An innovative scheme that helps pupils develop work-focused skills in subjects such as engineering, financial services and rural skills could see more schools offering vocational qualifications.
New research on the Skills for Work pilot, which involved developing new qualifications to give pupils skills for life and for the workplace, shows that Skills for Work has been well received by schools, colleges, teachers and pupils.
An independent evaluation of the pilot, which was conducted by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), found that:
* Schools, colleges and providers value Skills for Work courses, which they believe raise the status of vocational learning among teachers and students
* Almost all schools and colleges in the study thought that the new courses had a positive impact on pupils skills for the workplace and their motivation and behaviour
* Most schools and colleges also thought Skills for Work courses helped pupils to decide what they wanted to do when they left school
* The pilot improved partnership working between schools and colleges as they developed different models for the delivery of the courses
* Student retention on Skills for Work courses was good with 86 per cent of students passing their courses by the end of the second year of the pilot
Maureen Watt, Minister for Schools and Skills said:
"The Skills for Work pilot has been very successful and these courses are now available in secondary schools across Scotland.
"Skills for Work courses give pupils the opportunity to develop new skills and knowledge which are directly relevant to the workplace. They help young people to realise their potential, offering them greater diversity and choice of qualifications.
"Skills for Work complements the existing learning opportunities available in schools and is helping pupils of all abilities to develop new skills."
The Skills for Work pilot involved approximately 40 delivery centres (colleges, schools and/or training providers) in the first year (2005/06) and 70 in the second year of the pilot, working in partnership with a total of 255 secondary schools. These partnerships have taken different approaches to delivering Skills for Work in order to meet local circumstances.
The qualifications were introduced to help young people develop skills and knowledge in broad vocational areas, providing core skills, an understanding of the workplace, positive attitudes to learning and employability skills. Skills for Work are aimed at pupils of all abilities in S3 or above and are intended to provide progression pathways to employment, training or further learning.
Skills for Work qualifications have been available nationwide since last September, while more courses are currently being developed by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA). The subjects available so far are:
Construction Crafts (Intermediate Levels 1 and 2) Early Education and Childcare (Intermediate Levels 1 and 2) Engineering Skills (Intermediate 1) Financial Services (Intermediate Level 2) Hairdressing (Intermediate Level 1) Health and Social Care (Higher Level) Hospitality (Intermediate 1) Practical Experiences: Construction and Engineering (Access Level 3) Sport and Recreation (Intermediate Levels 1 and 2) Rural Skills (Intermediate Level 1)
The SQA is about to launch 6 new Skills for Work qualifications in the next few weeks which will be available in schools from autumn 2008:
Energy (Intermediate Level 2)
Engineering Skills (Intermediate Level 2) Hairdressing (Intermediate Level 2) Hospitality (Intermediate Level 2) Retailing (Intermediate Level 2) Uniformed and Emergency Services (Intermediate Level 1)
Student retention figures for Skills for Work courses are based on SQA data.
