Apprenticeship proves to be pathway to success for Ailie

After doing three apprenticeships, former Bridges Project client Ailie Ramsay is now thriving in her Operations Support Advisor job with Celsius Plumbing and Heating.

Ailie was an 18-year-old young carer for her mum when she was referred to Bridges Project. She was in her last year at Preston Lodge High School and was struggling to decide what she wanted to do after leaving school.

“I didn’t have any plans for what I was doing after leaving school, which was stressful,” said Ailie.

As she was caring for her mum at the time, she was allocated to Bridges Project’s Young Carers Service. The service focused on supporting young people with caring responsibilities to transition from school to life after school and early adulthood. 

Ailie’s Support Worker from the Young Carers Service at the time was Lynne Anderson, who is now Bridges Project’s Education & Employability Coordinator. Lynne helped Ailie with looking for jobs and with attending appointments with the job centre. As well as this, she supported her to overcome her travel worries by accompanying her on bus trips. Ailie also attended a few group activities at Bridges Project, which helped build her confidence.

Despite not knowing what to do after school, Ailie knew she wanted to learn through a hands-on approach.

“I struggled a bit in school with exams so I knew that college wouldn’t have been an option for me at the time,” she said.

Together with Lynne, Ailie therefore identified apprenticeships as a good route to go down. It did not take long before she secured an administration apprenticeship with East Lothian Council. Ailie then moved on to doing two apprenticeships with Celsius Plumbing and Heating, again with an administration focus. All the administration apprenticeships paid off as she in December 2018 secured a permanent job with Celsius.

Now a 25-year-old Operations Support Advisor, Ailie thinks the apprenticeship route was a good pathway for her to secure permanent employment.

“I think going for an apprenticeship was definitely worthwhile for me as an individual who was looking to learn on a job, especially as I was supporting my mum at the time. The on-site courses I did through my apprenticeships with Celsius were particularly valuable,” she said.

The former Preston Lodge High School student, who lives in Prestonpans, is happy with how far she has come.

“I don’t think the me of 10 years ago would believe how much I have done so far. I’m certainly nowhere near where I thought I was going to be, mostly because I didn’t know what I wanted to do after I left school. It was such a difficult decision for me,” said Ailie.

She credits Bridges Project for a lot of her success.

“I don’t think that at that moment in time, if I didn’t get the help from Bridges Project, I would have been able to do three apprenticeships. They also helped me identify several jobs since leaving school until I settled with Celsius. Bridges Project has definitely impacted me in a way that’s changed my life,” said Ailie.