Scottish Apprenticeship Week 2025 celebrates the theme Made for Business, highlighting the crucial role apprenticeships play in shaping a skilled workforce. At CR Smith, we have always believed in the power of apprenticeships to develop the next generation of tradespeople, ensuring our company continues to thrive.
Nearly 15 years ago, following the financial crash of 2008/9, we recognised a significant decline in skilled joiners and joinery apprenticeships. This presented an unprecedented challenge for us—not only did we need skilled tradespeople, but we also needed them to be trained specifically for working in customers’ homes, where exceptional customer service is just as vital as technical expertise.
To address this challenge, we partnered with Fife College to create a bespoke apprentice training programme. This innovative initiative blends classroom learning with hands-on experience, equipping apprentices with the technical skills required for joinery while also instilling the craftsmanship needed for high-quality, bespoke products from CR Smith. Just as importantly, we ensure our apprentices develop the customer service skills that uphold our reputation for excellence.
Over the years, this programme has evolved in response to changing business needs. In addition to apprenticeships, we have expanded our collaboration with Fife College to include school open days and a fast-track training scheme for its top students, ensuring a continuous pipeline of talented professionals ready to contribute to our business and our industry.
In addition, we provide our fully qualified joiners with ongoing training covering new products and new technologies, to ensure the continuous improvement of the service we deliver. All installation teams contribute to the success of the business and it is important that they feel part of that.
Reflecting on the success of the company’s approach, CR Smith Managing Director Ian Macfarlane highlights the long-term impact of investing in apprenticeships:
“Our work with aspiring joiners is a cornerstone of our commitment to nurturing future talent. By investing in young people, we not only secure the future of CR Smith but also help keep vital traditional skills alive.
“Our training programmes and the partnership with Fife College have evolved over the years as we continually innovate to meet the needs of the business and those of the young people in our community,” he continued. “We spend time teaching our apprentices how to become top quality joiners as well as supporting their ongoing personal development. I’ve seen many young people become real ambassadors for the company and today, 20 of our installation teams include a joiner who did their apprenticeship with us. It’s something we are all very proud of.”
Scottish Apprenticeship Week serves as a reminder that investing in apprenticeships means investing in the future of businesses and communities. At CR Smith, we remain dedicated to fostering meaningful partnerships that drive success for both our company and the wider industry.
