#ScotAppWeek22 Blog: Theo Young, Business & Administration Modern Apprentice
SDS Modern Apprentice Theo shares how work-based learning is allowing him to contribute to equality in apprenticeships.
As a Business & Administration Modern Apprentice at Skills Development Scotland, I’m working in the Quality Assurance and Equality & Diversity teams.
Working with the Equality & Diversity team has been exciting. It’s given me lots of opportunities to expand my learning on a number of different equality related topics such as autism, the transgender community, individuals from a black, Asian, minority ethnic (BME) community, individuals who are deaf and lots more. I’ve also had the chance to attend a few different workshops, which has been key in my understanding of these topics.
As you maybe know, set out in The Equality Act (2010), public sector organisations, including SDS, have a duty to have due regard when carrying out their public functions as a service provider, policy maker and an employer, to eliminate discrimination; advance equality of opportunity and to foster good relations.
I believe that SDS is a leader in equality within the public sector and has embedded equality throughout the organisation in many ways. Some of which include having groups who focus on individual topics such as the LGBT+ and BME+ allies, hosting workshops and having regular CPD training.
Additionally, the equality teams within SDS have a responsibility to ensure providers have a good level of knowledge on protected characteristics, so they can ensure all apprentices are treated equally and given the proper support that they need.
By choosing work-based learning I have been able to make a real contribution in my job whilst continuing to progress towards a qualification.
Theo Young
SDS Modern Apprentice
As part of this, around March 2021, the Equality and Diversity team were receiving a few requests from providers for learning on Transgender individuals. As a result, we approached the Scottish Trans Alliance to start development on an E-Learning module. The aim of the module was to inform providers and raise awareness of the Transgender community. I worked closely with the Scottish Trans Alliance, going back and forth to develop the final E-Learning module.
As part of the LGBT+ community myself, creating the Transgender E-Learning module was important for me as it’s something I feel strongly about. It gave me a good understanding of the Transgender community and, overall, I really enjoyed creating it.From another perspective, getting involved in this work was really important experience and is just one way of demonstrating the value of my apprenticeship.
By choosing work-based learning I have been able to make a real contribution in my job whilst continuing to progress towards a qualification.