NHS Tayside will take on apprentices this summer, despite budget pressures and cuts elsewhere in the workforce.
The first young people taken on under the health authority’s 10-year programme to train its own tradesmen complete their apprenticeships in a few weeks and they have also been told they will get permanent posts.
NHS Tayside’s engineering maintenance manager Alan Gallacher is expecting a bumper postbag when adverts for the latest intake of apprentices are placed shortly.
Around 100 applicants have chased each apprenticeship since the programme started four years ago.
In 2006 NHS Tayside took on its first apprentices for 22 years, and for each of the last four years has offered six apprenticeships in various trades.
This year there will be two apprenticeships on offer, one for a floor layer and one for a mechanical fitter.
“We are extremely pleased that in these times of tight budgets we are still managing to take on two young individuals from the Tayside area,” said Mr Gallacher.
All 24 apprentices who have been taken on under the scheme already have remained with NHS Tayside and are continuing their training.
Three are due to complete their training in a few weeks.
“Their time is out and they will be successfully placed within NHS Tayside,” said Mr Gallacher.
He explained that they will be replacing staff due to retire.