FINAL REPORT
AN INVESTIGATION INTO WORK PLACEMENT
OPPORTUNITIES FOR SCHOOL PUPILS WITH
OUTDOOR ACTIVITY EMPLOYERS
John Middlewick
March 2006
CONTENTS
Section
Page Number
1
INTRODUCTION
4
1.1
Background
4
2
PURPOSE OF THE PROJECT
5
2.1
2.2
Aim
Objectives
5
5
3
SCOPE
6
3.1
3.2
3.3
Schools
Potential Employers
Geographical Area
6
6
6
4
METHODS
7
4.1
4.2
4.3
Previous Research and Studies
Consultation with Schools
Consultation with Employers
7
7
7
5
FINDINGS
9
5.1
General Issues
9
5.1.1
5.1.2
5.1.3
5.1.4
5.1.5
5.1.6
5.1.7
Overarching Strategy
Employer Motivation
School Motivation
Funding
Occupational Classifications
Clarity of Pupils Aspirations
Opportunities Available for Employment
9
9
10
10
10
10
11
5.2
Pilot-specific Issues
11
5.2.1
5.2.2
5.2.3
5.2.4
5.2.5
5.2.6
5.2.7
5.2.8
5.2.9
Pupil Profile
Duration and Timing of the Pilot
Co-ordination and Liaison
Links to the School Curriculum
Work-placement Activities
Costs and Overheads
Health and Safety at Work (HSW) and Risk Assessment
Selection Process
Evaluation
11
11
12
12
12
13
13
14
14
2
6
CONCLUSIONS
15
6.1
Overarching Issues
15
6.1.1 Strategic Co-ordination
15
6.2
15
Pilot-related Issues
6.2.1 Commercial Priorities
6.2.2 The Way Ahead
15
15
6.3
15
Revised Work-Placement Model (Pilot)
6.3.1 Format
15
6.3.2 Potential Benefits of the Revised Model
6.3.3 Potential Difficulties Created by the Revised Model
17
18
7
RECOMMENDATIONS
19
7.1
Pilot-specific
19
8
ANNEXES
20
Annex A: List of Organisations Contacted
20
Annex B: References
20
3
1
INTRODUCTION
1.1
Background
An introduction to some outdoor activities is part of the curriculum for first and
second year pupils at both Kingussie High School and Grantown-on-Spey
Grammar School. As pupils progress through the schools their continued
curriculum involvement in outdoor activities tends to become dependent upon
their personal inclinations and the course options that they make. Additional
contact with outdoor activities may be made through their membership of
clubs or by participating in, for example, The Duke of Edinburgh Award
Scheme. A number of pupils at both schools have expressed some interest in
finding out more about career options within the outdoor activities sector.
However, it may be that this desire is based upon limited knowledge and false
perceptions of the opportunities available, the working environment and the
personal requirements needed for such work.
Given this situation, SkillsActive Scotland applied to the Highland Skills Fund
(HSF) for funding for a Pilot project to work together with Badaguish Learning
Centre and examine potential opportunities for work-placements for schoolchildren with outdoor employers in the Aviemore area. The HSF agreed to
provide 50% of the funding needed for the project on condition that
SkillsActive Scotland found matched funding. Aware that the Cairngorm
National Park Authority (CNPA) has an aim to support the Park area
economically and socially with, specifically, a draft Park Plan strategic
objective being to “... promote access to educational and vocational training at
all levels across the Park” and also a three year goal to develop “.. improved
training with a special emphasis on the Park’s special qualities and to have a
Park Apprenticeship Scheme available”, it was anticipated that the Pilot
project proposed would be compatible with this objective and goal. An
approach was, therefore, made to the CNPA which agreed to fund 20% of the
project. The Local Enterprise Company (LEC) agreed to fund the remaining
30% of the costs.
In developing the project, SkillsActive acknowledged the research already
carried out by the CNPA, Cairngorms Chamber of Commerce and the BASIL+
Learning Centres in which skills needed by employers in the Park area had
been analysed (Reference A), the aspirations and training needs of young
people collected (Reference B) and the extent of training provision and
funding in the CNPA (Reference C). It was believed a small practical Pilot
undertaken in two stages would complement these studies by 1) looking in
greater depth at one sector 2) and then providing a practical and tangible
outcome.
During the work-experience Pilot project it was hoped that opportunities would
be found for about eight pupils to be placed with employers within the outdoor
activities sector and facilitated by Badaguish Learning Centre and BASIL+. It
was anticipated that each pupil would visit the employer for a total of about six
days spread over a six to eight week period. By so doing it was anticipated
that the young people would be given the opportunity to see for themselves
4
the potential of a career in outdoor activities and be made more aware of the
practical implications of such a career choice.
2
PURPOSE OF THE PROJECT
2.1
Aim
The aim of this project is to explore the area of work placements for school
pupils with providers of outdoor activities in the Badenoch and Strathspey
area.
2.2
Objectives
The project has two stages, the objectives of each stage being shown below.
Stage One

To identify, from the perspective of the schools involved in the project,
the barriers that might exist for pupils wanting to undertake a workplacement with an outdoor employer.

To identify, from the perspective of employers, the issues that they
would face in providing school pupils with work-placement
opportunities.

To identify the barriers that might interfere with an employer offering a
work-placement opportunity.

To identify the incentives that might motivate an employer to offer a
work-placement opportunity.

To detail the conclusions arising out of such investigations.

To recommend how best to proceed with Stage Two of the project.
Stage Two

To conduct a short-duration Pilot of work-placements for up to eight
pupils with appropriate employers.

To evaluate the effectiveness of the Pilot.

Using the findings of the evaluation of the Pilot, to consider the
potential benefits of generating a sustainable series of work
placements for pupils who have an interest in a career in the outdoors.

Should it be considered that such work-placements would have
potential benefits, consider the feasibilty and means by which these
might best be implemented.
5
SCOPE
3.1
Schools
The views of the Head Teacher of Kingussie High School and the Depute
Rectors at Grantown-on-Spey Grammar School were obtained.
3.2
Potential Employers
Reference A details the findings of a study in which a wide range of
businesses in the CNPA and locale were canvassed in order, inter alia, to
determine the extent of their interest in becoming involved in a Vocational
Employment Scheme.
From this list of businesses a selection of
organisations offering outdoor activities was made: these organisations
became the pool of potential employers contacted during Stage One of this
project but was also supplemented by some known providers of outdoor
activities not on the list.
3.3
Geographical Area
The potential for work-placements extends throughout the Cairngorm National
Park (CNP) and surrounding areas. For this reason, and also because the
pool of potential employers offering outdoor activities was not excessive, it
was decided to scope in all apparently appropriate organisations listed in
Reference A.
On the other hand, knowing that any subsequent Pilot would take place in the
area local to Badenoch and Strathspey it was anticipated that it would,
therefore, only involve pupils from the schools mentioned. Consequently, it
was considered adequate to restrict the study to these schools, especially as
it was recognised that the senior staff members involved could bring to the
investigation considerable insight and experience based upon their
involvement over many years of similar initiatives covering a range of
employment sectors.
6
4
METHODS
4.1
Previous Research and Studies
As mentioned earlier, some of the impetus for the Aim and Objectives of this
project were generated by the findings of earlier research studies;
(References A – C).
Furthermore, both during the exploratory and design phases of the project,
SkillsActive sought to liaise with and keep informed other organisations as
appropriate in order to minimise the risk of duplication.
In addition, and when conducting the investigation, some reference was made
to similar projects taking place elsewhere throughout Scotland: for example,
Breadalbane Academy has been developing a vocational training programme
in respect of land-based studies, the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA)
has been piloting a range of Skills for Work courses and Lochaber College
has been piloting and developing similar programmes. However, the amount
of additional general and sector-specific research and piloting activity being
carried out is prodigious: indeed, as the project unfolded the extent to which
these studies were taking place became increasingly apparent. Nevertheless,
given the time available to complete Stage One of the project it was possible
to give them only superficial attention and merely acknowledge their
existence.
4.2
Consultation with Schools
An initial meeting took place with representatives of the secondary schools in
Grantown-on-Spey and Kingussie in order to gauge the extent of their interest
in such a project. During this meeting the representatives identified their key
issues associated with the Pilot and provided valuable suggestions regarding
their essential and desirable criteria and parameters.
Subsequently,
individual meetings were held with the school representatives when these
issues were confirmed and investigated.
4.3
Consultation with Employers
Organisations working in the outdoor sector were chosen using the database
of organisations contained in the Cairngorm Chamber of Commerce study,
(Reference A), However, it quickly became apparent that the categorization
of outdoor sector organisations is extremely confusing in that it incorporates
such a wide range of occupational areas. For example, within the same
category can be found outdoor activity course providers, holiday centres,
guides, providers of outdoor equipment, facilities and bunk accommodation
and corporate and recreational activity providers.
In addition, further
complications arose when it was realised that some of these operate multiactivity roles or are sole traders who sometimes contract with self-employed
7
operators or employ the services of volunteers: (it would appear that a
significant proportion of such people have moved to and settled in the area in
order that they may follow such an employment path). Thus, when
considering the appropriateness of an organisation to participate in a Pilot in
which pupils would be offered work experience in the broad area of ‘outdoor
activities’ it became clear that some informal judgements needed to be made
regarding the suitability of including a number of the listed organisations.
So, given the work-experience wishes of the schools and pupils, it became
apparent that some organisations on the proposed list of potential employers
were not really appropriate for placements for the purposes of this Pilot.
Furthermore, even having decided upon a short-list of apparently suitable
organisations to approach, the actual interviews often revealed additional
problems. For example, the activities of some of the employers still did not
fall within the scope of the Pilot or their size and operating methodologies,
(such as relying primarily upon contracted, self-employed instructors) meant
that they were not compatible with the achievement of the aims and objectives
of this project. Nonetheless, feeling it to be essential that the views of a wide
spectrum of employers were obtained, their comments about the workplacement concept were gathered and have been taken into account within
the Findings section of this report. A list of the organisations contacted can
be found at Annex A.
8
5
FINDINGS
5.1
General Issues
5.1.1 Overarching Strategy
An enormous amount of work has and is taking place across the country
aimed at improving the longer-term work prospects and opportunities
available to school-leavers. Certainly the bewilderingly large number of
projects, studies, research papers, audits and pilots undertaken in support of
this aim and covering many occupational sectors is prodigious and is
testament to the commitment and dedication of the wide range and number of
organisations and individuals involved.
People conceded that the complexities of the working landscape within which
many organisations are operating makes meaningful communication difficult,
particularly given that some are working at a national level whilst others retain
a local focus. Nevertheless, there was a strong belief amongst the
respondents that, in the majority of cases and at an operational level, lessons
learned and findings made do not seem to be systematically shared. It was
acknowledged that the various top level and project managers invariably
recognise that parallel or similar work is taking place elsewhere and that this
is noted and sometimes used as a reference source. However, the
perception remains that knowledge of and access to previous work is often
the result of fortuitous awareness and contacts and, furthermore, that such
awareness of similar projects does not necessarily result in the work being
built upon. Consequently, many of the people interviewed in this study felt
that such work is taking place within, at best, only a hazy national or even
local over-arching strategy.
Furthermore, when one considers that a
fundamental aim of many of these projects is to support or stimulate the
creation of sustainable employment opportunities throughout communities,
many found it difficult to have faith in a belief that other influential strategies,
such as those dealing with housing provision, rural public transport and the
maintenance of a rural social infrastructure, (such as securing the longer-term
viability of some schools and post-offices), were being brought into the
equation.
So, whilst acknowledging that the perceptions of participants in this study
were not necessarily representative, systematically canvassed nor
investigated in detail, they were still real for the people concerned. As a result
and to varying degrees these views tainted the motivation of some to become
actively involved in projects such as this.
5.1.2 Employer Motivation
The strategic considerations touched upon above are, undoubtedly, being
considered by national and local government agencies and enterprise
companies but, to reiterate, at grass-roots level many people appear to
remain sceptical that much progress is being made. Consequently it was
9
apparent that whilst willing to participate and being politely supportive of the
project’s aim, many contributors were doubtful that any real, long-term
developments would take place: they explained that they had seen similar
‘initiatives’ over many years which, in their experience, inevitably withered on
the vine after the initial growth spurt.
5.1.3 School Motivation
There is absolutely no doubt about the commitment that members of the
teaching community give to improving the employment and career prospects
of their pupils. Consequently, they inevitably give their support to any project
that appears to benefit the chldren. Nevertheless, teachers at all levels are
not immune to the development of the scepticisms raised in paragraphs 5.1.1
and 5.1.2, particularly when this is viewed against a background of increased
administrative burdens, audit processes and risk assessments that, over
recent years, have placed major work-loads upon educators at all levels.
5.1.4 Funding
Projects such as this seek funds from a wide range of funding sources
although the overall purse available is limited. Furthermore, there was a
perception that funding allocation sometimes depended more upon the quality
of the bid and whether it adequately adhered to the required application
criteria rather than being based upon the intrinsic value of the project.
Consequently, and this again being strengthened by their lack of faith in the
existence of a coherent strategic over-view, many people considered that
funds were not being used to best effect.
Furthermore, and whilst everyone acknowledged the need for financial
propriety, it was felt that inappropriate timeframes are sometimes imposed
upon projects in that they correspond more with meeting the auditing
deadlines set by the funders rather than being driven by the intrinsic needs of
the project.
5.1.5 Occupational Classifications
The classification of occupations within the outdoor sector is not
straightforward and could include, for example, instructional work, corporate
and personal development, holidays, guiding or merely the provision and
maintenance of accommodation, facilities and equipment. Furthermore, there
is a blurring of the boundaries when some classifications relating to the
outdoor sector incorporate, for example, organisations that concern
themselves with conservation, animal husbandry or rural, agricultural, estate,
environmental and land management.
5.1.6 Clarity of Pupils’ Aspirations regarding Outdoor Employment
As noted above, a wide range of potential occupation classifications are often
included when consideration is being given to employment opportunities
available in the outdoor activities sector. Pupils aspiring to work in this area
need to be clear as to whether they wish for a career with an outdoor activities
provider or are actually seeking a form of employment that gives them the
opportunity to work outdoors.
10
5.1.7 Opportunities available for employment in the Outdoor Activities
Sector
The wide range of interpretations that exist regarding the range of
occupations classified as falling within the outdoor sector could give rise to a
false assumption that employment opportunities within the area of outdoor
activies are greater than is really the case. Consequently, it was felt that such
a false premise could wrongly skew work-placement strategies and also raise
unrealistic expectations when efforts are being made to promote sustainable
employment opportunities for local youngsters. Furthermore, and partly as a
result of the growth in outdoor activities education courses provided by
Universities and Colleges, the pool of people seeking employment in the
outdoor sector has increased over recent years. Obviously, these people are
also hoping to secure a foothold on this career pathway and a number of the
employers interviewed in this project explained that they receive regular
unsolicited requests from individuals nationwide who are seeking workexperience or employment. As a result they felt that they could easily fill their
organisations with such recruits. Again the situation is further complicated by
the employment strategies of some self-employed, sole traders who tend to
irregularly use the services of volunteers and contract staff as client demand
dictates.
5.2
Pilot-specific Issues
5.2.1 Pupil Profile
As should be expected, no-one interviewed raised any discriminatory issues
relating to, for example, gender, race or disabilty. Regarding the age of the
placements and in order to ensure compatibility with curriculum content and
phasing, the schools anticipated that the pupils involved in the Pilot would be
16+. All employers considered this to be suitable. One employer raised the
point that someone of that age could not be given a vehicle to drive but, when
asked if this would be an inhibiting feature, all the other employers were quick
to indicate that a placement pupil would not be given charge of a vehicle
anyway!
5.2.2 Duration and Timing of the Pilot
With Stage Two of this Pilot to be completed by September 2006, a duration
period of about six weeks was considered to be appropriate and would dovetail with school programmes. In this respect, the schools considered that any
period between late May and June would be appropriate: however,
placements could extend into the Summer school break period or even into
the first few weeks of the Autumn term. The period from mid-September
onwards was considered inappropriate because of examination preparation
and pressures.
Given these points and the timeframe of the Pilot, the schools felt that a total
of six or seven placement days should be sought, ideally spaced over that
number of weeks rather than being carried out as one block.
11
In principle, employers felt that they could accommodate such a programme
although a number indicated that seasonal factors associated with their
activities might influence the type and range of work-experience that might be
available.
5.2.3 Co-ordination and Liaison
Both the schools and employers felt it to be important that a person be
appointed to act as a link between the two parties. Whilst no precise
definition was given as to the roles and functions that such a person should
fulfil, the intuitive feeling from employers was that the person should be
required to minimise any administrative burdens placed upon the employer
and also be responsible for any issues of a broadly pastoral nature.
5.2.4 Links to the School Curriculum
An imperative requirement of the schools was that any work-experience
activity, be it during the Pilot or subsequently, should link with the school
curriculum and take account of existing vocational pathways leading to some
form of accreditation.
In principle, employers understood the desire for this requirement and
accepted that it would need to be a necessary element of any placement.
However, many had only a superficial knowledge of the provision available
and how this would work in practice. All felt that they and, where appropriate,
their staff had the ability to effectively train, coach, mentor and evaluate
performance but awaited further information before making any commitment
to how best to proceed with this issue. Certainly, all were concerned that this
requirement contained the potential for imposing a high work load upon their
staff members, be it in terms of direct supervision or in the completion of
associated paperwork and administration. In acknowledgement of these
difficulties the school representatives recognised that the schools would need
to retain some control and co-ordination of the linkages to the curriculum
being achieved and that the Co-ordinator might have a role to play here.
5.2.5 Work-placement Activities
A fundamental objective of any placement would be to provide participating
pupils with an insight into the type of work carried out within the outdoor
activities sector and give them an opportunity to work on practical skills
directly relevant to the job. However, in addition, it is anticipated that such a
learning experience in a ‘real’ situation would also reinforce pupil-awareness
about wider world-of-work issues such as personal responsibilities associated
with timekeeping, appearance, team-working, customer care, work-place
protocols: essentially, features that combine to create a positive work ethic.
The employers interviewed subscribed wholeheartedly to this objective and,
indeed, many had been involved in identifying skills and personal qualities
that employers seek in their employees, (Reference A). However, they
unanimously expressed the view that, given the commercial imperative of
their organisations, the type and range of activities they could offer to
placements would be limited and so not truly reflective of their outdoor
12
activities role. They explained that their first and prime concern would always
be to service the needs of their paying customers and that this focus would
frequently, they felt, interfere with their ability to adequately support the workplacement requirements. For example, many anticipated that some of the
activities would require of pupils a level of physical rigour, personal technical
proficiency, outdoor environment awareness and be of a duration that would
preclude participation, even if this was only in a shadowing role. Furthermore,
the regulations of National Governing Bodies recommend staff to student
ratios which could further interfere with the ability to easily subsume a workplacement pupil into a group. A fundamental concern was that the end result
would be the staff member having to closely supervise and give attention to
the needs and safety of the pupil at the expense of the paying client. Given
this scenario, many employers felt that in practice, and despite their best
intentions, it would be difficult to dedicate a member of staff to the pupils
exclusively. Consequently, all felt that pupils would probably end up being
shuffled around from person to person which would result in them being given
menial, safe and routine jobs such as basic office administration, cleaning
equipment or even making tea just in order to give them something to do.
Furthermore, it was felt that even this type of work was unlikely to be closely
supervised, would be provided on an ad hoc basis and would have the
potential to be interspersed by long periods of inactivity.
5.2.6 Costs and Overheads
Employers anticipated that their organisations would not be willing to absorb
major financial overheads associated with any placement. Whilst they felt it to
be possible and appropriate for pupils to take advantage of arrangements that
are made for permanent employees; (for example, travel on a pick-up vehicle,
access to staff canteen facilities or the use of appropriate equipment and
protective clothing), it was considered unlikely that special provisions for
pupils over and above routine arrangements would be provided. Indeed, they
felt that when one considers the concept of work-experience in its wider sense
and as indicated earlier, it could be argued that any such special provision
would not be desirable anyway.
5.2.7 Health and Safety at Work (HSW) and Risk Assessment
It is not the place of this paper to define in detail the Health and Safety at
Work (HSW) and Risk Assessment guidelines, statutory requirements and
compliance procedures laid down by The Health and Safety Commission
(HSC) in respect of outdoor activity providers. Suffice it to say here that there
are stringent Licencing requirements for organisations working in the outdoor
activities sector. As a result, considerable emphasis is placed upon
organisations to ensure the provision of HSW and Risk Assessment policies
and practices and to make these open to external scrutiny. Consequently, the
employers interviewed considered their practices and standards to be
adequate for and inclusive of any work-experience pupils. Equally, the
schools believed that they had no reason to doubt this. Nevertheless, they
felt that they had an obligation, if only to satisfy parents, Governers, Education
Authorities and other interested parties, that before making a placement they
were also applying some independent scrutiny and verification that these
good practices were in place and being effectively applied. For example, not
13
all organisations have found it necessary for their employees to have
undergone the Disclosure Scotland process and this may be an aspect of risk
assessment that would need to be addressed before a placement could be
made.
5.2.8 Selection Process
Both the schools and employers considered it to be appropriate that about
eight pupils participate in the Pilot stage of this project. That said, the two
schools involved were confident that between them they had more than that
number of pupils who had expressed an interest in becoming involved.
Given this fact, but also to again make the work-experience more realistic,
both the schools and employers believed that the pupils could gain valuable
experience of work-related practices by going through a staged yet typical and
formal job application and selection process. Furthermore, there was some
support for the idea that successful applicants be issued with a written
Contract similar to and representative of a Contract of Employment. In
principle, employers were supportive of the idea of participating in such a
selection process. However, again, their major concern was that this could be
time-consuming and create for them an unacceptable manning burden.
5.2.9 Evaluation
Obviously, in order to clarify how best to continue beyond the Pilot stage of
the project, an evaluation of the work-placement experience would need to
take place. Additionally, at an individual level, there was a strong belief that
some form of personal evaluation should occur which would involve all
participating parties, including the pupils. Again there was general consensus
that this would be a most valuable element in the work-experience package in
that it would provide each pupil with personal insights regarding their
motivations, strengths and development needs regarding their approach and
attitude to the working environment generally and the outdoor sector
specifically.
Once more, employers were supportive of the concept in principle but
concerned about the manning implications and burden of participating.
14
6
CONCLUSIONS
6.1
Overarching Issues
6.1.1 Strategic Co-ordination
A considerable number of strategy and policy documents are available which
indicate that high level authorities are trying to create inclusive and interrelated strategies. Also, through means such as consultation sessions,
presentations and the dissemination of literature, attempts are being made to
communicate these to the public at large. Nevertheless, comments made
during this project suggest that some people remain convinced that much of
the work being undertaken when developing or implementing these strategies
lacks cohesion, remains parochial in outlook, fails to effectively build upon
knowledge gained elsewhere and does not always result in the best use of the
limited funds available.
There was certainly a high degree of support for the aim of this project; but
there remains the potential for the negative perceptions noted above to
conflict with and possibly erode people’s ability to retain a positive outlook.
6.2
Pilot-related Issues
6.2.1 Commercial Priorities
Employers give their support, in principle, to the idea of providing local
youngsters with work-placement opportunities. However, as explained in
Section 5, they feel that commercial and practical pressures would almost
certainly dilute the quality of any work experience that could be realistically
made available.
Furthermore, they believe that these factors would
undoubtedly downgrade the quality and intensity of any support and
supervision they could provide. Consequently, the unavoidable conclusion is
that any Pilot work-placement activity in the format originally anticipated would
fall far short of the ideal and probably be counter-productive for both the
employer and pupil.
6.2.2 The Way Ahead
Despite the issues detailed in Section 6.1 and in no way wishing for them to
be overlooked or minimised, it is to the credit of some employers that they
willingly volunteered to explore different ways of satisfying the project’s
Objectives as given in Section 2.2.
As a result of these discussions there evolved an alternative work-placement
Model, the broad terms and key features of which are now given.
6.3
Revised Work-Placement Model (Pilot)
6.3.1 Format
Discussions resulted in the following proposals:
15

Eight work-experience placements could be made available.

Each placement could last for a total of six or seven days.

The placements could occur as single days, (or, perhaps, incorporate
some back-to-back days), and take place during the period June to
September 2006.

The placement locations would be limited to two or three outdoor
activity organisations, each one of the organisations taking
responsibility for, say, two days of work experience.

All eight placements would attend each organisation together as a
group.

The organisations would endeavour to allocate dedicated staff to the
work-placement members for the duration of their stay at their Centre.

The work-experience programme devised would aim to offer the pupils
practical experience of some outdoor activities but also incorporate
awareness-raising sessions regarding the role and responsibilities of
people working in this specific sector.
The programme could,
therefore, incorporate the following elements, (although these are only
offered as suggestions at this stage):
1. Some practical participation in a number of outdoor activities as
deemed to be suitable to the requirements and ability level of
the group.
2. Consideration of the roles and responsibilities of an outdoor
instructor.
3. An analysis of the personal qualities required of an outdoor
instructor.
4. An opportunity for each pupil to undertake some personal and
supported self-analysis regarding their suitability and potential
for the role.
5. An indication of the potential diversity and career prospects and
pathways available within the outdoor sector.
6. Awareness–raising regarding the range of Governing Bodies
associated with the sector, the extent and diversity of
qualifications available and the pathways by which such
accreditations might be achieved.
7. The inclusion of a structured and formal application and
selection process for a place on the Pilot with designated Centre
staff members taking a leading role in its implementation.
16
8. The inclusion of a comprehensive evaluation process of both the
Pilot project and each pupil. The evaluation would include all
participating parties and, again, involve the designated Centre
staff members.
Obviously, should it be felt that this Revised Model has merit, a detailed
implementation plan would need to be devised.
6.3.2 Potential Benefits of the Revised Model
Organisations that have intimated their willingness to take part in such a Pilot
model have highlighted a number of potential benefits:

Given a commitment of this nature they would be more inclined and
probably better able to allocate a designated staff member to the
group.

Consequently, a structured programme of work-experience could be
devised, thereby overcoming the likelihood that a placement would be
given an ad hoc and unstructured experience.

There would be opportunity for pupils to experience a number of
outdoor activities appropriate to the constraints of the Pilot project and
their abilities.

Any such practical participation and experience would be
supplemented by a more educative component in which pupils would
learn more about the career potential and opportunities available in the
outdoor activities sector.

There would be opportunity for the pupils to take part in some
structured and supported self-analysis regarding their career
aspirations and motives, thereby better enabling them to arrive at a
rational decision regarding their suitability and desire for such a future.

The ‘whole-group’ format would provide pupils with better peer support
and reassurance whilst on placement.

There would be greater opportunity for pupils to informally meet and
converse with outdoor Centre staff members and thereby absorb an
appreciation of the nature of the outdoor sector’s working environment
and culture.

The structured application and evaluation processes would provide
pupils with added dimensions to the work-experience package.

The ‘whole-group’ focus of the placement would better enable coordination and liaison to occur. Instead of having to oversee a
dispersed group it might be possible, for example, for the Co-ordinator
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

to become more actively involved and available to the pupils whilst on
placement.
It may be possible for participating staff members to use the
programme as part of their own personal development programme.
The Pilot could possibly be linked to aspects of the school curriculum;
for example, by relating it to Work Experience, Personal and Social
Development, Working with Others or Enterprise and Education.
6.3.3 Potential Difficulties Created by the Revised Model
At first sight the Revised Model does not so obviously lend itself to the
prospect of subsequent, longer-term work-experience placements. However,
it would be wrong at this stage to anticipate the outcome of the Pilot;
subsequent evaluation may indeed generate ideas that enable sustainable
placements to be made available.
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7
RECOMMENDATIONS
7.1
Pilot-specific
The following Recommendations relate to the development and
implementation of a Pilot exercise only. It is not intended that the list
necessarily reflects a chronological sequence of events.

The Pilot exercise proceeds using the Revised Work-Placement Model.

Not less than three organisations become active partners in the Pilot.

A person be appointed to assume the role and responsibilities of Coordinator.

The role, responsibilities and remit of the Co-ordinator be agreed in
consultation with all parties actively involved in the Pilot.

A Work-Placement Pilot Programme be devised involving the Schools,
Partner organisations and the Co-ordinator.

The Programme defines clearly the responsibilities of each party.


The Programme occurs between June and September 2006.
The duration of the Programme be approximately seven days, this to
include the application and selection process and End-of-Programme
Evaluation.

A formal application and selection process be used when selecting
pupils for participation.

Participating pupils be issued with a Placement Contract that simulates
a Contract of Employment as issued to permanent employees.

Each pupil be given opportunity to take part in an exit personal
performance review.

The Evaluation of the Pilot concludes with Recommendations
regarding the feasibility or otherwise of extending the Pilot into more
sustainable, longer-term work-placement opportunities.

The Evaluation of the Pilot takes account of feedback from all
participants, including the pupils.
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8
ANNEXES
ANNEX A: List of Organisations Contacted
Cairngorm Mountain Limited
Glenmore Lodge
The British Association of Ski-board Instructors (BASI)
Cabin Fever
Crathie Opportunity Holidays
Alvie and Dalraddy Estates
Rothiemurchus Estate
Royal Air Force Outdoor Activities Centre
Bothy Bikes
Equal Adventure
Abernethy Outdoor Centre
Mountain Innovations
Repeated unsuccessful attempts were made, either by frequent telephone
calls or site visits, to contact another eight organisations. In the main, these
organisations were either in their low season and presumably, therefore, not
operating, or sole traders who were possibly working away from base with
their clients.
ANNEX B: References
A
Cairngorms Vocational Employment Scheme: Business Skills Audit
February 2006. (Cairngorm Chamber of Commerce).
B
Cairngorm National Park Authority: Training Needs Analysis Project
(Assess Potential Modern Apprentices Training and Development
Needs). Irene J MacDonald Associates; February 2006.
C
Cairngorm National Park Authority: Information Gathering – training
provision and funding – Final Report. BASIL+ (3 February 2006).
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