Courier firm paves road to success for young Scot

Eagle Couriers invests in creating the next generation of employees

A leading courier firm has committed to investing in Scotland’s next generation of workers as it completes another successful apprenticeship programme.

The latest youngster to complete Eagle Couriers Eagle Courier’sBusiness and Administration apprenticeship is 17-year-old Jaac Lockhart from Armadale who applied for the role when he was at a crossroads after leaving school.

The former Burnhouse School student completed an SQA accredited Level 6 qualification while gaining real life experience in a fast-paced workplace, after which Jaac has secured a full-time role as Operation Assistant.

He said: “When leaving school, I was keen to secure a role where I could continue learning but also have the opportunity to work –  not only did this apprenticeship do that but I’ve also had the chance to work within an industry and department of interest.

“The icing on the cake is that I’ve secured a great qualification too.

“The practical and learning aspect really gives you the best of both worlds and this made the daunting thought of entering the world of work that little bit easier and ensure a smooth transition into the new environment.

“Being part of Eagle Couriers has been a fantastic place to learn, it’s a close knit team and I’ve been supported to learn the ins and outs of the business pretty quickly. It is great working within a business that you are not just a number, and get the opportunity to learn across different departments and functions of the business.

“I’m now taking on a lot more responsibility as I start my permanent role with the firm and I look forward to what the future will bring.”

The Bathgate-based firm prides itself on being an inclusive employer- supporting young people to grow a career regardless of their age and background.

Samuel Milne, Operation Manager at Eagle Couriers, said: “Jaac has been a fantastic addition to the team during his apprenticeship and it made the decision very easy to welcome him back as an official employee.

“The talent among school leavers is very impressive and is something we are extremely keen to recognise through the apprenticeship programme to give individuals that first insight into the courier industry.

“Working within a fast paced and evolving business like Eagle gives our youngsters a fantastic set of transferable skills they can take with them in their future career development. Since 2015, we have taken on a great deal of school-leavers who have gone on to have impressive careers in television production, finance and even managing their own businesses”.

The Courier business has 120 staff working in the core courier business division and in 2020, Eagle launched the fast-growing offshoot, Eagle Aviation, which has developed into the UK’s largest lost airline luggage handling firms.

Eagle Couriers is Scotland’s largest independent courier firm and safely collects and delivers thousands of time-critical goods each day throughout the UK. Supporting local authorities, government departments and private business, Eagle also played a pivotal role during the Covid-19 pandemic delivering vital medicines to patients and test kits to care homes on behalf of the NHS.