Learner Journey

#MyLearnerJourney SCOTLAND’S CURRICULUM FOR EXCELLENCE

Learner journey IN A NUTSHELL

A clear view to the future When it comes to thinking about options, parents have a big influence on what our children choose to do. So, that means we need to know what we are talking about. It’s up to us to take the long view because that’s harder for young people to do: it’s not just about now; it’s also about what’s up ahead and makes most sense based on the future job market. Young people have all sorts of options about what and where they learn as they move from S2 to S6 and beyond. They get the chance to learn in different ways and in different places. There’s a lot of flexibility in order to appeal to each young person. That’s because staying in learning after 16 is likely to give them the best chance of secure and rewarding work. You can do a lot to support your child to stay on track by: • Finding out, for yourself, about the options open to young people now • Keeping an open mind and remembering that the world of education and of work has changed a lot since you were at school • Encouraging your child to talk to you and others about their hopes and plans • Looking together with them at what’s out there and what might best suit them

Starting out As your child moves through school, they need time to try things out, find out what they like and don’t like, and also change their minds. You can help them by encouraging them to think about their skills, interests and strengths, the subjects/qualifications and awards they want to do now, and what they might do in the future. Their school will be doing the same: helping your child to explore the options, and to come up with a plan which gets them to where they want to go. If you know about the different qualifications and awards which your child can do, this will help you and them when it comes to choosing the direction of travel. There’s more about qualifications and awards in our other Nutshells in this series. Planning

A good place for young people to plan their learner journey is on My World of Work at: myworldofwork.co.uk/my-career-options They can set up their own account here. This site: • Prompts them to think about what they’re good at, and what they like and don’t like doing • Shows the many opportunities there are, whether it’s teaching windsurfing; being a music instructor, lawyer, health professional, accountant, actor; working in theatre tech, motor mechanics, audio production, photography, programming, design, cyber security; or something else that you or they have never even heard of Take a look yourself. You’ll be amazed at the opportunities for young people in Scotland now. Next steps There are some practical things you can do to support your child right now: Help them set up an account on myworldofwork.co.uk/my-career-options so they (and you) can see what’s on offer Encourage them to speak to the school about work experience and college taster courses so they can have a go at doing different things Suggest they speak to the school careers adviser who can give them career information, advice and guidance Tell the school if you can offer work experience to a pupil or give a talk about your work and how you arrived at it: schools are keen to hear about how school subjects relate to the world of work Help your child work out their next steps Reassure them that there are always options for learning new skills and retraining if they decide to do something different in the future Help them get any support they need whether they want to get a job straight from school; earn and learn in an apprenticeship; study at college and/or university; or some combination of these There’s no right way, wrong way or dead ends on the learner journey. Good connections The different options on the learner journey are connected. If someone sets off in a particular direction, they’ll find it connects to others. In most cases, they’ll arrive at the same place with lots of valuable experience, and no time wasted. 1 4 3 2 5 6 7

LEARNERS START HERE Young people can go to university: • From school, college or work (through a Graduate Apprenticeship) • To gain advanced knowledge and skills in a particular field Young people attending university gain graduate-level skills and specialist knowledge for a range of careers. Going straight to university from school is not the best option for everyone. There are different routes into university. For example, it’s possible to start a degree at college and then complete it at university. This takes the same amount of time, and leads to the same level of qualification, as going direct to university. Often the practical experience gained in college can help with finding a job after university. UNIVERSITY Young people can go to college to: • Build on what they’ve achieved at school, and progress to more specialist work, or further learning • Gain the qualifications to get a specialist job. Colleges have industry-standard equipment so young people can learn technical jobs such as audio-production; programming; digital design; beauty and wellbeing; retail and business management; catering; and much more • Get any qualifications that they didn’t gain at school, or do a course to start learning again after a break • Start a course and then transfer to university to get a degree FIND OUT >> Funding for college courses gov.scot/publications/helping-meet-costs-learning- training-guide-funding-2019-2020/pages/1/ COLLEGE When your child wants to leave school, encourage them to plan their next steps with the school. By this point, they should have had careers and personal guidance, and may have had the chance to do different training courses. They should know what they need to do to get on a course, find a job, and get support. They should also have been in contact with their local college so they know how and when to apply if they want to do so further along the line. Once they’re in work, they can continue to train – using an individualised learner account: myworldofwork.co.uk/learn-and-train/sds-individual- training-accounts-ita If the job comes to an end, they can always start a college course or apply for an apprenticeship to re-skill and re-enter the world of work. FIND OUT >> Senior Phase in a Nutshell npfs.org.uk/2019/06/senior-phase-in-a-nutshell My World of Work myworldofwork.co.uk/parents TRAINING AND WORK Apprenticeships give young people the chance to develop work-relevant skills and experience whilst learning. There are different kinds: Foundation Apprenticeships are available in school and combine training with school subjects. They are at the same level as Highers, and so can be used to go into employment, on to higher education at college or university, or a Modern or Graduate Apprenticeship. Modern Apprenticeships (MA) combine paid work with training. They start in the workplace giving young people the opportunity to work, earn and learn. There are over 80 different types of MA, covering hundreds of job roles. They are available at different levels: the higher the level the more technical and specialist the training. Colleges also offer MAs so there are a number of ways to start one. Graduate Apprenticeships are jobs in which people work, earn and learn, combining paid work while studying for a university degree. FIND OUT >> Apprenticeships in a Nutshell npfs.org.uk/downloads/category/careers-and-employment Apprenticeships apprenticeships.scot APPRENTICESHIPS WORK Options ahead... See your child’s learner journey at: myworldofwork.co.uk/my-career-options

Destination board My World of Work myworldofwork.co.uk For parents myworldofwork.co.uk/parents mykidscareer.com Parents as partners in their children’s learning education.gov.scot/parentzone/Documents/parents -as-partners-toolkit.pdf National Parent Forum of Scotland npfs.org.uk This Nutshell is part of Scotland’s Curriculum for Excellence series which also includes: Scotland’s Curriculum for Excellence in a Nutshell npfs.org.uk/2019/06/cfe-in-a-nutshell-2 Wider achievement in a Nutshell npfs.org.uk/2019/06/wider-achievement-in-a-nutshell Senior Phase in a Nutshell npfs.org.uk/2019/06/senior-phase-in-a-nutshell parentforumscotland.org enquiries@parentforumscotland.org

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parentforumscot JAN 2020