A new era for building services training in Scotland

Gary Patterson is 24 and has become Scotland's first apprentice on the new Facilities Services Modern Apprenticeship.

He works for the Hawthorn Housing Cooperative in Glasgow as an estate caretaker of 316 homes. He registered onto the level 2 programme to train him in the basics of facilities management and building maintenance.

"I like having a steady job and it's good fun getting to know the tenants," says Gary. "I am out and about on the estate every day.

There is a lot to do, it's always busy and there is loads of variety. I really like what I'm doing."

His duties include sorting out bulk waste, grass cutting and keeping the outside areas of the estate clean and tidy. His course will teach him about health and safety, building maintenance and how to carry out minor repairs. It will also cover dealing with contractors for major repairs and will take around a year to do. His learning is monitored each month by an assessor from Anniesland College in Glasgow.

Gary previously worked for a firm of joiners who fitted windows but was made redundant. He was unemployed for six months before he saw the Hawthorn job vacancy advertised at the Job Centre.
His boss Peter Kelly is the housing cooperative's maintenance manager.

"Gary is a great employee and as an Investors-In-People accredited organisation we want to help him with his personal development plan as well as on-the-job training.

"The modern apprenticeship does both and we are pleased we chose this programme. Its flexibility is perfect for a busy housing maintenance team like us."

The Facilities Services Modern Apprenticeship is a brand new programme for Scotland. The training was developed by Asset Skills, the skills body for facilities management, in consultation with employers.

Gary's programme is fully funded by Skills Development Scotland.

"We give him targets for his portfolio so we can judge his evidence-based learning," says Lynne McGurk, Business Development Officer for Anniesland College.

"Although this modern apprenticeship is new we are already seeing increasing interest from facilities management and housing employers who have heard about it."

For more information contact Tim Pogson, Head of Asset Skills Scotland, by emailing tpogson@assetskills.org or calling 0844 873 1018.