Foundation Apprenticeships at Westhill Academy
In partnership with Aberdeenshire Council, we have now been offering Foundation Apprenticeships in Engineering at Westhill Academy for 3 years. Foundation Apprenticeships were first introduced in 2014 and have become a popular subject choice for S5 and S6 pupils up an down Scotland. They were created as a way to bridge the gap between the classroom and the workplace with the goal of reducing the high rates of unemployment within young people. By completing a Foundation Apprenticeship, secondary school pupils are getting a head start on their career of choice whilst gaining an industry recognised qualification which is equivalent to 2 SQA Higher level qualifications at an A/B grade.
Secondary school pupils can complete a Foundation Apprenticeship in Engineering alongside their other school subjects as most of the teaching for is carried out by one of our lecturers at Westhill Academy. We welcome our FA pupils to Tullos Training only once a week when they complete practical work towards the SVQ Level 2 qualification in our workshops. As a Foundation Apprentice, you will complete a National Certificate (NC) at SCQF Level 6 in Mechanical Engineering and core unit of an SVQ Level 2 in Performing Engineering Operations.
Last week, we asked our Engineering FA pupils from Westhill Academy questions about their experience as Foundation Apprentices and here is their responses:
Would you recommend an FA and if so, why?
I would personally recommend a Foudation Apprenticeship as it is a good opportunity to try something out of school that is different from aspects offered in school.
It is the obvious choice if you are interested in the subject area – you should take the oportunity. There is a wide range of skills used throughout the course.
Why did you choose to study an FA?
An FA in Engineering is worth 2 highers and I would like to be an engineer in the future.
To learn more about the engineering path and decide if an engineering career is for me.
What do you like best about the course so far?
Getting to do practical things at Tullos Training, like hand fitting.
Pneumatics because it was practical and I found it interesting.
What do you want to do next?
I want to get a Modern Apprenticeship.
I would like to go to university.
Is there any advice that you would give to someone who is considering studying an FA in the future?
Find out as much information about the course as you can.
Make sure you have enough time as it is a time consuming subject.
More information can be found on Foundation Apprenticeship at apprenticeships.scot.
Joel, Ronan and Thomas are photographed below in our Hand Fitting workshop.
