Commission for Developing
Scotland’s Young Workforce
Interim Recommendations and
Further Work
1
Background to the Commission
• The Commission was established in January
2013
• It was asked to develop recommendations to
Scottish Ministers and COSLA on:
– Improvement to vocational and further education
starting in the senior phase of CfE; and
– Increasing employer engagement with education
and youth employment
2
Approach
• Significant amount of evidence gathering
• Direct face to face interviews (300+ people)
• Consultations and ad-hoc information collection
exercises
• 9 separate regional sessions
• Young people’s summit
• Forthcoming employers seminar
• Forthcoming HR directors seminar
• Forthcoming national summit
3
International Best Practice
• The best performing European countries in
terms of youth unemployment have 2 things
in common:
– A highly regarded vocational education system
which starts in secondary school and allows for
progression with a significant element of workbased learning; and
– Significant employer involvement in the
development and delivery of education.
4
Early Findings
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Focus on university pathways in schools.
Careers advice starting too late to influence choices.
College system going through significant reform.
Limited progression opportunities within MAs.
Limited employer engagement with education.
Poor parental understanding of options.
Work experience is of fundamental importance to
young people and employers but is generally very
formulaic
• Majority of young people leaving school with only
limited preparation for what comes next.
5
Interim Recommendations
• Pathways should start in the senior phase which lead to
the delivery of industry recognised vocational
qualifications alongside academic qualifications.
• A focus on preparing all young people for employment
should form a core element of the implementation of
Curriculum for Excellence.
• Colleges’ key role in the development of Scotland’s
young workforce should be recognised and managed
through Regional Outcome Agreements.
6
Interim Recommendations
• The new regional colleges should have a primary focus
on employment outcomes and supporting local
economic development. This should be underpinned
by meaningful and wide ranging partnerships with
industry.
• A commitment to supporting the development of
Scotland’s young workforce through the enhancement
of vocational education pathways should feature
prominently in the National Performance Framework,
Community Plans and College Regional Outcome
Agreements.
7
Interim Recommendations
• Modern Apprenticeships should be aligned with the skills required
to support economic growth
• Development of Modern Apprenticeship access processes and
progression pathways should be prioritised.
• An industry-led quality improvement regime should be introduced
to oversee the development and promotion of Modern
Apprenticeships.
• If employers can be encouraged to offer significantly more good
quality apprenticeships, the Government should consider a
carefully managed expansion of the annual number of Modern
Apprenticeship starts.
8
Interim Recommendations
• Support for young people at risk of disengaging from
education and for those who have already done so should
relate to labour market demand and should be focussed on
helping young people engage on labour market relevant
pathways.
• A focus on Science Technology Engineering and Maths
should sit at the heart of the development of Scotland’s
Young Workforce.
• Employability must be a key focus within Education
Scotland’s work to support and quality assure the delivery
of education
9
Further Stages
Employers
• Recommendations to develop incentives and mechanisms to bring
many more employers into education.
• Establishment of long term partnerships between employers and
schools.
• A more meaningful approach to work experience
• Recommendations to encourage more employers to recruit young
people.
Equalities
• Recommendations to address the under representation of young
people from black and minority ethnic groups, those with
disabilities and care leavers in the workforce.
• Recommendations to address gender segregation in the workforce.
10
Upcoming Milestones
• 12th Commission meeting – 19th March
• National Summit – 31st March
• Employers and HR Directors seminars – 8th
April
• 13th Commission meeting – 23rd April
• Publication of final report – early May
11