Lord Willie Haughey has revealed plans to take on 100 new apprentices to help with construction at Royal Strathclyde Blindcraft Industries.
Speaking at the launch of Scottish Apprenticeship Week, he insisted he is “one million per cent” certain that he would never have gone on to create his business empire had he not started out as an apprentice studying one day a week at Glasgow’s Springburn College (now part of Glasgow Kelvin College).
“When I left school I wrote 30 or 40 letters to companies looking for an apprenticeship without any luck.
“One day my mum’s tumble dryer broke down and I got talking to the guy, Willie Allan, they sent to repair it, I told him I was looking for an apprenticeship and he said his company, Turner Refrigeration, were looking for someone.”
He added: “When I got my City and Guilds Certificate someone told me that with that qualification and my driving licence I’d never be out or work - and that certainly was true.”
Lord Haughey’s business City Facilities Management now employs more than 14,000 people globally.
He said: “Without the experience I got from my apprenticeship I could have ended up anywhere, but the discipline I received set me up for life.”
Shona Struthers, chief executive of Colleges Scotland, said: “Lord Haughey’s positive experience as an apprentice proved pivotal in him going on to achieve great business success and I hope his experience will inspire many more Scots to follow in his footsteps.
“The modern workplace is rapidly changing and apprentices can build the skills which meet the needs of employers.”
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