1,000 Legacy Apprentices

Training opportunities all over the country thanks to Commonwealth Games.

A thousand young men and women from across Scotland have been supported into an apprenticeship opportunity by the Legacy 2014 Young Persons' Fund.

The Legacy 2014 Employer Recruitment Incentive funded by Skills Development Scotland (SDS) aims to have at least 1,500 apprentices in place by March 31, 2015. Today's news confirms that the target is well on track.

Cabinet Secretary for Training, Youth and Women's Employment Angela Constance today met a number of apprentices working for Tennis Scotland. She said:

"With the Queen's Baton making its way round Scotland, excitement is building for the start of the Commonwealth Games later this month. And with Andy Murray in with a chance of what would be an incredible second consecutive Wimbledon title, sport in Scotland is under the spotlight like never before.

"We have always been clear that the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games legacy goes beyond sport and beyond Glasgow and Scotland should grasp the economic opportunities stemming from the Games with both hands. Figures published last month showed that Scottish companies were set to benefit from hundreds of millions of pounds from Games' contracts and as the figures today show, many young people are also achieving apprenticeships across a range of frameworks.

"The opportunities the Games have afforded these young people will help them develop their skills and set them up for successful future careers. Alongside the Youth Employment Scotland Fund, Opportunities for All and the actions stemming from the report on Developing Scotland's Young Workforce, the Scottish Government is committed to supporting more young people towards employment."

Katie Hutton, Depute Director of National Training Programmes at Skills Development Scotland, added:

"The Legacy incentive is also a great way of ensuring employers across Scotland benefit from the Commonwealth Games.

“It is great to see some of our trainees flourishing in their roles as tennis coaches and knowing that many other Modern Apprentices are also being supported by this funding. The skills they learn will stay with them long after the Games have finished and that is a legacy that we are incredibly proud of."