SOUTHERN Knights hooker, Russell Anderson, as well as apprentices across Scotland, is having his achievements at St Boswells Biogas Ltd (Charlesfield Farms Ltd) recognised during Scottish Apprenticeship Week.

After playing professional rugby for Scotland's under 20s squad and Club XV, Russell, who lives in Galashiels, retrained as a Modern Apprentice in Management, learning on the job with St Boswells Biogas as well as receiving support from Borders College.

Twenty-six-year-old Russell told us: “I felt it was important to get a recognised qualification. I enjoyed doing it because I could use all the practical things I was doing at my work towards my apprenticeship.

“The Modern Apprenticeship has also given me a real understanding of how to manage people and deliver projects in a better way.”

Russel is now working towards his Master level qualification in business management.

Managing Director of Charlesfield Farms Trevor Jackson, who is committed to providing spaces for apprentices and work-based learners, said: “Apprenticeships are worthwhile. If you don’t develop and train your workforce through the business, they don’t have the culture of the business and that’s important.

“At the moment Russell is learning a lot about developing the feedstock side of the business. He is pulling together the learning he has and using it for other parts of the company, consolidating what he has learned.

“Russell is the business’s first apprentice and he has brought fresh thinking, a different perspective and opportunities.”

Russell also has his sights set on furthering his apprenticeship career with a graduate apprenticeship, which will allow him to continue his work at St Boswells Biogas whilst completing a university degree.

Scottish Apprenticeship Week, March 2-6, is organised by Skills Development Scotland (SDS).

And this year's theme for the week is 'Talent without limits', aiming to celebrate the diversity of those taking up apprenticeships around Scotland and how beneficial they are to individuals, employers, and the wider economy.

SDS Chief Executive Damien Yeates said: “Demand from employers continues to drive the development and growth of Scottish Apprenticeships.

“Scottish Apprenticeships create opportunities for everyone no matter their background and for every business no matter its size or sector.

“Looking towards a future increasingly disrupted by technological and societal changes, work-based learning has never been more relevant for supporting people into highly productive and sustainable jobs.

“We are facing ever-growing demand for Foundation and Graduate Apprenticeships from employers, demonstrating that work-based learning is crucial to meeting critical skills gaps.”

Scottish Government has a target of 30,000 apprenticeship places to be made available throughout 2020/21, in a bid to pursue "inclusive growth for the wellbeing and prosperity of Scotland’s people".

For more information on apprenticeships, visit www.apprenticeships.scot.