FIFE College and Fife Council have up to 350 Foundation Apprenticeships opportunities available in 2020 by Skills Development Scotland (SDS).

The College and Council in Fife currently run one of the most ambitious Foundation Apprenticeship programmes in Scotland which pupils at Beath and Lochgelly High Schools can tap into.

The new contract will see the College and Council increase the number of FA subjects available for senior phase pupils in Fife to all 12 available from SDS.

Delivered as part of School College Partnership programme, FAs provide work-based learning opportunities for young people, supporting skills demands from employers and creating pathways into critical occupations for the Scottish economy. 

Taken over one or two years by senior phase school pupils alongside Nationals and Highers, completion of a Foundation Apprenticeship leads to a qualification at the same level as a Higher.

FAs available in Fife include accountancy, business skills, civil engineering, software development, IT hardware, creative media, food and drink technologies, children and young people, engineering, scientific technologies, financial services and social services.

The award of the new contracts comes as recent reports show a 45% increase in pupils on School College Partnership courses in Fife. Latest figures have also shown a 9.5% increase in the number of pupils in Fife completing their School College Partnership courses.

Iain Hawker, Assistant Principal: Quality and Partnerships at Fife College, said: “We are delighted to have been awarded the contract to deliver Foundation Apprenticeships in 2020.

“Working in partnership with Fife Council, the Foundation Apprenticeship programme has allowed us to provide an excellent stepping stone for fifth and sixth-year school pupils on to career paths across a number of industry sectors enabling them to achieve a valuable work-based qualification alongside gaining valuable employer needed skills."