|
Developing the Young Workforce are celebrating the achievements and resilience of young people across Scotland through the Young People Are Great campaign.
The campaign aims to:
We invite you to get involved in this new campaign, which will launch Monday 6 June 2022 and will run until Friday 10 June 2022. How to Get Involved: Education Partners
How to Get Involved: Employers
How to Get Involved: Young People
Download Campaign Pack Download Visuals
 We’re supporting Scottish Apprenticeship Week 2022 to show the value of Scottish Apprenticeships to people, business and the economy.
This year’s theme is Apprenticeships Work, with the aim to highlight how apprenticeships are providing the skills employers need now and for the future. Developed in partnership with employers, apprenticeships continue to adapt to respond to industry needs. Scottish Apprenticeships work by providing thousands of opportunities to get a job, get paid and get qualified across Scotland every year. The Scottish Government is committed to increasing the number of apprenticeships in Scotland. It is providing opportunities and support for people and businesses through apprenticeships to help strengthen the economy. Scottish Apprenticeships are a crucial part of the Young Person's Guarantee, providing thousands of opportunities for young people affected by the pandemic. Apprenticeships can help to drive equity of opportunity and give employers the tools and support to be inclusive in recruitment. Scottish Apprenticeship Week is a time to show that apprenticeships provide opportunities that work for everyone. To find out more about how Scottish Apprenticeships work and how to get involved visit apprenticeships.scot  Parents and carers can learn more about Foundation, Modern and Graduate Apprenticeships on a free webinar later this month.
Careers Advisers from Skills Development Scotland will talk about the different apprenticeships that are available and how work-based learning can open the door to a wide range of careers. They will also be on hand to answer any questions that you may have about your young persons career development. Parents and carers can register for our session here:
 Going into S5 or S6? Set yourself up for a big future with a Foundation Apprenticeship.
Foundation Apprenticeship gives senior phase pupils an inside view of Scotland’s thriving industries. Pupils can combine a recognised qualification with valuable experience in industries where there’s a rising demand for a skilled workforce. If you’re going into S5 or S6, apply for a Foundation Apprenticeship to get a head-start in some of Scotland’s fastest growing industries. Visit apprenticeships.scot/foundation to find out what’s available in your school and apply online.
 Helen is excited to help bridge the gap between school and industry, bringing with her 30 years of teaching experience in Primary and Secondary Schools. She is passionate about helping young people reach their potential regardless of the path they take. Her own experience with young people gives her an insight into the barriers there can be and she is enthusiastic about finding ways to overcome them. Helen has good interpersonal skills and looks forward to engaging with businesses and industries to forge new partnerships ensuring the best options are available for all young people. Welcome to the team Helen!
 While you enjoy the summer and a well-deserved break from your studies we wanted to write to you in our role as Scotland’s business leaders and on behalf of our networks of thousands of Scottish employers. As you receive your official SQA results, we want to reassure you that we recognise and value your qualifications as much as any other year. We congratulate you on everything you’ve overcome and achieved this year, and you have our support, whatever your needs and wherever your ambitions lie.
Over the past 18 months you’ve had to deal with a situation like no other and the flexibility, ingenuity and resilience you’ve shown gives us confidence in you as future employees. We are committed to helping to create job opportunities for you so that you can have a positive future. We are also committed to ensuring that there are opportunities available for every young person and that you have help and support to develop further. Many people in interesting job roles across Scotland may not have taken an obvious or traditional path. Look out for #NoWrongPath which will show you that, whatever your results, there are different routes into jobs. There are lots of industries continuing to grow and new ones emerging which offer exciting opportunities. Employers need young people with fresh ideas and experience to get involved and work together with us to tackle big challenges, such as climate change. We will do all that we can to help you find ways to use your skills and talents in the workplace. We all support the ambition of the Young Person’s Guarantee and its commitment that within two years, every young person aged between 16 and 24, will have the opportunity of a job, apprenticeship, further or higher education, training programme or volunteering. And we’ll keep speaking to young people across Scotland to understand how we can keep delivering on our commitment to you. Wishing you the very best of luck with your next steps. Scotland’s employers stand ready to support you. This is our #CommitmentToYOUth.  #NoWrongPath is back and, in a year with significant disruption to education, the messaging of the campaign is more important than ever.
Now in its fifth year, #NoWrongPath is a social media movement created by Developing the Young Workforce which provides inspiration and reassurance to young people receiving their exam results and with the continued uncertainty, it’s vital that Scotland’s young people are aware of the options that are available to them. Developing the Young Workforce is inviting businesses, organisations and professionals from all over Scotland to help share this message of reassurance, help educate young people about the options that are available to them and demonstrate that there is #NoWrongPath to success. Make sure your industry is represented by getting involved on social media this Exam Results Day (Tuesday 10 August 2021). HOW TO GET INVOLVED Step 1 Pledge your support for the campaign and mark Tuesday 10 August 2021 (Scottish Exam Results Day) in your diary. Step 2 On Tuesday 10th August 2021, post a photograph of yourself holding a handwritten sign or template below, outlining your name, what you did when you left school and what you are doing now. Remember to use the hashtag #NoWrongPath and tag us @DYWBorders. Download the template. Step 3 Nominate a friend or colleague and encourage them to get involved, too! If you don’t use social media and want to be involved, you can send your photo to dyw@dywborders.co.uk and we’ll share on your behalf. We look forward to seeing your path posted on Tuesday 10th August 2021! If you have any questions or want to get involved but aren’t sure how, please get in touch by contacting dyw@dywborders.co.uk or you can find more information at www.nowrongpath.scot.  Activity for this year’s Skills Development Scotland (SDS) results support will be adapted due to the current situation and to provide support to learners from mid-June.
It's another year like no other, but our expert advisers are here to help. This year we are providing an extended support service to learners, and their parents and carers over the summer period to help them understand their options at this uncertain time. SDS Results Help is a key contribution to the Scottish Government’s Young Person’s Guarantee, supporting every 16 to 24-year-old in Scotland into a job, placement, training or volunteering. Help with provisional results The SDS Helpline number is 0800 917 8000 and is available Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. This is the number to call from now until 9 August to discuss provisional results and what they may mean. Help from results day The SDS Results Helpline number is 0808 100 8000 – this goes live on results day, Tuesday 10 August and advisers will have access to information on course vacancies at UK colleges and universities, Confirmation and Clearing, advice about Foundation, Modern and Graduate Apprenticeships and jobs, volunteering or staying on at school. On both helplines SDS's expert advisers are at the end of the phone to help young people and their parents and carers. There's also lots of support on Scotland's career website, My World of Work and through our social media channels. Young people may need more help than usual this year to understand their choices. We'd like to ask all partners with a shared interest in supporting Scotland’s learners to help spread the word about the range of SDS support available over the summer, and when results are confirmed on 10 August. Some ideas to help spread the word include: • posting a blog or news item on your website highlighting the support services available from SDS during the summer and when results are confirmed on 10 August • sharing details of the support available on your social media channels • updating information on your website to include details of the help and support available • pointing learners, their parents and carers to SDS’s support through your e-newsletters or emails. If you have any questions, or need any further information, please contact marcomms@sds.co.uk  As part of Scotland’s response to COVID-19 economic recovery, Young Person’s Guarantee was launched in November 2020. It aims to give all young people, aged 16-24 in Scotland, the chance to succeed through the opportunity of a job, apprenticeship, education, training or volunteering. And for employers, it offers help to develop a future pipeline of skills and experience, with young people at the heart of the workforce. Young people bring organisations a wealth of talent, creativity, and enthusiasm, critical now and for future success. Employers of all sizes and across all sectors can get involved with Young Person’s Guarantee in up to 5 ways:
Whether you currently provide opportunities for young people or you’d like to start getting involved, there’s options available. Your local DYW group can provide more information and support. Contact dyw@dywborders.co.uk https://www.myworldofwork.co.uk/youngpersonsguarantee  If you are an advocate of the SCQF we need your help! We're looking for non-camera shy individuals to put together a short 30 sec video expressing how you value the framework, our support or our resources. Videos can be uploaded to your social media channel of choice. Please remember to tag @SCQFPartnership and #RecognisingSkills or #RecogniseMySkills. If you would like to be included in a compilation of videos then please send your videos to Katie on k.mckenna@scqf.org.uk
SCQF Ambassador Schools and Colleges, Universities, Teaching Staff and Learning Providers: Can use the week to highlight how you are using the SCQF, your achievements and the individual success you have had. SCQF Inclusive Recruiters and Employers: Can use the week to highlight how you are using the SCQF in recruitment and staff development or perhaps your in-house training is credit rated on the SCQF and you'd like to shout about it! SCQF Credit Rating Bodies: If you're an approved SCQF Credit Rating body we'd like you to share how this benefits and adds value to your training programmes. Again remember to tag SCQFPartnership and #RecognisingSkills or #RecogniseMySkills to allow us to re-share.  Providing impactful activities and input into local communities has always been important to businesses within the Construction industry. Building relationships between business and education provides a way for businesses to forge powerful partnerships that will support and influence young people and their influencers to consider choosing a career in this industry. The ‘Build Your Future’ virtual resources have been developed by key partners across the supply chain within the Built Environment as a response to COVID restrictions challenging the way business and education have previously engaged. This suite of resources are designed to sit alongside a programme of fringe events and activities that are tailored more locally to the needs of business and education. Caitlin Quinn from Morrison Construction says: “Morrison Construction are keen to continue to engage virtually wherever we can and as we hopefully emerge from lockdown restrictions this year, we look forward to moving back to an even more interactive engagement with education. We know that young people respond positively to our engagement and ‘Build Your Future’ is a great initiative for us to support that will continue to evolve as we recover from COVID.” With contributions from over 40 partners including the Scottish Traditional Building Forum, CITB, Construction Scotland Innovation Centre, Scottish Building Standards, Scottish Futures Trust and Historic Environment Scotland amongst other industry contributors. This has been supported by DYW Forth Valley and Stirling Education STEM Lead Jayne Hamilton to move to a virtual mode of delivery that will support the continued exposure to industry pathways and opportunities alongside the core learning taking place in schools. Jayne Hamilton, STEM Development Officer for Stirling Council says: “Young people are still facing big choices about which subjects they want to take next year, they are still deciding what the right next step is when they leave school and which sectors the skills they are building will be best utilised and further developed in and it is more important than ever before that we continue to work with business to provide them with insight that will support them to make informed decisions. ‘Build Your Future’ is a suite of resources that provides a structure for educators to engage with, for parents/carers to dip into with their young people and to highlight the range of pathways available within the Built Environment in Scotland.” It is hoped that this model of delivery will form a virtual core offer for all of Scotland that education and industry can use moving forward as we slowly recover from COVID. Megan Jardine, Robertson Group says: “Programme’s like ‘Build your Future’ provide an invaluable opportunity for us to collaborate with education to deliver purposeful and meaningful curriculum enhancement for young people who are facing increasing challenges as a result of COVID. Robertson are committed to engaging with education and creating impact for tomorrow’s generation using our local projects as a context for learning.” Douglas Morrison, Director of Operations and Future Skills at Construction Scotland Innovation Centre says: “Young people have a unique opportunity to transform and modernise the construction industry. Our ability to innovate, create and collaborate is essential to tackle climate change and improve health and wellbeing through our built environment. There are roles for people with all types of skills, backgrounds, and ambitions. There has never been a more exciting time to pursue a career in construction.” Click the image to be taken to the DYW Build Your Future Campaign!  We’re supporting Scottish Apprenticeship Week 2021, co-ordinated by Skills Development Scotland, to demonstrate the value apprenticeships bring to individuals, employers and the economy. This year’s theme is Business Backing Talent, with the aim to demonstrate how businesses benefit when they back talent through apprenticeships. Businesses have adapted to challenging times. Employers and learning providers have innovated so apprentices can learn, achieve and progress. While businesses taking on apprentices have developed new and safe ways to recruit in their commitment to backing talent. The week highlights the range of support available to employers to help them take on an apprentice and opportunities for individuals to progress through Foundation, Modern and Graduate Apprenticeships. Scottish Apprenticeships support the Young Person's Guarantee, introduced by Scottish Government to ensure everyone aged between 16 and 24 has the opportunity of work, education or training. For businesses backing talent who can give someone the chance of an apprenticeship there's more support than ever before. The Apprentice Employer Grant provides up to £5000 to recruit an apprentice, there’s additional funding to take on a redundant apprentice through Adopt an Apprentice and Pathway Apprenticeships are available for school leavers not in a job or education to gain work-based learning and qualifications in sectors with skills needs. In these challenging times, apprentices can play a vital role in supporting businesses and the economy now and for the future. Find out more about Scottish Apprenticeships and the support available to get involved at apprenticeships.scot  The first organisations to back the £60 million Young Person’s Guarantee have been announced by Economy Secretary Fiona Hyslop.
In a collective effort to help young people, the Scottish Government has been joined by SSE, Capgemini, NHS Lothian, Scottish Water and Standard Life Aberdeen in the commitment to ensure everyone aged between 16 and 24 has the opportunity of work, education or training. The Guarantee aims to give all young people in Scotland the chance to succeed despite the economic impacts of coronavirus (COVID-19) Organisations backing the Guarantee make five pledges to help young people at this critical time:
Economy Secretary Fiona Hyslop said: “The pandemic is having a disproportionate economic effect on our young people, reducing job opportunities just as they are starting out on their careers. I am delighted to be launching the Young Person’s Guarantee today to help ensure their prospects are not permanently damaged “I want to thank the early trailblazers who have backed our ambitious initiative and recognise the importance of supporting our young people. “The leadership of employers from across Scotland and from all sectors will be key in providing the opportunities that will make this Guarantee a success. This employer leadership will build on our strong track record of tackling youth unemployment through our industry led Youth Employment Strategy – Developing the Young Workforce. “We are encouraging employers to come forward and join what is a crucial intervention to ensure that we capture the potential of our young people and prevent coronavirus (COVID-19) leaving a lasting impact on the employment opportunities of our future workforce. “I want Scotland’s young people to know we are right behind you, we want you to be successful and we will do everything we can to give you the opportunities you need.” Sandy Begbie, who led the Edinburgh Guarantee said: “In the spring, I was delighted to be asked to develop a strategy to establish a Young Person Guarantee for all 16 to 24-year-olds in Scotland. The ambition is clear, I want every one person who is unemployed to be given an opportunity for a job, apprenticeship, education, training or volunteering. I strongly believe we must act now and decisively, our young people are an asset and a credit to Scotland.” Background: Further information on the Young Person’s Guarantee is available on the www.youngpersonsguarantee.scot website. The Young Person’s Guarantee was one of the main recommendations of the Advisory Group on Economic Recovery. The £60 million Young Person’s Guarantee is part of a total of £100 million for employment support and training announced by the Scottish Government to tackle employment challenges. £10 million of this will be used to support a range of measures to recruit and retain apprentices.  Heriot-Watt University has created January start dates across the majority of its Graduate Apprenticeships programmes in a bid to help businesses and boost the economy.
The COVID crisis has undoubtedly presented businesses with many challenges, including economically. The University is confident that the introduction of this flexibility in start dates will provide a timely boost for both businesses and the Scottish economy. HWU has seen signs of some sectors, such as construction and engineering, begin to open up as companies start to plan their recovery from the COVID crisis. Continued growth in demand for skills development in the Data and IT-related sectors has been another contributory factor in the University trying to find ways to provide the skills needed to drive growth and create employment opportunities, particularly for the young, during these challenging times. Gill Murray, Deputy Principal for Enterprise and Business, said “Delivering this additional flexibility to employers is an important step and it comes at an important time. Graduate Apprenticeships bring a number of benefits for employers. For example, creating a pipeline of talented young people, improving employee retention and increased productivity. It’s also important to remember that it’s a priority for the Government, and all of us, to help young people into the workforce. Graduate Apprenticeships are an ideal way to do that.” Initiatives such as the University’s Responsive-Blended Learning model, along with a restructuring of course content has enabled the range of Graduate Apprenticeships programmes to accommodate the January start. This development is part of a wider range of activities falling under the University’s Recovery Prospectus initiative. As part of that initiative HWU, will also be launching a number of upskilling and reskilling opportunities over the next few months, which will be a crucial time in the Scottish economy. Graduate Apprenticeships are developed by Skills Development Scotland, with support from the European Social Fund. Full details of the Graduate Apprenticeships programmes available can be found at ga@hw.ac.uk.  Fantastic ‘virtual’ Work Insight & Skills programme for S4/S5/S6 students interested in a career in law, finance or business.
Run by the award winning Social Mobility Business Partnership, this virtual offering will take place during 12th to 16th October 2020. Students will spend up to three hours each day meeting with different high profile organisations where they will learn about that business and get involved in business-like tasks and games. The week will also include a session learning about the psychology of resilience and goal achievement. Students wishing to take part Must:
And, meet one or more of the following:
Contact your DYW Link teacher for more information. Or email dyw@dywborders.co.uk  Another fantastic #NoWrongPath day took place this week on Results Day 2020. Across all platforms there was inspiring and unique pathways to assure young people that there is #NoWrongPath to employment and to what they want to do.
Several local businesses and employees shared their own #NoWrongPath pictures with us and on their own social media platforms. We had #NoWrongPath pictures from Farne Salmon, SDS Scottish Borders, Lantra, Apt Cavalier, Plexus, Santander, Inspire Learning and the Scottish Racing Academy.  #NoWrongPath is a social media movement which aims to provide inspiration and reassurance to young people receiving their exam results. We recognise that some young people may be disheartened by their exam results this year particularly in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic and the disruption that has been caused, so we are aiming to demonstrate to young people that many people in interesting job roles across Scotland may not have taken a straight, obvious or traditional path to get there. #NoWrongPath aims to show young people the options that are available to them and that exams results are not necessarily the key to unlocking future success. Get involvedStep 1 Pledge your support for the campaign and mark Tuesday 4 August 2020 (Scottish Exam Results Day) in your diary. Step 2 On Tuesday 4 August 2020, post a photograph of yourself holding a handwritten sign outlining your name, what you did when you left school and what you are doing now. Remember to use #NoWrongPath. Step 3
Nominate a friend or colleague and encourage them to get involved, too! Visit www.nowrongpath.scot for more information and previous years participants. |
Information |
DYW Borders |
|