Female apprentices at Scottish ferry operator Caledonian MacBrayne (CalMac) have shown their enthusiasm for the role after the company recruited a record number of women to train in deck and engine roles.
The Clyde and Hebridean operator, owned by the Scottish government, is the UK’s largest ‘domestic’ ferry firm, which has more than eight times as many women in its workforce as the global average.
Among its former apprentices, CalMac commands a significant loyalty, with more than four in five of those taken on since 2013 still working for the Gourock-based company, while 10 percent of its workforce started there as apprentices.
CalMac, with a fleet of 36 and one chartered catamaran, has now opened applications for this autumn’s intake. The firm, which employs 1,600 crew and shore staff, was named by the Merchant Navy Training Board as one of the top five UK companies for marine apprentice schemes.
The Scotsman has more on the apprenticeship drive and comments from the trainees.
