Modern Apprenticeships give young learners lifelong edge

Thursday 7 August 2025

SQA Chief Executive Nick Page meets with Modern Apprentices Sam Forbes, Caitlin Dunion, and Ben Cooper along with David Hannah, Head of Apprenticeship Delivery at QA Ltd (Scotland)

Modern Apprenticeships should be one of the options under serious consideration for the  thousands of young people across Scotland considering their next steps after receiving their SQA results.

This is the view of young modern apprentices in Glasgow, who have been supported by QA Ltd (Scotland), one of the leading providers of digital apprenticeships in sectors including Digital Technology, Business Administration, Digital Marketing, and Digital Applications Support.

Modern Apprenticeships give young people at the start of their career the opportunity to gain real-world experience and responsibilities in the workplace and achieve a valuable qualification all while earning a competitive wage.

Sam Forbes, 17, from Newton Mearns left school in May after completing his final qualifications in S6 at Eastwood High School. Days later he started a Modern Apprenticeship programme at law firm Harper Macleod in Glasgow.

Now a framework administrator, Sam is getting up to speed with life in one of Scotland’s leading law firms.

Talking about his new job with SQA Chief Executive Nick Page, Sam said: ‘I applied for an apprenticeship with QA Ltd, and we talked about the jobs and apprenticeship programmes they had available and which of them I was interested in. We looked at the role with Harper Macleod, and I submitted my application. I was fortunate enough to have a successful interview shortly afterwards, and I started my new job just four days after my last exam!’

Sam continued: ‘It all happened really quickly, but I’m loving my new job. It’s early days but I’m getting a lot of support from the team at Harper Macleod learning my new role. The assessors, QA Ltd, have been brilliant too helping me understand how the work I’m doing at my job provides evidence for the qualification I’m working towards.’

Caitlin Dunion, 22 from Glasgow, is also undertaking a Modern Apprenticeship with Harper Macleod. Caitlin started a degree programme last year but quickly made the switch to a Modern Apprenticeship after deciding that university wasn’t for her.

Now nine months into her Business and Administration apprenticeship, Caitlin is thriving in her current role at Harper Macleod. Caitlin said: ‘I’ve had a great start to my career. Every day is different, and I’m getting that chance to work with people across the business and learn while getting paid. I’m developing  new skills, my confidence is growing, and I know that I’ve made the choice that was right for me.’

Ben Cooper, a Digital Marketing modern apprentice at SQA, offered his insight as he was coming to the end of his 12-month placement with Scotland’s awarding and accreditation body. Ben said: ‘I knew for some time before I left school last year that university wasn’t for me. The prospect of a Modern Apprenticeship in digital marketing was intriguing and over the last 12 months I’ve been able to work on a number of campaigns and projects. At the same time, I’ve also achieved an SVQ in Digital Marketing. Having that qualification, and the experience of the last year under my belt will help me with whatever comes next.’

David Hannah, Head of Apprenticeship Delivery at QA Ltd (Scotland), said ‘Modern Apprenticeships give young people the agency and opportunity to shape the early part of their career. With the support of QA Ltd, they can identify the apprenticeship programmes that align with their interests and work for them. We’ll then help young people identify potential employers who will take them on and oversee the day-to-day aspects of their training and development, while our team of assessors will help them achieve valuable SQA qualifications.

‘Employers like Harper Macleod play a hugely important role in the development of our young people, and together we can instil a lifelong-learning ethic that will serve our modern apprentices  throughout the course of their careers.’

Martin Darroch, Harper Macleod Chief Executive, said: “Modern apprentices play a significant role in our business. We’ve supported the programme for more than 10 years and, in that time, we’ve supported more than 100 colleagues to achieve their Modern Apprenticeships, with many going on to be promoted into other roles and gain new qualifications. Today, 14% of our people came through the programme. Harnessing that talent today will pay dividends as we continue to build and grow our future workforce.”

Nick Page, SQA Chief Executive said: ‘Hearing first hand from Sam, Caitlin and Ben about their experiences has been hugely inspiring. While they are all just starting out on their careers, they are proving every day that there is a huge variety of pathways to success open to our young people as they leave school and head into the wider world.

‘By its nature, a Modern Apprenticeship instils young people with the habit of active lifelong learning; they are achieving goals, generating evidence, and improving daily. Together with the employers who support our modern apprentices, and the training providers like QA Ltd, who oversee their development, SQA – and in turn Qualifications Scotland – will provide our young people with the best opportunities to make the most of the first steps in their careers.’

For more information on Modern Apprenticeships, visit www.sqa.org.uk/apprenticeships.