Building services company, The FES Group, welcomed 17 students from local schools to take part in the first of two Hand Picked Academy training courses, as it looks to fill 36 apprenticeship places across the company.

The teenagers from schools in Stirling and Dunblane were given the chance to learn about the different trades FES employs through a week-long series of hands-on practical workshops, alongside sessions on employer expectations, interview skills and work etiquette.

Hand Picked teaches a young person about the jobs and skills required by businesses and how they should market themselves to a prospective employer in a competitive jobs market. What makes the course stand out is that it provides the candidates with robust feedback while giving them new insight and experience of what it means to get a job.

At the end of the week, all the students sat a ‘mock’ aptitude test and were interviewed, with FES hoping to move some on to the next stage of assessment for the jobs available.

Hosting the Hand Picked Academy is part of the FES Group’s commitment to its local community and support of local education establishments.

Robert Wood, contracts director at The FES Group commented: “The Hand Picked Academy brought a new dimension to our search for apprentices, as it allowed us to open our doors to more local school leavers to introduce them to a trades career, while giving them a very rounded view on the realities of finding a job to suit them.

“We had them taking on projects from the computer to the workshop to see where their individual skills lay and how they worked together in a team. The whole week has been very energising and the feedback we have had from the students is extremely good.

“FES has a strong commitment to the local communities in which it works and we are delighted with the success of the Hand Picked Academy.”

The Academy is run in partnership with CR Smith boss Gerard Eadie CBE, who set up the Hand Picked jobs programme three years ago.

Mr Eadie said: “Getting a job is a job in itself and I’m really pleased with how FES has embraced the Hand Picked programme to support local school leavers kick start their careers.

“The FES Group has always had a commitment to employing young people and it’s great to be working with them. The FES Academy has brought a very positive and tangible focus on new jobs as it looks to fill the company’s apprenticeship scheme.”