Celebrating 10 Years of Developing the Young Workforce

In 2014,a youth employment strategy was launched to help prepare young people to get into the world of work - DYW are bigger than ever, spread over 20 regions connecting employers with school coordinators & core members to build bridges with young people & their future careers.

In 2014, the Scottish Government launched a seven year youth employment strategy to help prepare young people to get into the world of work – Developing the Young Workforce. 10 years later, DYW are bigger than ever, spread over 20 regions connecting employers with school coordinators and core members to build bridges with young people and their future careers.

DYW Moray formed in April 2016, which has since had many highlights and activities. From hosting multiple career fairs in schools as well as mock interview and CV preparation for young people, to land based sector days and many employer meetings. The region started with two members of staff before expanding in 2020 gaining 4 School Coordinators and 2 of the first Foundation Apprentices – the team have since taken on 6 more Foundation/Modern Apprentices!

Another highlight includes our most attended events to date – the DYW Moray Jobs Fair & Apprenticeships fair. The jobs fair has been running since the 8th of June 2022 and in 2024, it had its biggest return yet with DOUBLE the amount of attendees, welcoming over 800 individuals to find out about careers from over 60 employers who managed a stand. This is Moray’s biggest jobs fair, which helps employers to advertise their vacancies both current and upcoming to those with either a wealth of experience or even none at all. As well as this, during Scottish Apprenticeship Week the team held the Apprenticeships fair for over 500 attendees in just two hours. The room was lively with young people who gathered to learn about Moray’s apprenticeships both live and forthcoming from 22 employers in many different sectors.

Employers praised the event's organisation and effectiveness in highlighting local opportunities. Mark from Hendry Hydraulics commended the fair, stating:

"It gave us an opportunity to show the local community what Hendry Hydraulics brings to the table and why we want to continue employing apprentices. It was a successful event for us."

Similarly, Barnies Group and Boeing UK found the event encouraging, emphasising the value of engaging with numerous potential apprentices and offering guidance. Impressively, all employers rated the event 5/5 and expressed eagerness to recommend it to others.

Some attendees have been offered interviews, with many applying for vacancies after attending the event, further highlighting the fair's effectiveness in facilitating meaningful connections between employers and prospective apprentices.