SPAR Scotland promotes career opportunities to Aberdeen pupils

SPAR Scotland is working in partnership with Police Scotland and Lochside Academy, the largest secondary school in Aberdeen, to discuss positive community engagement and career opportunities.

The first roundtable sessions involved SPAR Scotland area manager Garry Brailsford and marketing manager Paula Middleton, who spoke to approximately 100 students aged 13 and 14 years old about community engagement, anti-social behaviour, and career opportunities with SPAR and CJ Lang & Son.

The event was deemed a huge success, and SPAR Scotland has been invited back to do another roundtable session next month.

Middleton commented: “We were keen to engage with the students at the school and have a proactive roundtable discussion about career opportunities and how SPAR can help them in the future in terms of community support and involvement. The students on the day were excellent, with some great questions asked and discussions held in every class.

“We are excited to be invited to come back again next month and discuss our partnership with the GTG Apprentice Scheme and other careers we will have available in customer service, retail, warehouse and logistics.”

Lochside Academy guidance teacher Hannah Scriven added: “We at Lochside were delighted to welcome colleagues from SPAR Scotland to begin an exciting collaboration and partnership.

“Pupils were excited about the prospects of future training and work opportunities at both store and distribution levels. The glimmer of hope and aspiration in pupils’ eyes was a joy to see as they gained access directly to retail industry professionals.  This valuable opportunity has already increased pupils’ knowledge regarding career pathways.”

PC Harry Jackson of Police Scotland said: “This is a fantastic opportunity and will be hugely beneficial for the community. It was great to see the young people so engaged during the talks and I look forward to developing the project further.”

SPAR Scotland has stores across the city of Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire. According to CJ Lang, the talks are thought to be the first of their kind in Scotland in terms of a convenience retailer engaging with a school about a variety of topics.