16+ Learning Choices
Helping all young people into education, employment and training is a top priority for the Scottish Government, which has a specific indicator to that effect in the national performance framework.
In the current economic climate, it is particularly important to focus on the vulnerability of young people in the labour market if Scotland is to avoid the creation of a lost generation of young people, as occurred in the 1980s.
To support this, the Government recently launched 16+ Learning Choices, the new model for supporting young people to make the right decisions as they reach their school leaving age - whether that be staying on at school, moving into college or university, entering work-based training or learning in a community or third sector setting.
This will be rolled out across Scotland by 2010, and will ensure all young people have a suitable offer of learning and access to better advice to reach the right decisions about the opportunities available for their future.
Supporting young people into positive and sustained destinations is an entitlement of the senior phase of Curriculum for Excellence and is outlined in 'Building the Curriculum 3'.
16+ Learning Choices will guide schools, and other learning providers, in their planning and delivery of a coherent and inclusive curriculum in the senior phase.
This approach - the Scottish Government's alternative to the English plan to increase the school leaving age to 18 - places young people’s needs and interests at the heart of our system, rather than focusing on specific programmes or institutions. It supports the planning of the senior phase of Curriculum for Excellence for all young people, with a focus on improving outcomes for young people who leave school at the earliest opportunity and for those who need additional support to make a successful transition.
Currently 21 local authorities have started to implement 16+ Learning Choices for their young people, bringing together a broad range of partners who each have a critical role to play. The remaining authorities will begin implementation from summer 2009.
Personal and social development opportunities
Some young people who are not ready or are unable to take up a more formal offer of learning could take part in a personal and social development opportunity or volunteering, which will act as a stepping stone into a more formal destination.
This opportunity is just as appropriate as one of the more formal options if it is relevant to and meets the needs of a young person. By developing literacy, numeracy and employability skills alongside personal qualities such as self-esteem, confidence and resilience, young people will be better placed to move to a more formal destination when the time is right.
Personal and social development opportunities will be delivered locally by community learning and development services and other partners, for example from the voluntary sector or by volunteering organisations.
All partners, including schools, will have important roles to play in providing information and advice to all young people on the options available to them, identifying needs, tracking and monitoring and providing ongoing support.
A strong commitment to information sharing and communication between partners will also be crucial in ensuring that no young person misses out.
16+ Learning Choices National Network
Learning and Teaching Scotland, in partnership with the Scottish Government and Local Authority colleagues, has established a 16+ Learning Choices National Network which plans to meet four times a year to share experiences and explore solutions to the issues that will arise in the run-up to full implementation from December 2010.
16+ Learning Choices in action
Fife has a robust and ambitious approach to 16+ Choices which has resulted in development of much effective practice on which other local authorities and their partners can draw.