Two GCU students nominated for Graduate Apprentice of the Year

Graduate Apprentices of the Year
Dhruv Maheshwari and Matthew Buchanan

Two Glasgow Caledonian students have been nominated for Graduate Apprentice of the Year at the Scottish Apprenticeship Awards.

Dhruv Maheshwari, a BSc (Hons) AI & Data Science student who works for Diageo, and BSc (Hons) Cyber Security graduate Matthew Buchanan, of SP Energy Networks (SPEN), are in the running for the 2025 title.

Dhruv, 19, who uses his technical expertise and excellent communication skills to transform complex datasets into meaningful insights, is already seen as a key player who can work across different teams at Diageo.

He said: “I used to be quite shy and introverted before starting my Graduate Apprenticeship but my confidence has skyrocketed as a result of being in such a supportive environment.”

Dr James Paterson, Head of the Department of Computing at Glasgow Caledonian, said: “Dhruv has achieved some outstanding results in his academic studies and shows a particular excellence in maths, probability and statistics.”

Meanwhile, Matthew Buchanan’s passion for computing led him to apply for a GA in Cyber Security with SPEN after leaving school.

He graduated with a first-class honours degree and now works for the energy supplier as a Threat Detection and Vulnerability Management Analyst.

Matthew said: “I love the fact that we are doing something that matters – helping to safeguard energy supplies for our customers - and it felt great to see the theory and recommendations from my dissertation put into action.”

David Hendry, Senior Lecturer from the Department of Cyber Security and Networks, added: “The academic learning and practical workplace experience of Graduate Apprenticeships complement each other and allow Graduate Apprentices to gain real-world, hands-on experience they would not receive in the learning environment.”

Glasgow Caledonian is Scotland’s largest provider of Graduate Apprenticeships and works in collaboration with more than 300 employers across the country.

The winner will be announced at the Scottish Apprenticeship Awards on February 27.