New chair appointed to lead DYW North East

Dedveloping the Young Workforce North East Scotland has appointed Steve Petrie as its new chairman.

The announcement marks the departure of Graham Blair who will step down at the start of March following the end of his three year tenure in the role.

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Mr Petrie, business improvement lead at Balfour Beatty, has served on the board of DYW North East Scotland since its inception in 2015.

A passionate advocate of apprenticeships, he started out as an apprentice gas engineer with British Gas before working his way up the ladder in positions across the UK and Ireland. Following this, he has held senior positions across Balfour Beatty and is currently steering a group of leading employers within the construction industry developing and embedding the Graduate Level Apprenticeship Programme in conjunction with Skills Development Scotland.

“I am proud of the solid foundation that has been built by the staff and board of DYW North East Scotland during its first three years,” he said. “We are now engaged with more than400 companies and all secondary schools across the region, working together to build meaningful partnerships between employers and education to benefit young people and generate a sustainable pipeline of talent and skills.

“We are very grateful to Graham for all that he has done to develop and promote the organisation during its first three years and I am honoured to be asked to lead the board as we look to take the next step in our development. I believe in the ethos of DYW and know that by working together, we can make a real different to young people and our region.”

Two new members have also been appointed to the board. Stuart Common, commercial director at Mackie’s of Scotland; and Graeme Gordon, chief executive officer of IFB, will join the existing members. Gordon McGuiness of Skills Development Scotland has also stepped down. He will be replaced by Dr Alison Carrington, regional skills planning lead at SDS.