Osprey Housing has shown its commitment to providing career opportunities for young people by taking on its first modern apprentice.

Eighteen-year-old Ellis Masson has joined the Westhill-based housing association in the IT team where he will be able to develop his skills as part of Osprey’s move towards enhancing its digital services.

The former Hazlehead Academy pupil said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for me and I’m really pleased to come here and build up my skills and knowledge. Every business needs good IT staff and I’m very grateful to Osprey for giving me this chance.”

Osprey chief executive, Glenn Adcook, said: “I’m delighted to welcome Ellis to the team. A Modern Apprenticeship is mutually beneficial for both the organisation and the young person so we are keen to support this important initiative. By employing local young people like Ellis we also aim to help develop life skills as well as providing a valuable career opportunity. We hope this will be a great springboard for him and he will receive plenty of on the job training and support in his time with us.”

He added: “This is another way in which Osprey can contribute to stimulating the local economy while specifically helping young people develop their talents and meet their aspirations.”

The Modern Apprenticeship Programme is run by Skills Development Scotland (SDS), on behalf of the Scottish Government, with IT, tech and digital placements organised through partner company QA Apprenticeships. The programme aims to create a skilled workforce for the future tackling skills gaps across business sectors.

Ben Thomson, apprenticeships adviser at QA, said: “We’re delighted to be working with Osprey and I’d like to wish Ellis all the best for his future career. We have placed over 15,000 apprentices in organisations across all sectors in the UK and 92% of them have secured permanent employment after completing their programme.”