A TALENTED Irvine teenager has netted the title of Scotland’s Apprentice of the Year 2019 – after saving hundreds of thousands of pounds for his seafood manufacturer employer.

Nineteen-year-old Jordan Fairlamb was named the nation’s top apprentice at a ceremony held at the Caird Hall in Dundee on November 7, by the national skills agency, Skills Development Scotland.

Jordan was hooked on apprenticeships after learning about them from his Skills Development Scotland careers adviser, taking a Supply Chain Management Modern Apprenticeship with Lanarkshire-based Dawnfresh Seafoods straight from school.

His value, potential and proactive ‘can-do’ attitude was quickly spotted by bosses.

Jordan’s initiative included avoiding £60,000 of costs for the firm by single-handedly solving a customer’s packaging issue and finding a solution to save £100,000 of stock.

Currently responsible for the day-to-day ordering of salmon for the Bothwell Industrial Park business, Jordan manages stock worth £1.8million. He has also developed and increased staff sales.

Speaking about his win, Jordan said: “I feel amazing, it’s such a great honour to be Scotland’s Apprentice of the Year and have won both awards tonight. It’s just such a great opportunity and a reason for anyone to go into apprenticeships.

“For the future, it puts me in really good stead for business and I hope to progress further in my role. The next step for me is completing my Graduate Apprenticeship and hopefully just onwards and upwards into senior management.

Thanking those who have supported him, Jordan said: “I’d like to say a great thanks to Dawnfresh, who nominated me for these awards and put me forward for my Graduate Apprenticeship. I couldn’t have done it without them.

“My friends and family think it’s amazing that I’m an apprentice. They’re really proud of me.”

Dawnfresh Learning and Development Manager, Kristy Reynolds said: “Jordan has grown from a young man who knew nothing of our industry to a valuable member of our team, driven by his proactive approach.

“Overall, Jordan is a fantastic example of an apprentice, who has balanced academic study with making a quantifiable difference to the organisation.