| Andrew Morrison |
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Andrew was Finance Director in his company “Five Star” at St Mungo’s Academy in Glasgow. He took part in the programme in 5th year of school. Immediately after completing the programme, he left school to join Martin Aitken & Co (http://www.maco.co.uk) – an independent chartered accountancy firm based in Glasgow where he is now a chartered accountant (ACCA). He was one of the youngest in Scotland when he qualified and says: “It does feel strange sometimes giving guidance to graduate trainees who are older than me, but yeah, it is a relief – a lot of people have to juggle the exam papers when they have a lot of other things to juggle, such as a family or trying to pay a mortgage, so it’s good to get it out of the way.” WE ASKED ANDREW... YOUR CURRENT COMPANY Please tell us a bit about your present employer (i.e. name, product range, how many staff). "Martin Aitken & Co is an independent chartered accountancy firm based in Glasgow. The firm offers consultancy to new-start businesses, including guidance on complying with the tax authorities, government regulations etc., and also preparing figures for business plans to enable clients to apply to banks for finance. Also, we assist people with their tax returns, prepare accounts for businesses, and carry out audits so that shareholders can have some confidence the figures reported to them on their investments are true and fair. The firm has approximately 65 staff members and 7 partners." When did you join the company? How long was this after doing the Company Programme? "I joined the company after leaving school six and a bit years ago in August 2003. This was immediately after completing the company programme." Did doing the programme at school make you feel more confident about going forth into the world of business? "Yes – realising that learning by doing is a good alternative to going to university or college for people wanting a career. For some, not going to uni could seem like a risk – probably why so many people get very wound up and stressed before sitting their Highers, but if you want to be successful then remember uni isn’t the be-all and end-all." How have you used what you learned through the Young Enterprise programme in your employment? "Understanding what business means beyond the numbers – i.e. what it means to our clients and what makes them get out of bed in the morning. Understanding beyond the figures is important, because contrary to popular opinion, accountancy is more about people than it is numbers." THE YOUNG ENTERPRISE COMPANY PROGRAMME When did you take part in the Young Enterprise Programme? (e.g. what year and at what school?) "When taking my 5th year options at St Mungo’s Academy in Glasgow’s East End." What role did you have in your school company? "Finance Director." Please tell us a bit about your school company (i.e. name, product range, what role you had etc). "We were called Five Star – which implied good quality and standard of service – but also we split into five different groups each selling different products/services. One group was us boys, as compared to the other four groups of girls. We organised a football tournament for the incoming First Years, and the other groups did cheerleading tuition for the First Year girls, and sold an array of goods such as personalised calendars, candles etc." What do you feel you learned from the Company Programme experience? "I learned where my strengths and weaknesses are in different situations. For example, at the time I wasn’t very keen on public speaking, but my colleagues thought I’d be best presenting our case at a YES competition we took part in. I also learned that I wasn’t very good at keeping focused on one thing at a time however, as sometimes I was more curious at what others were up to rather than keeping busy with my own tasks." What skills do you think you developed through doing the Programme? "I’d say I developed skills I still use to this day, and may need to draw on in the future, such as communication skills, being articulate and team-building skills." Before the Programme started, what did you think you would gain from the experience? "I’ll be honest, I didn’t proactively choose YES – it was more a process of elimination when choosing my subjects for Fifth Year. All the other choices on the timetable were subjects I had came across at school in previous years, so with YES I really didn’t know what to expect." Did the Programme meet/differ from your expectations? "Yeah, my expectations were exceeded. Some of my friends thought YES was a bit of a soft choice and I could see why people would have thought that – probably because it wouldn’t result in a possible extra Higher. Looking back now, I can see the benefits more than I realised at the time." If you were to do it all again, would you? Would you do anything differently? "I would do it all again. I’d think most people who are a good few years out of school would say they’d do things differently a second time around. Personally, if I had a second chance I’d give a different role in the company a bash – such as being HR Director, rather than the obvious Finance Director role." Has the Programme inspired you to do something you wouldn’t otherwise have done? "I would say so – I take more of an interest in what’s going on in the world more, and enterprise and business generally are really relevant just now what with the recession, credit crunch and state of the economy. Because of that, I have taken an interest in politics which I didn’t have several years ago which has led to me standing for election to Glasgow City Council in 2012." Is there any advice you would pass on to other young people interested in getting involved in the Programme? "Whether your school offers the Company Programme as a subject or an extra-curricular activity, I’d recommend it. Although that may mean doing one less Higher, YES will build your life skills and be something that could set you apart from other uni applicants." You were (or are you still?) the youngest qualified CA in Scotland – please can you tell us how this came about? How did you feel about that great achievement? "When I qualified, the HR manager of the firm called the institute to ask if I were the youngest. They said I was one of the youngest, but couldn’t confirm I was ‘the’ youngest for the confidentiality of the other students. It does feel strange sometimes giving guidance to graduate trainees who are older than me, but yeah, it is a relief – a lot of people have to juggle the exam papers when they have a lot of other things to juggle, such as a family or trying to pay a mortgage, so it’s good to get it out the way."
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