ELGIN PUPIL PROVES TO BE THE ‘IDEAL CANDIDATE’

Robertson has crowned their ‘Ideal Candidate’ following an employability programme held at Elgin Academy.

The overall winner was S4 pupil Nathan Urwin, who was presented with his award at an end-of-term assembly by Iain Sutherland, Bid Director at Robertson.

In total, three pupils from the school were selected to join Robertson at its Elgin-based office for a week of work experience.

Lynne Bowley, DYW Lead at Moray Council, said: “The Ideal Candidate programme provides all S4 pupils with the opportunity to develop essential employability skills and actively work with a range of employers, led by Robertson.

“Culminating in a week of work based learning, three pupils have enjoyed exploring the different learner journeys within the construction sector. Elgin Academy is delighted to be able to continue to work with Robertson, bringing together education and business, developing the workforce of the future.”

The Ideal Candidate programme is part of the strategic partnership between Robertson and Elgin Academy, with applications for the programme more than doubling from the previous year.

Since launching the Ideal Candidate initiative in 2017, Robertson has collaborated with 30 Moray businesses who provided over 180 S4 pupils with the opportunity to attend a mock interview as part of the programme.

The Ideal Candidate workshops prepared students for the world of work and involved a series of sessions focusing on social media, CV writing, interview techniques and presentation skills culminating in three pupils being offered a three-week work placement with the company.

Frank Reid, Managing Director, Robertson Northern said: “Our relationship with Elgin Academy is engrained in the Northern business – a number of Robertson employees once went to the school, including our executive chairman, Bill Robertson.

“Our Ideal Candidate workshops are run by our community development team and aim to prepare the local schools pupils for the world of work. We equip these pupils with a range of skills which they can hopefully use to show themselves in the best light as they enter the job market.”