School-College course leads to apprenticeships
School pupils from Prestwick who studied an engineering-based school-college course with Ayrshire College have secured apprenticeships with GE Caledonian.
The Performing Engineering Operations (PEO) course at Ayrshire College is a subject choice for S5 pupils alongside their higher subjects at secondary school. The course involves two afternoons of study at the College’s Ayr Campus per week.
Four pupils from this year’s Prestwick Academy cohort have been successful in obtaining apprenticeship opportunities – Arianna McLean, Sam Robson, Ben Stewart and Calum Wolfe.
Another student, Mason McFarlane, has been successful having studied the Prestwick Academy PEO last year. Mason is now on the NC Aeronautical Engineering course at Ayrshire College.
This engineering course in partnership with Prestwick Academy has been running since 2019/20 and has now resulted in 16 pupils successfully moving into apprenticeships.
Alistair Aird, Curriculum Manager for Aeronautical Engineering at Ayrshire College, said: “Since the programme started, more and more pupils at Prestwick Academy have started to show an interest and apply for the course.
“The relationship we have developed with the school is excellent, and the candidates we have had each year have been of a high calibre. It is testament to their hard work that so many of them have had opportunities for employment in the sector too.
“The lecturers who deliver on the programme, Gordon English and David Stark, have also been instrumental in helping it become the success that it has.”
Aidan McIntyre, Apprentice Co-ordinator at GE Caledonian, said: “This type of course is absolutely crucial to ensuring school pupils have the necessary technical and meta skills to prepare them for positive destinations within industry. It is clear that progress is being made within Ayrshire to bridge the gap between full time education and employment.”
10 March 2023
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