Morgan Sindall Tigers launch consturction

Joining forces with Morgan Sindall Construction to improve training

New joint venture to address challenges in the construction sector

Having partnered with Morgan Sindall Construction for over 10 years on various projects, we knew our vision for helping young people to reach their infinite potential was a shared one. Now we’re very excited to have the chance to take it one step further!

Our new joint venture (JV) will mean a seismic shift in the approach to training for the construction sector, addressing emotional health, suicide and gender imbalance, as well as general skills gaps and an ageing workforce. Already, 35 young people have joined our Pre-Apprenticeship Programme and are benefiting from the new JV!

Morgan Sindall Tigers launch consturction apprentices

What makes our new JV stand out?

We’re creating Modern Apprenticeship opportunities in Construction and Civil Engineering Operations at SCQF Level 5, within the Glasgow and South Ayrshire areas through our new bespoke Pre-Apprenticeship Programme.

We’ll also support the Foundation Apprenticeship model, bridging the gap between education and employment by delivering Civil Engineering and Craft frameworks. This will help a further 35 learners, all with aspirations to work within the construction sector.

Morgan Sindall Tigers launch consturction

“Already, 35 young people have joined our Pre-Apprenticeship Programme and are benefiting from the new joint venture.”

Morgan Sindall Tigers launch group

As with all of our training, we’ll be taking a progressive and holistic approach in this sector-leading JV to support young people to overcome social and emotional barriers. There will be a coaching and health and wellbeing programme woven through the training with activities like body based mindfulness, Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP), physical exercise and yoga.

We provide skills for the future and our new JV programmes will be no different. Not only will they be aligned with employer demand, they will also reflect the key aims set out by Construction Scotland and the Construction Recovery Plan, covering areas like Net Zero Carbon and digital construction skills. We’re pleased to be supported by partners like CECA, CITB, Construction Scotland Innovation Centre and Digital Construction Skills Scotland.

Our programmes will be delivered in areas local to key Morgan Sindall Construction Projects, like the Prestwick Education Campus and Maybole Community Campus. We’ll support a wide variety of supply chain contractors through the Shared Apprenticeship Scheme model, with many having voiced their support for this model to support them during the most challenging economic climate our nation has faced in recent history.

Want to get involved with the Pre-Apprenticeship Programme?
Email us to learn more.


Partnering with West College Scotland on mental health

Offering two new mental health training programmes

Here at tigers we’re passionate about Relationship Led Practice and supporting our team’s whole wellbeing is integral to us as a business. We know we thrive in secure, positive relationships and to do this we need to care for our mental health and ensure our workplace practises reflect its importance.

We are so excited to have a new opportunity to extend what we practise in our business to young people via our training! We’ll be working alongside West College Scotland to deliver Flexible Workforce Development Fund (FWDF) training in two key areas related to mental health.

Mental Health Awareness Training

We’ll share a course aimed at increasing young people’s understanding of how our mental health can impact our working environment and everyday lives. Young people will have the opportunity to learn more about trigger points and coping mechanisms. We’ll support them through a planned programme, encouraging independent learning, questions, problem-solving and team work.

“We know we thrive in secure, positive relationships and to do this we need to care for our mental health and ensure our workplace practises reflect its importance.”

Mental Health First Aid Training

This qualification will give young people the skills to recognise a wide range of mental health conditions and find out more about the support and therapy available from professional healthcare providers. While diagnosing and treating mental health conditions can only be carried out by healthcare professionals, we’ll give people the knowledge to spot when someone may have a condition and to know where they can go for help and support.

What we’ll cover

  • Learning how to start a supportive conversation with someone experiencing mental health difficulties, and how and when to signpost to seek appropriate professional help.
  • Understanding the impact of substance abuse on our mental health.
  • Recognising stress and discovering how we can manage our stress levels.
  • Understanding the first aid action plan for mental health and knowing how to put it in place.
  • Learning how to implement a positive mental health culture in the workplace.

We can’t wait to begin working with West College Scotland, sharing mental health training, raising awareness through education and increasing skills in such an important area.


We got the green light on greener training

Construction apprenticeship programme to go green

We share Skills Development Scotland (SDS) and our government’s vision for a greener economy and a transition to net-zero. How can tigers help realise this vision? We believe we can make a difference, acting with courage to make changes to how we train young people. We’ve got some very exciting news on this front!

We’re delighted to have been selected to deliver the first pilot targeting a Foundation Apprenticeship programme in construction with a greener economy at its very heart. The pilot is part of SDS’s Climate Emergency Skills Action Plan 2020-2025, aiming for skills and education provisions with net-zero aligned curricula and genuine learning pathways into green jobs.

What makes our new pilot green?

For the first time ever, we’ll be working with a group of young people from local schools to provide sector skills with a green difference! We’ll be fostering an understanding of issues around climate change, sustainability, renewable energy use and zero-waste and looking closely at their relevance to the industry.

“We believe we can make a difference, acting with courage to make changes to how we train young people.”

What will the programme look like?

Young people will develop knowledge on the background of climate change and carbon foot-print reduction and gather an understanding of how this relates to the construction industry.

We’ll provide practical opportunities for young people to put their knowledge into action. They’ll reuse waste materials during construction work and take part in work-based challenges to implement sustainable methods, like collecting rainwater to use to clean materials and equipment.

Making the most of our wonderful community relationships, we’ll share our passion for community, on a local and global scale, with young people. We’ll aim to inspire our young learners to get involved with COP26 and Glasgow’s target of Carbon Neutrality by 2030. Local groups and MSPs will be invited to see the programme in action and we’ll provide a welcoming space for conversation on how the construction industry can make a difference when it comes to climate change.

There’ll be workshops on renewable energy and zero-waste, alongside our partner in CSIC (Construction Scotland Innovation Centre). Also practical workshops will give young people the chance to learn more about PASSIVHAUS construction, a German concept to build houses where very little energy is required to heat or cool them as they’re built with incredibly energy efficient materials.

We won’t stop there! The second phase of the programme will offer young people a work based challenge with our key employer partner, Morgan Sindall. We’re excited to partner with Morgan Sindall, a very progressive tier one construction company with significant commitments to environmental protection and a 2030 net-zero target.

We can’t wait to see how our pilot programme unfolds, and we’ll share the journey with you so look out for more news on us turning apprenticeship programmes green.


Our new plans to help women return to work

Introducing our exciting new contract!

Women have been disproportionately affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, shouldering increased caring responsibilities, lost earnings and job losses. Here at tigers, we want to help as our vision is for a fair and inclusive world where equal opportunities exist for all.

With this in mind, tigers are delighted to be partnering with Skills Development Scotland on an exciting new programme, designed to support women returning to the job market, who have experienced unemployment for 6 months or more.

What we have planned

Research shows that digital skills are needed for almost every job, it is part of the Scottish Government’s ‘A changing nation: how Scotland will thrive in a digital world’. The strategy, published in March 2021, commented, ‘ensuring we have a strong digitally skilled workforce will be a key driver to inclusive economic growth’. This course will provide women returning to work with the composite skills required to gain employment and contribute to the wider economy.

“We want to play a part in addressing the gap between those with digital skills and those who experience digital exclusion.”

Steeped in the knowledge that significant learning and development only happens in the presence of secure, positive relationships, a key focus for tigers will be supporting women to develop digital skills and break down the barriers accessing employment. Our course will focus on experiential learning opportunities and a paid work placement, with the aim of moving to sustained employment.

A key element of this course will be to tackle digital exclusion faced by many women and advance towards our vision for a fair and inclusive world where equal opportunities exist for individuals, families and communities. We can’t wait to share more details as we work with women to help them return to work.

The Women Returners Programme is funded by the Scottish Government and administered by Skills Development Scotland.