On Thursday, 4th March, a number of the Spectrum Team had the pleasure of hosting pupils from Paisley Grammar School at our national stadium, Barclays Hampden Park. The event was part of the GROW Programme, a business-led regional skills programme that supports young people from lower socio-economic backgrounds in making informed decisions about their future by engaging with a range of employers.

The Spectrum team comprised Lynn McPherson (HR Manager), Carly Donnelly (Head of Payroll), Cameron Blythe (HR Advisor), Ally Love (Head of Operations), and Cara Duff (Commercial Director). We each discussed our individual roles at Spectrum, entering the workforce, and how to progress in Facilities Management. The aim was to help them understand what the cleaning industry is and to highlight the broad range of roles available through both traditional and non-traditional routes.

Ally’s story in particular resonated with the kids. He left school at 16 to pursue his dream of becoming a professional footballer, an ambition of many more youngsters than there are places available! However, he later began working with Spectrum as a cleaner, then progressed through the ranks to become our Head of Operations. It is an inspiring story that was appreciated by many students; however, some were even more impressed that he had the contact details of some Scotland internationals in his phone!

The Spectrum team were impressed by the level of engagement and the quality of the questions from the pupils about how we use AI and how to approach interviews.

We rounded off their visit with a guided tour of Hampden from our client, Garry Blackadder, who provided great insights into the role of stadium management.  This included sustainability initiatives to improve Hampden’s energy efficiency, how they use the stadium outside of football and concerts, and the behind-the-scenes work that goes into operating Scotland’s National Stadium.  This culminated in a visit pitchside, where the biggest disappointment of the day was not being able to get on the pitch to score a goal!

We believe the pupils gained a better understanding of the cleaning and facilities management industry and the complexities of running a sporting venue. We hope it will inspire some of them to look further at careers in our sector. If nothing else, we hope to have highlighted that progression from entry-level positions is entirely possible for anyone with the right attitude and a willingness to succeed.

We are happy and privileged to conduct such experience days for young people. We want to demonstrate the range of skills that can be useful in facilities management, and that Spectrum genuinely is a place where we help people develop, thrive and succeed.

Speaking about the day, Cara Duff, Commercial Director at Spectrum, commented, “We were delighted to welcome the Paisley Grammar students to Hampden, and we’re grateful to Garry and his team for accommodating us.  It is important for us to attract people with the right attitude and a willingness to learn; bringing youngsters to an iconic venue like Hampden really brings it to life for them.

“The students on the day were excellent, they were very engaging and asked lots of pertinent questions about what we do and how we do it.  If it has demonstrated to any of them that a good work ethic and the right attitude are an excellent starting point in our industry, it will have been time well spent.”

Who knows, we may have already met future members of our management team without knowing it!

Below are some pictures taken during the pupil’s visit to Barclays Hampden Park.