Young people from across Scotland have had their say on how to improve the country’s career services and ensure the support available keeps pace with a fast-evolving jobs market
A NEW report commissioned as part of the Scottish Government’s Young Person’s Guarantee has outlined how career services need to evolve to keep up with changes in the world of work.
An independent programme board, commissioned and supported by Skills Development Scotland, worked with over 80 young people across the country, listening to their experiences of current services and how they could be improved.
A wide range of employers, parents and carers, teachers, careers advisers and other organisations also contributed.
Recommendations include a greater emphasis on career education within the curriculum at school, college and university; more opportunities to experience fair work, exploring jobs in different ways; more consistent entitlement to support across the country; greater focus on developing skills for the world of work; and enhancing digital services to ensure they empower and engage young people.
Former general secretary of the STUC, Grahame Smith, led the Career Review Programme Board, along with a range of representatives from across education and the third sector.
He said: “This has been the most comprehensive review of Scotlandʼs career services in a generation.
“Informed by in-depth evidence and developed with young people who have recent experience of making career choices, our recommendations are designed to provide the next generation with the support, guidance and skills they need to thrive in the future.
“Our proposals can make a significant contribution to achieving the vision and outcomes of Scotland’s COVID Recovery Strategy, the OECD recommendations for the future of Curriculum for Excellence and the emerging National Strategy for Economic Transformation. The evidence tells us that Scotland has an all-age career service which is internationally recognised for its quality and impact.
“But what worked yesterday, won’t work tomorrow and this review represents a decisive shift in how we prepare and support young people to engage and thrive in the future world of work.
“We look forward to continuing our work with Scottish Government and a wide range of partners and stakeholders to quickly implement these recommendations for the benefit of all young people in Scotland.”
Responding to the review recommendations, Minister for Youth Employment and Training Jamie Hepburn said: “We welcome this report and accept all its recommendations. As we look to next steps, we start from strong foundations and the evidence tells us that young people really value the career support they receive.
“However, as we emerge from the pandemic it is more important than ever all learners continue to receive the support they need to inform their future careers.
“We will use the findings of this review to push even further to make career services even more consistent, accessible and impactful.”
David Scott, a 22-year-old Graduate Apprentice from Glasgow, was one of the young people involved in the review.
He said: “Through this review, young people like me have had the opportunity to say what we think works well and where there are opportunities to improve.
“We’ve shared ideas that we hope will give young people a broader range of experiences and open up possibilities that are inclusive and open to everyone.
“I hope people listen to these recommendations and keep listening to young people’s voices as services are developed and delivered”
Chair of Skills Development Scotland Frank Mitchell said: “Our economy and society are changing at a rapid rate.
“Major societal issues like climate change, disruptive technologies and shifting demographics are transforming the world of work.
“These issues bring huge opportunities to reshape our economy and improve productivity, but also carry significant risks of widening and deepening inequality.
“Scotland’s career services need to help young people navigate and thrive in this uncertain and disruptive future.
“Through this review we have been given a once in a lifetime opportunity to drive change that provides Scotland’s young people with the support, guidance and skills they need.
“As the national skills agency we look forward to working with a wide range of partners to lead this change and deliver on the asks from young people captured through the review.”
The Scottish Government has agreed that the Career Review Programme Board will continue in its role to take forward the implementation of the recommendations.
To find out more about the career review visit CareerReview.scot
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Project guarantees opportunities for all young people
By Sandy Begbie CBE
THROUGHOUT my career I have been deeply passionate about giving everyone a chance in life, an opportunity to fulfil their potential as an individual, regardless of their background.
In my view, no one should have their future and opportunities dictated by the post code they are born in. Young people are the future of Scotland, they are an asset to this country and now more than ever, we need to ensure they are given every opportunity to fulfil their undoubted potential in life.
That’s why I got involved in developing Scotland’s Young Person’s Guarantee – a commitment to offering every 16 to 24-year-old in Scotland the opportunity of a job, apprenticeship, further or higher education, training or volunteering. Since launching in November 2020, funding has been helping create up to 24,000 new opportunities for young people, whether through employment, training or education.
Many opportunities have been directed towards those facing the most significant challenges in their lives, with a wide range of projects supporting vulnerable, care experienced and disabled young people.
Career services, the support and experiences that young people receive to help them prepare for the world of work, are critical to the outcomes of the Guarantee.
It’s clear there is a lot of fantastic support for young people. Young people tell us they value this support and are keen for more. It’s also clear we have more to do to help address the persistent inequality in our society and keep up with major changes and new opportunities in the world of work.
That’s why as part of the Guarantee, I recommended that the national skills agency review the support available to young people through the Career Review.
The review listened to hundreds of young people, parents, teachers, careers advisers and organisations involved in the supporting career choices, and a clear picture has emerged.
We must ensure the curriculum is more focused on preparing young people for the world of work, developing skills to help them in their careers.
We need to create many more opportunities for young people to experience jobs and workplaces, empowering them to make the right choices for their future.
And we have to ‘hide the wiring’ – making sure that organisations, websites and services come together more effectively, making it much easier for young people to know where to go for support.
A great example of this is the new Young Persons Guarantee Opportunity Finder, which brings together a range of job, apprenticeship, course and volunteering opportunities all in one place.
I’m pleased to see these themes and more come through strongly in the recommendations of this comprehensive review. The review also outlines the need for employers to engage in young people’s career education.
I would encourage all employers to consider how they could offer support through the Young Person’s Guarantee.
Now that Ministers have accepted the recommendations, I hope all parts of the system move quickly to implement them, to benefit all young people in Scotland.
Sandy Begbie CBE is Chief Executive of Scottish Financial Enterprise and leads the implementation of the Scottish Government’s Young Person’s Guarantee. youngpersonsguarantee.scot
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