CX Services’ direct mail and marketing operations are headquartered in Dunoon and its first apprentice, 21-year-old Erin McGuinness, has lived in the Argyllshire town all her life. She joined the business straight from Dunoon Grammar School in April 2022.
McGuinness said: “It was my first full-time job and I have really enjoyed it and appreciated the opportunities offered to me by the training. The people I work with are terrific. It’s not often you find a job where everyone gets along so well.
“The Digital Marketing Apprenticeship I am doing allows me to gain a diploma while working full-time and earning an excellent wage. I not only work in the call centre answering and processing customer requests and orders, but I am also now an evening and weekends supervisor, supporting agents and answering their queries.
“As I graduate, I would love the opportunity to manage the company’s social media platforms, as they are currently the most powerful marketing tool and continue to grow and evolve.”
Greg Girard, managing director of CX Services, added: “The decision to offer apprenticeships is something we have been working towards as we grow and Erin has fully justified it. She has shown enthusiasm, dedication and commitment and has become a real asset to the company.
“The programme will be a pathway for other employees to gain useful qualifications which they can use with the company or elsewhere. Apprentices create a real talent stream, from which not only business, but society as a whole, greatly benefits.”
The business has also recently spoken about its rewarding experience with an “outstanding” neurodivergent trainee, 20-year-old Riley Macrae-Duffy, who has what was previously known as Asperger’s Syndrome.
He has been working as a print apprentice in CX Services’ warehouse since July 2023 and is doing an SVQ [Scottish Vocational Qualification] in digital print as part of his Modern Apprenticeship.
Macrae-Duffy said: “I was working in a bakery warehouse before and it was a good job. But I wanted to find a place where I could build a career, rather than just have a job. CX Services have offered me that opportunity, and I’m excited about continuing to grow my skills in digital printing.”
Scottish Apprenticeship Week took place from 3 to 7 March. The week was a nationwide celebration of apprenticeships and the benefits work-based learning brings to businesses, people and the economy. It highlighted how apprenticeships create a competitive and capable workforce for Scotland.
CX Services has grown its turnover by more than 40% in the past year to £1.7m. Over the next five years, Girard hopes to grow turnover further to £2.5m, with significant jobs growth in the next two years.
The company’s customers include Scottish country clothing specialist the House of Bruar, life insurance and investments firm Scottish Friendly, membership organisation The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, and Highland Broadband, which delivers ultrafast full-fibre broadband across rural Scotland.
