Barrhead Travel celebrated the graduation ceremony of fifteen apprentices at its Glasgow headquarters on Thursday (13 November), with some looking to become cruise experts in the next few years

The graduates, who hail from across the UK, were recognised for completing their bespoke apprenticeship programmes which saw them blend on-the-job learning in their respective departments with online and in-person education.

Every graduate has since accepted a full-time position within the business. Today, more than half of Barrhead Travel’s senior management team began their journeys as trainees.

Barrhead Travel managing director Nicki Tempest-Mitchell said: “We love giving people who have a passion for the industry a chance, whether they are just starting out in travel or are looking to expand their knowledge through our ‘on the job’ training.

“In my opinion, ‘on the job’ is very often the best kind of training. Creating strong talent pipelines and nurturing homegrown talent is the backbone of businesses like ours and we couldn’t be prouder of the hard work and dedication demonstrated by our current 15 graduates.”

Tempest Mitchell further highlighted that while government investment in travel education has declined over the past few years, “Barrhead remains dedicated to supporting young people through meaningful apprenticeships that offer both real work experience and professional development”.

The ceremony featured talks and panel sessions from colleagues within the business who also started their careers as trainees or apprentices. Michelle Van Sprang, managing director of A S Training, one of Barrhead Travel’s training partners, also led a spotlight session with the group’s graduates from spring earlier this year.

It comes following the agency’s 2025 conference in Dubrovnik earlier this year, where the company outlined how the introduction of new technology will not detract from its ongoing investment in the high street, but will instead complement its retail growth plans.