Date: 5 December 2007
Author: Lucy Robb - Scottish Enterprise

A group of successful trainees has graduated from a new innovative training programme that is helping a Rutherglen company to expand its operations throughout Scotland.

Westcrowns Contracting Services, based in Rutherglen Industrial Estate, identified a skills shortage within one of its subsidiary companies Harndec Flooring.

Harndec Flooring, one of Scotland's leading flooring contractors, was finding it a challenge sourcing floor laying resources to match its planned sales growth.

Scottish Enterprise Lanarkshire, through its ongoing operations with the company, developed a tailored programme to recruit and train unemployed people in the local area.

Working in partnership with South Lanarkshire Council, Routes to Work South and John Wheatley College, a number of unemployed locals were recruited for a 12 week introductory floor laying training programme.

As a result of this partnership approach, Westcrowns guaranteed full time employment for successful trainees of the programme and a route to ongoing development of the initial skills gained by the trainees.

To mark the graduation, the 13 successful trainees were congratulated at a special ceremony at the offices of Routes to Work South in Cambuslang. They have now commenced full time employment with Westcrowns.

Bill McBride, managing director, Westcrowns Contracting Services Limited, said: "Westcrowns is part of a group which can trace its foundations in Scotland back to 1873. We are proud to be a Scottish-based company, contributing to the local economy and to Rutherglen in particular. As a successful business, I recognise we have a responsibility to invest in the future and importantly in the people who will help us create that future. I am grateful for the support of Scottish Enterprise and South Lanarkshire Council. Their desire to understand our business needs and to find a fit with our social conscience was a great catalyst in the success of this programme."

Liz Connolly, senior director operations, Scottish Enterprise Lanarkshire, said: "I would like to take the opportunity to congratulate the trainees on their hard work and commitment. This has been a real success story for South Lanarkshire. The Westcrowns Group is a key employer in the Rutherglen area and when we identified a barrier to its growth and further success we took the opportunity to develop a specialist training programme to support recruitment and training. This is a great example of a number of partners working together to respond to industry demand."

Councillor Chris Thompson, chair of South Lanarkshire Council's Enterprise Resources Committee, said: "Initiatives such as this are crucial to the local and national economy as we are experiencing skills shortages in key areas.

"Training local unemployed people and allowing them the opportunity to enter employment is vital in addressing these shortages and it is great to see these 13 trainees taking such a positive step.

"The partnership working which allowed this programme to be such a success is further evidence that working together is the most effective way of enabling people to enter employment, training or further education."

As a result of the success of this training course, Scottish Enterprise Lanarkshire and Westcrowns now expect to expand the programme across the company's operations.

Notes to editors