Falkirk's Rory is on the ball with Visit Scotland team

Rory Dryburgh (17), started working in the industry last summer when he was offered a position on the tourism organisation’s Modern Apprenticeship programme.

As part of Scotland’s Year of Young People, the Falkirk lad has been shadowing tourism boss Malcolm Roughead and it is hoped the experience will help him learn more about the sector and support his professional development.

And last week, both Rory and Malcolm, who comes from Stenhousemuir, were on home turf as they attended the Falkirk Area Tourism Partnership meeting at Falkirk Stadium on Wednesday as part of the chief executive’s listening tour.

The tour is a chance for the chief to sit in on destination management organisation meetings to learn more about how they organise themselves, identify challenges and create opportunities.

For Rory the meeting was particularly exciting as he’s a fan of Falkirk FC and a football enthusiast, coaching Stenhousemuir FC’s under 11s.

He said: “Working with Malcolm has been a very valuable experience where I have gained a lot of personal and professional insight.

“Working in VisitScotland’s Modern Apprenticeship programme has been very enjoyable so far and way beyond what I initially expected when I applied last year.

“I now see tourism as an excellent career path and I hope, if I continue to work hard and demonstrate my value to the organisation, I will be able to stay on at VisitScotland after my second year.”

Malcolm Roughead, VisitScotland Chief Executive, added: “I have thoroughly enjoyed my time with Rory so far. It’s been great to get a young and fresh perspective on what VisitScotland does and how we can operate most effectively as an organisation.

“The Falkirk Area Tourism Partnership is an excellent example of collaboration within the tourism industry.

“It was very pleasing to see everyone so upbeat and excited about what the area can achieve.

“Rory and I were both on our home patch and I enjoyed contributing to discussions and passing on practices that had been used effectively by other regions.”