£500,00 award to help prepare Scottish pupils for work

Schools in Scotland are to receive a share of £500,000 to help develop programmes aimed at preparing pupils for the world of work.

Roseanna Cunningham, Cabinet Secretary for fair work, skills and training.

Education Scotland will use the cash to directly support improved careers services and work placements available to schoolchildren.

The development of the senior high school curriculum to focus more attention on practical preparation for employment for pupils after graduation will also benefit from the money.

The award is part of the Scottish Government’s youth employment strategy, which was commissioned two years ago to explore the best methods for establishing a modern and productive system for developing the young workforce.

Roseanna Cunningham, Cabinet Secretary for Fair Work, Skills and Training, said: “We are making rapid progress in taking forward the actions set out in our youth employment strategy in a concerted effort to reduce youth employment by 40% per cent by 2021.

“In the last six weeks we have announced £5.8 million for local authorities to help their young people into jobs, £2.5 million for new industry-led regional groups and £1 million for the college sector.

“The money I am announcing today will allow Education Scotland to support schools, local authorities and their partners deliver new standards on careers and work placements.

“These are absolutely vital to ensuring our young people are ‘work-ready’ and able to take up fulfilling careers when they leave school.

“Schools, colleges and employers are key to the delivery of our action on youth employment and while recent statistics have been very positive, we must use every available tool at our disposal to support even more young people into work.