The Development Awards are cash grants for people aged 16 to 30 and cover the cost of qualifications, equipment, clothing, travel expenses and more.

Lesley English, Hillcrest’s apprenticeship development officer, said: “At a careers fair in late 2023, I connected with Debbie Ross, Youth Development Lead at East Scotland Prince’s Trust, who informed me of the Development Award funding available to young people.

“Our meeting coincided with our new apprentices starting with Hillcrest Maintenance, so after applying for funding, three apprentices received grants to enable them to purchase tools to start their toolkit. Casey Craig, our apprentice electrician, Euan Paton our apprentice plumber and Nairn Lumsden, our apprentice joiner, were delighted with this support.”

Nairn Lumsden commented: “The funding given by the Prince’s Trust has really helped me from the start of my apprenticeship to this day, by allowing me to be more independent as I don’t have to borrow tools as I now have my own. This has also allowed me to be more confident as I’m using the same tools every day, so have gotten used to them. I would like to thank the Prince’s Trust for allowing me to develop better as an apprentice joiner thanks to the funding.”

Euan Paton added: “The Prince’s Trust helped me by providing me with tools. This made me feel like a true tradesperson, walking into a house holding my own tools, ready to take on the task in hand.”

Lesley English continued: “Debbie later visited Hillcrest’s head office in Dundee to meet our Business Admin apprentices Max Laing and Aidan Clark. Max works with our Tenancy Sustainment team, and Aidan works with Hillcrest’s Energy Advice Team (HEAT).

“Debbie helped the pair to complete applications to allow them to tap into the grants available. It was also a great opportunity for her to find out more about their roles within our organisation. We cannot thank Debbie enough for her insight and support.”

The Prince’s Trust is a charity aiming to help young people from disadvantaged communities and those facing the greatest adversity by supporting them to build the confidence and skills to live, learn and earn.

Debbie Ross from Prince’s Trust, said: “We are delighted to be working in partnership with Hillcrest and supporting their young employees with our Development Award funding. We look forward to continuing to provide further support to Hillcrest’s young workforce by removing the financial barriers to access resources necessary for their employment opportunities.”