Members of the Education Resources Committee heard how a range of programmes and initiatives are helping young people into work, apprenticeships and further education.

There are three programmes aimed at young people who are attending school and plan to follow a vocational pathway: GradU8, Gradu8 Work Experience and Foundation Apprenticeships.

For young people who are identified as requiring support to progress to a positive destination the Aspire programme can support them in the last six months of school, and if they require further support they can progress to AspireWorks which is a post school programme to support young people to develop employability skills.

Subjects offered by the Gradu8 programme are: Beauty Skills, Horticulture, Construction, Hospitality, Digital and Media, Make Up Artistry, Early years and Childcare, Sports and Recreation, Engineering, Travel and Tourism, Hair and Barbering, Uniformed Services and Health and Social Care.

Along with young people attending college and university, these programmes mean that in the most recent year for which data is available (2022/23), 96.9% of pupils found a positive destination.

Chair of the council’s Education Resources Committee, Councillor Lynsey Hamilton, said: “I am delighted that so many of our young people are moving into careers, apprenticeships or further education when they leave school.

“Helping a young person find their next step isn’t always easy, but the range of opportunities that is available to them, plus the support they receive, means that everyone should always have options when their senior school journey is nearing its end.

“I would like to thank all our schools, and the support staff within the wider Education community, who are making such a difference to young people’s lives.”

The full report, including case studies showing the value of the programmes, can be found on the council's website.