Gean House in the runningfor Scottish Confetti award
Apprentices vital to economy
PARAMOUNT Creative, theteam who organise the highlysuccessful Confetti Awards,will honour the very best fromScotland’s wedding industryat the Gala Final this Sunday.Clackmannanshire’s very own
Gean House has been shortlistedas one of five in the Most Desira-ble Wedding Venue 2017 category.
All finalists are researchedand reviewed by the team of in-dependent judges before the an-nouncement is made at the glam-orous ceremony being held at theGlasgow Hilton and hosted by DesClarke of Capital FM. Winnersare a true reflection of qualityand customer service as chosenby members of the general publicand the judges.Gean House manager Billy Rob-
ertson said: “We are delighted tohave made it to the finals of TheConfetti Awards and it’s thanks toeveryone who voted that we havegotten this far.“We do everything we can to en-
sure each couple’s wedding day isunique. Our staff maintains a su-perior standard and every aspectof the wedding day is delivered tothe highest quality.”Gean House retains a rustic
charm, yet is in a great centrallocation. It was built in 1912 bylocal architect William Kerr inthe style of Sir Edward Lutyensand given as a wedding presentfrom the woollen yarn magnateAlexander Forrester-Paton to hisson. The country house boasts a
MORE employers hiring apprenticesis vital to the Forth Valley economyaccording to the business-led groupset up to develop the youngworkforcein the region.
DYW Forth Valley, along with SkillsDevelopment Scotland (SDS) is urgingmore employers to hire apprentices toboost their business and support the localeconomy.The call comes ahead of Scottish Ap-
prenticeshipWeek 2017 fromMarch 6-10.Organised by SDS, the campaign high-
lights the benefits for businesses that havedecided to invest in the skills of their em-ployees.Businesses in Scotland employed a
record number of apprentices last yearas more than 25,500 young people got thechance towork, learn and earn.Last year there were 289 new Modern
Apprenticeship starts in Clackmannan-shire, 918 in Falkirk and 411 in Stirling.A survey of apprentice employers
showed three quarters said that apprentic-es improved productivity, while nine outof ten would recommend apprenticeshipsto their industry.JenHenderson, programmemanager at
DYW Forth Valley, said: “Local employers
hiring apprentices is vital to developingthe young workforce and crucial for em-ployers to make sure they have the rightskills for the future.“We encourage all employers – no mat-
ter their size to consider the benefits ap-prenticeships could bring to their busi-ness.“There’s no better time than Scottish
Apprenticeship Week to find out moreabout work based learning.”
SDS head of operations for South EastScotland Grant McDougall said: “Appren-ticeships are changing with more oppor-tunities than ever for anyone – no mattertheir background – to work learn andearn.
“Employers can benefit from appren-ticeships by making skills work for theirbusiness.“If you are an employer looking to build
a skilled,motivatedworkforce through ap-prenticeships, SDS can offer advice andsupport.”Alison Wood, human resources direc-
tor at UCP based in Bridge of Allan, said:“UCP have a long history of recruitingapprentices to help meet the engineeringskills demands both currently and for thefuture.
“We find it increasingly difficult to
source these skills in the open market,where there is already an overall skillsshortage. Given the bespoke nature of ourprocesses it means that any new talent webring into thebusiness,have toundergoanextensive internal training programme.“With our apprentices however, by the
time they have completed the full trainingprogramme they are well on the journeyto becoming a fully competent engineer/electrician, and in fact add value to ourprocesses throughout their training. Thefact that we have an apprenticeship pro-gramme clearly demonstrates our com-pany’s commitment for the long term, andbringing fresh talent into the businesshelps build morale and overall employeeengagement.”
Skills Development Scotland pays acontribution towards the cost of trainingapprentices on behalf of the Scottish Gov-ernment.NewFoundationApprenticeshipsmean
young people can also now start aModernApprenticeship at school while GraduateLevel Apprenticeships provide employeeswithwork based learning opportunities todegree level.Find out more at apprenticeships.scot
where employers can also post vacanciesfor free.
romantic history that is still truetoday for the couples that spendtheir wedding day there.Events and marketing coor-
dinator Sarah Fishwick added:“We pride ourselves on offeringa fantastic service and offeringtailor made packages to suit thecouple’s individual requirements.Every wedding at Gean House isdifferent and that’s what makes itso special.“This award would mean so
much to all the staff here at GeanHouse; recognising our contribu-tion to making each and everywedding day perfect for the happycouple.”Gean House offers exclusive
use of the house and groundsmaking for a beautiful setting allyear round. A range of functionrooms suitable for weddings from10–80 guests, with scope for up to120 evening guests.Gean House offers; stunning re-
ception rooms; a complete eventsmanagement service; dedicatedwedding coordinator and gloriousphotographic opportunities.For any newly engaged couples
looking for the perfect venue,make sure to pop in to Gean’sWedding Open Evening on Janu-ary 31, 5-7.30pm.It’s the perfect chance to see
the house dressed for a weddingand to ask those all importantquestions, for more informationcontact Gean House now on 01259226400 or email [email protected]
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Wednesday, January 25, 2017 43www.alloaadvertiser.com
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