Callander’s Apprenticeships

Callander’s Landscape Modern Apprentice Secured Full-time Employment

An apprentice trained through a project funded by Callander’s Landscape secured full-time employment with the Forth Rivers Trust.

Niall Provan was one of seven Modern Apprentices trained through the Heritage Skills scheme led by the Callander Youth Project Trust (CYPT) which helped him become the ideal employee in his role as Project Officer with Forth Rivers Trust.

This scheme was part of Callander’s Landscape’s Engage Programme which focused on enhancing people’s understanding of and connection to the area’s landscape.

While enrolled at college, Niall was keen to get out and develop practical skills beyond his studies. This led him to applying for the Heritage Skills Modern Apprenticeship where he learned important practical skills and developed as a person, even winning Modern Apprentice of the Year 2021 at Lantra Scotland’s Awards for Land Based and Aquaculture Skills.

He worked on a range of projects both on the ground and relating to the cultural heritage of Callander such as Gaelic place names and transcribing oral history interviews.

“The opportunities that came with the role, like being able to work with organisations such as Scottish Natural Heritage, Forestry and Land Scotland, and the Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park rangers, were big highlights of my time spent in the apprenticeship, along with being able to work in such a significant area of conservation and natural beauty.” – Niall Provan

 

Niall wasn’t the Heritage Skills project’s only success though, as they supported seven people through their apprenticeships despite the hardships of the COVID-19 pandemic, during which Heritage Skills also gave an opportunity to volunteers from surrounding towns, with a view to encouraging a wider group of people to discover and improve their knowledge and appreciation of Callander and the surrounding area.

This project benefitted not only Niall and his fellow volunteers, but also Callander as a whole due to the improved signage and wellbeing within the village and surrounding area. After the Engage Programme ended, 97% of volunteers believed that it was beneficial for their health and wellbeing and 89% felt like they had contributed to the area’s heritage.