The Glenmorangie Apprenticeship Academy in Livingston has been celebrating Scottish Apprentice Week (7-11 March), with its latest group of talented trainees. The hunt is now on for the next group of people to work with Scotland’s national spirit.

The company has enjoyed impressive growth over recent years and is investing in growing the workforce to keep up with demand. The two-year programme was set up at the company’s Alba site in 2018 to train apprentices to run a successful bottling process, and ensure that vital skills are passed onto future generations.

The apprenticeship provides a combination of on-the-job and theoretical training and is supported by experts at Alba, alongside an SVQ in spirits and operations and an optional Institute of Brewing and Distilling qualification.

19 apprentices have taken part in the programme so far, with 5 going on to secure full-time roles as associates and another 11 currently on the programme.

The programme is designed for apprentices to support one another, with those who have gone on to become associates mentoring new apprentices who join the programme each year. It also focuses on practical skills and expertise as well as soft skills like public speaking and teamwork.

In the past two years, the programme has seen a shift in the usual applicants, with candidates joining from other industries, looking for new opportunities and skill-building, while other entrants have joined after graduating university looking for stable career paths.

Kerryanne Joyce is Development Specialist at The Glenmorangie Company and oversees apprentice programme.

Commenting ahead of Apprenticeship week, Kerryanne said: “We strive to ensure the apprentice programme at Glenmorangie fully equips each person with the skills, knowledge and experience needed to continue the high quality of work at Alba.

“Each of our apprentices have fully immersed themselves in the programme and the wider team, and support each other along the way. The experiences of two apprentices, Shaun Craig and Georgia Brodie, show the various paths into an apprenticeship and the opportunities it presents.

“We’re really excited to watch each of our apprentices grow with the business and now the hunt is on for the next group of talented new recruits.”

Shaun Craig completed the apprentice programme in 2021 and is now an associate at the Alba bottling plant. Georgia Brodie is currently an apprentice.

Shaun Craig, Associate at Glenmorangie, said:
“Leaving school, I knew I wanted to do an apprenticeship and with the whisky industry booming, I thought the Glenmorangie Apprenticeship Academy was a good opportunity to learn and receive a qualification while working. When researching potential apprenticeships, Glenmorangie kept coming out on top and it was a name I recognised and knew it was reputable.

“I’ve now been working with Glenmorangie for over 2 years and have had so many incredible experiences. The amount of opportunities we have been given has been invaluable. We have been able to see where our role fits into the wider business – from the cask to the glass. A highlight was visiting the Glenmorangie Distillery to find out more about the whisky making process, and visiting our glass manufacturer to find out how glass is made.

“The apprentice programme has fully equipped me to become an associate and gave me all the tools and expertise necessary to be able to seamlessly transition into that role at the end of my apprenticeship. In five years’ time I’d love to be market facing and a brand ambassador for Glenmorangie as it is such a great company to work for.”

Georgia Brodie, Apprentice at Glenmorangie
“I joined the apprentice programme after leaving university. I’ve always been interested in working in the whisky industry and the apprentice programme seemed like a really great opportunity to get another qualification while doing hands-on work.

“On top of the work we’re doing as part of our apprenticeship, I’ve also had the chance to take the Institute of Brewing and Distilling qualification, so passing that was a real highlight of the programme and the team took us all out to a big dinner to celebrate when we passed. There’s been so many learning and development opportunities, but where I’ve seen the most value is learning on the job from colleagues who are experts in the field.

“In five years’ time I’d love to focus more on the sustainability initiatives at Glenmorangie. My degree looked a lot at sustainability and I’ve seen first-hand the sustainable practices at Glenmorangie and think they are really important. Glenmorangie is far ahead in this sense and I’d like to get involved in future initiatives.”