Annabelle Ewing MSP, the Minister for Youth and Women’s Employment, will visit Sylvesters restaurant today to meet up with the owner and with sous chef Duncan Shaw who has  recently completed his apprenticeship there.

The visit will mark Scottish Apprenticeship Week and she will meet with owner and head chef, Kieran Sylvester and sous chef, Duncan Shaw, to discuss the success of Duncan’s recent apprenticeship with the restaurant.

Duncan, winner of ‘Level 2 Apprentice of the Year 2014’, recently completed his apprenticeship at Sylvesters in a record eight months, which was a first for the scheme. Scottish Apprenticeship Week aims to showcase the positive impact modern apprentices have on business and industry, and the value they bring to employers and to their own job prospects.

Sylvesters, located on West Nicolson Street, is a family-run restaurant, led by owner and head chef, Kieran Sylvester. Kieran says: “We are delighted to welcome the Minister to Sylvester’s, especially as we are the only restaurant in Edinburgh that she is visiting during Scottish Apprenticeship Week. At Sylvesters, we pride ourselves on encouraging and developing young chefs by giving them the training and support they need to start their career.”

Duncan, said: “I can’t thank Sylvesters and Skills Development Scotland enough for giving me this opportunity to develop my skills in the kitchen and grow as a chef. By showing the Minister the progress I have made, she will see first-hand how beneficial apprenticeships are, especially in this industry.”

Annabelle Ewing said: “Visiting Sylvesters and meeting Duncan has demonstrated perfectly how well the Modern Apprenticeship scheme works for both young people and employers.

“This is about supporting young people into careers, giving them choices and enabling them to develop skills and training in a range of areas while also getting paid. By offering young people better opportunities in the workplace, we are helping to create a more dynamic and experienced workforce which is essential for Scotland’s industries to thrive.”

• Scottish Apprenticeship Week takes place from Monday 18 to Friday 22 May 2015.
• The Twitter hashtag for Scottish Apprenticeship is #ScotMAWeek15
• For more information on Skills Development Scotland visit http://www.skillsdevelopmentscotland.co.uk

Submitted by Stacey Dent

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