren’t being waved through and Ofgem is toughening up its reviews, our changes will make sure families aren’t penalised simply for how they heat their home.”
The change is expected to come into effect from July 1 through updates to the Energy Price Guarantee at a cost of £200 million.
From April 2024, when the Energy Price Guarantee ends, the Chancellor has tasked energy regulator Ofgem to report back on additional regulatory options to permanently end the premium and bring fairness to bill payment methods in the long term.
The move is the latest government intervention to help families with their energy costs after the average family bill was cut by £1300 this Winter.
Police are appealing for information to help trace 76-year-old Nancy Bremner, who has been reported missing.
Nancy was last seen in the Torrance Park area of the city around 3pm yesterday (Sunday) and there is significant concern for her welfare.
She is described as being white, 5ft 1 and slim build, with should-length greying hair. When last seen, she was wearing a pink puffy coat, black jeans and black boots. She is known to frequent the Corstorphine area, including shops at Drumbrae, Glasgow Road and Corstorphine Road.
Inspector Kris Harvey said: “As time passes, our concern for Nancy continues to grow and we are asking for anyone who may have seen her, or has any information on her whereabouts to please come forward as soon as possible.
“You can contact police on 101, quoting incident 2160 of 12 March, 2023.”
UPDATE
We can confirm that Nancy Bremner has been found safe and well.
AFTER some years of working as a tram conductor with London Transport buses took over from tram operation and the general working conditions were not so good.
I applied for a job with the London County Council, as Helen’s uncles and brother had joined LCC’s Schoolkeeping service after the war, and Helen’s stepfather Alf (who was himself working at LCC’s County Hall) suggested that I might try Schoolkeeping as a future occupation.
After discussion with Helen and consideration of the prospects of remaining with London Transport or trying something different, I applied to work for the London County Council and was appointed as an assistant Schoolkeeper at Catford Secondary School.
There I learnt the business of caring for and managing the upkeep of a large and busy school which also had annexes for infants – and a Foot Clinic!
Each had coal fires in every room and larger ones in the hall which had to be kept alight and attended to throughout the day. It was hard worked but rewarding and held the prospect of advancement.
QA Scotland has opened over 45 positions nationally.
Over 15 of those are in Edinburgh and the surrounding area.
The roll out of these new apprenticeship opportunities are to align with Scottish Apprenticeship Week (March 6-10, 2023).
Scotland’s largest provider of tech, digital and IT apprenticeships, QA Scotland places around 1,300 candidates every year with some of Scotland’s most exciting tech employers.
Ahead of Scottish Apprenticeship Week last week QA Scotland announced the opening of over 30 new apprenticeship positions across Edinburgh and the surrounding area, available for immediate start.
Working in partnership with numerous local businesses including George Watson’s College and Computershare Investor Services, QA is promoting a range of roles, with salaries of up to £19,000 a year and a wide choice of job opportunities. The openings range across the spectrum from digital marketing and project management to IT support and administration.
Scotland’s largest provider of tech, digital and IT apprenticeships, QA Scotland places around 1,300 candidates every year with some of Scotland’s most exciting tech employers.
Lawrie Fraser from Falkirk found his apprenticeship completely life changing. Struggling in the travel industry he decided to reskill and is now head of marketing in his new career.
Of his apprenticeship journey, the 20-year-old said: “I wasn’t in the right industry for me during my first apprenticeship and that lead me to contacting QA, where I felt more naturally in the correct industry for me.
“Work gets me flying around left, right and centre. It’s good to see the world and see different places of business and cultures.
“It does build your character, it does build your career and it does make you a stronger person.
“The advice I’d give to people that want to change their career pathway would be: don’t be scared, back yourself 100%.
“Even if it’s taking that leap to contact QA just to get the conversation and the ball rolling, I would do it a million times over.
“QA’s changed my life and I know a lot of ambassadors that have changed their lives as well.”
QA apprenticeship ambassador Lawrie Fraser
Marston Holdings have taken on apprentices through QA and have been delighted with the “fresh outlooks” brought to their business.
Michael Fraser-McGinness, Operations Manager at Marston Holdings, said:“It’s been great to have apprentices as part of our company, fresh outlooks and new experiences allow organisations to increase diversity and, in turn, creativity”
Of his apprenticeship journey with Marston Holdings, accountant apprentice Zak Bowker said: “Since the start of my apprenticeship, I’ve received constant support from both my managers, and other members of the business.
“Everyone has been eager to offer training sessions on other areas of finance which has given me invaluable knowledge and understanding.”
Lorne Blyth, founder of Flavours Holidays, has been delighted with her “fantastic asset”, apprentice Amy Canfield.
She said: “We would highly recommend hiring an apprentice, especially after the great experience we’ve had bringing Amy Canfield our digital marketing apprentice, who plays a major role in helping us to promote our holidays online, into the business.
“Whether it’s creating social media videos or helping with the website, she has a natural creative ability to curate exciting and engaging content which helps to showcase the Flavours adventures – she really is a fantastic asset to the team.”
Chris Shekleton, Director – Scotland QA, said: “If you left school at Christmas and have not yet decided on your future, or if you are in an interim job, waiting for the right opening, then it may be that an apprenticeship is the way forward. There are lots of opportunities out there.
“And if you think you don’t have any relevant qualifications or experience, that is not a barrier, with an apprenticeship you learn on the job and you earn while you learn.”
David Cunningham, QA Scotland Youth Engagement and Communications Manager, added: “No matter what your background or qualifications, we are confident we can match you with an apprenticeship scheme that will kick start your future.
“With vacancies available across over 50 employers throughout Scotland, it is aptitude and interests that count, and we will point you in the direction you need.”
To take a look at what is on offer, visit QA.com, pop in your postcode and get in touch.