Future-Proofing the Skills System in the Glasgow City Region (Scotland, United Kingdom)

Report

OECD Reviews on Local Job Creation

16 September 2024

5. Getting youth on board: Facilitating the school-to-work transition

Abstract

This chapter examines the support and services provided to young people transitioning from school to work in the Glasgow City Region. It first explores variations in the education and employment outcomes of young people in the region. It then provides an overview of the compulsory school system for youth and the pathways for youth after compulsory education. The chapter then moves on to analysing services that support school-to-work transitions in the Glasgow City Region. It also discusses enhancing services like career guidance and programmes such as apprenticeships to facilitate youth participation and progression in their learner journeys.

In Brief

While educational attainment has increased for young people in the Glasgow City Region (GCR), the proportion of inactive youth not enrolled in education remains high. The qualification profile of the younger workforce has improved in recent years, and today, the share of highly qualified persons is higher for younger age groups (25-to-29-year-olds) than older generations in GCR. Yet, the region has a high proportion of young people (16-24 years) who are inactive and not enrolled in education (15% compared to the Scottish average of 9%).
The Scottish school system provides free education to all children in Scotland and allows pupils to build up a bespoke portfolio of qualifications and skills. The Scottish school system differs from the UK system in many dimensions, including flexibility for students to choose from various courses and “routes” (e.g. academic vs vocational qualification routes). Since the introduction of the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence, there has been an increasing focus on providing learning opportunities beyond the classroom, e.g. through volunteering and youth work. Local Authorities (LAs) play a crucial role in the system, given their statutory duty to ensure adequate education provision through schools in their areas.
Differences in youth outcomes across the LAs in the Glasgow City Region are observed from a young age. Pupils in East Renfrewshire and East Dunbartonshire in grades P1 (age 4-6), P4 (age 7-9) and P7 (age 10-12) have the highest literacy and numeracy scores in Scotland. At the same time, in Glasgow City, pupils have lower literacy and numeracy scores than the Scottish average. Differences in youth outcomes across LAs in GCR are likely related to the level of deprivation in local areas.
The outcomes of secondary school leaves have increased in Scotland and the Glasgow City Region over time. After the end of secondary school, young people can pursue various pathways into further and higher education, work-based learning and employment. While the pathways youth choose differ across the LAs in GCR, the overall picture is one of improvements. Within GCR, all LAs have seen a similar development, with the share of youth not achieving a positive destination falling in recent years. In 2022/23, the share ranged from 2% in East Renfrewshire to 8% in Glasgow City. Yet, when comparing outcomes at different stages, data shows that being in a positive destination at a young age (16-19) does not guarantee positive outcomes in the long run.
Several measures are in place locally to support vulnerable youth transitioning from school to work. At the local level, various stakeholders are involved in providing support for youth, including employability providers, Community Learning and Development providers, schools, colleges, universities, third-sector organisations, youth work organisations, and employers. While a particular focus is on facilitating partnerships with third-sector and youth organisations, these organisations face challenges related to diverse and complex commissioning processes and securing long-term funding.
Scotland and the Glasgow City Region have an extensive but also fragmented career guidance system for youth. In schools, youth are supported by advisors from Skills Development Scotland, school coordinators from the employer-led Developing the Young Workforce programme, and possibly other advisers financed by the LA. After leaving secondary education, youth enter a new career guidance system with a more significant number of providers. The system is challenging for youth to navigate, and an explicit challenge is the break in services at the age of 18. GCR could take steps to establish a dedicated career guidance and support system for youth until age 25, building on experiences from Finland and Norway.
The fragmentation of youth services extends beyond the career guidance system, and there is potential for further integration of services at local and possibly regional levels. While LAs can only influence parts of the youth support system (e.g. less influence once they move to further and higher education), they have a central role in supporting those who are at risk of or have fallen out of the system. These vulnerable youth often face complex challenges and need multiple support services. To facilitate their journey, GCR could seek to integrate youth services in two ways: 1) across education institutions, and 2) across education, employability and other support services (e.g. Community Learning and Development, health and mental health, social and housing). In this work, GCR could look to other OECD countries, such as Denmark and Vienna (Austria), that have taken various measures to provide holistic support for youth.
Employer engagement is growing in the Glasgow City Region, albeit from a relatively low level, and SMEs continue to fall behind the curve of larger companies. Employer engagement in youth support can take many forms, and in Scotland and GCR, one key element is participation in apprenticeship provision. Despite some prominent examples from larger employers, GCR suffers from low employer engagement in the apprenticeship system. This may be due to the relatively few national-level incentives and limited support for employers to offer apprenticeships. As part of broader activities to strengthen employer engagement in the regional skills system (see Chapter 3), GCR could take steps at the regional level to increase the number of employers providing apprenticeships in critical sectors of the regional economy. Other possible routes for employer engagement that could be strengthened are work experience, work shadowing or summer internship programmes. This could draw on experiences, e.g. from the Summer Job Programme in Boston (United States) and the Digital Upskilling of Youth Programme in Canada.

Introduction

Youth policies have been high on the agenda for the Scottish Government for the last decade or more. Youth in Scotland were particularly hard hit by the 2008 financial and economic crisis, with youth unemployment levels hitting record highs in 2012 (close to 23%). The Scottish Government responded quickly to support youth in the aftermath of the crisis, and since then, youth unemployment has been on a downward trend. Much of the work to support youth has been guided by Scotland’s Youth Employment Strategy Developing the Young Workforce, launched in 2014 (Scottish Government, 2014[1]). Despite the success of this strategy, variation in education and employment outcomes for youth across local areas and socio-economic groups remains a crucial challenge for local and national policymakers. In addition, pathways for youth after the end of compulsory education remain fragmented, and employer engagement to shape the education system and create a talent pool fit for the future labour market could be higher.

This chapter reviews policies that support school-to-work transitions in Scotland and the Glasgow City Region (GCR) and how to improve them further to achieve better outcomes for more youth. The first section considers the nature of employment and education outcomes for different types of young people within GCR and varying education and employment pathways. The following sections provide an overview of the Scottish compulsory school system and critical pathways for youth after the end of compulsory education. Hereafter, the chapter analyses the different services in GCR to support youth transitions from school to work, focusing on career guidance and integrating youth support services with other services such as family and health. The last section focuses on work-based learning (in particular apprenticeships) and other work-based learning and work experience programmes.

Key labour market outcomes of youth in the Glasgow City Region

Whilst the educational attainment of young people within the Glasgow City Region has improved relative to older generations, this is only the case for some groups. As more young people have been increasing their qualifications within GCR, the qualification profile of the younger workforce has been enhanced. For example, a large share of 25-to-29-year-olds (81%) held a university degree (Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF) level 4+) in 2023. This is higher than any other age group (Figure 5.1, Panel A) and both the Scottish and UK averages (Figure 5.1, Panel B).

Figure 5.1. Understanding educational attainment in the Glasgow City Region

The proportion of young people 16-24 who are inactive and not enrolled in education is higher in Glasgow City than the Scottish average. Given that many young people are inactive because they are enrolled in education, the standard inactivity rate is not a good measure of employment outcomes for this group. Instead, the number of the inactive, excluding those enrolled in education as a proportion of the population, is typically used. In Glasgow City, 15% of the 16-24 year old population was inactive and not enrolled in education in 2018-2020 (Figure 5.2). That was six percentage points higher than the Scottish average and the highest across all Local Authorities (LAs) in Scotland. While directly comparable data is unavailable, the NEET (not in employment, education or training) rate in Glasgow City appears higher than the UK and EU averages. The NEET rate among the 16-24-year-olds was 12% in the UK in October-December 2022 (ONS, 2023[2]). In the EU, the NEET rate among 15-24-year-olds was 9% in 2022, and it ranged from a low of 3% in the Netherlands and 5% in Sweden to a high of 14% in Lithuania and 17% in Romania (Eurostat, 2024[3]).

Figure 5.2. A high share of 16-24-year-olds in Glasgow City is inactive and not enrolled in education

Proportions of young people 16-24 who are inactive and not enrolled in full-time education, January 2018 – December 2020

The compulsory school system: Building the foundations for youth

Since the 17^th century, Scotland has provided free education to all children living in Scotland. In Scotland, nursery, primary, secondary and upper secondary education are free for children aged 2 to 18. The Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) is the national curriculum from nursery to secondary school. Within recent years, there has been an increasing emphasis within the national curriculum to prepare students for employment and strengthen their pathways to work (OECD, 2021[4]). While the education system is overseen by the national agency Education Scotland, Scottish LAs play an essential role in providing education through schools in their area. In GCR, differences in youth outcomes across the LAs are observed from a young age, likely related to differences in deprivation across the local areas.

The structure of the primary and secondary education in Scotland

The Scottish education system differs from the rest of the UK in its approach, e.g., curriculum, qualifications, exams, and school-leaving age. The Scottish education system includes early years learning and childcare, primary education, secondary education and upper secondary education (senior phase), all free of charge. The education system follows the CfE introduced in 2010. The CfE emphasises a broad education focusing on skills development and interdisciplinary learning (OECD, 2021[4]). All educational qualifications in Scotland are part of the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework, ranging between Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) qualifications, Scottish Vocational Qualifications (SQV) and higher education qualifications. Assessments for SQA qualifications often include a combination of coursework and final exams. While the legal school leaving age is 16, students can continue their education until 18 years.

Primary, secondary and the first year of upper secondary education are compulsory and include a set of national standardised assessments. Mandatory education in Scotland begins in Primary 1 (P1) at primary school and ends in Fourth Year (S4) at secondary/upper secondary school. Children start primary school between four and a half and five and a half, depending on when the child’s birthday falls. Pupils remain at primary school for seven years and are eleven or twelve when they start secondary school. Secondary/upper secondary school includes four compulsory years and an additional two years, which are optional. At the end of compulsory school, students are aged 15 to 16. Primary and secondary school students sit mandatory National Standardised Assessments in Primary (P1). Primary 4 (P4), Primary 7 (P7) at the end of primary school and Third Year (S3) in secondary school (Scottish Government, 2022[5]).

Upper secondary education (Senior Phase) consists of one compulsory and two optional years. The Senior Phase includes S4, S5, and S6. In S4 (which is compulsory), students take SQCF qualifications. After the end of S4, students can leave the education system. However, students can also stay in school for two additional years (S5 and S6) to study for Higher and/or Advanced Higher exams from age 16 to 18. At the end of S5, students can go directly to university as Highers provide the entry requirements for Scottish universities. However, in recent years, more and more students have chosen to remain until S6, taking further Highers or Advanced Highers (Table 5.1) (Scottish Government, 2022[5]).

Age (years)	SCQF Levels	Education level	Provider
2 to 5	-	Early Years Learning and Childcare	Nurseries
5-12	-	Primary: Seven years, P1 to P7 (compulsory)	Primary schools
12-15	-	Secondary: Three years, S1 to S3 (compulsory)	Secondary schools
15-18	2-7	Upper-secondary (Senior Phase): Three years, S4 (compulsory) and S5-S6 (optional). Subjects studied at different levels for various qualifications, including general education routes (e.g. Nationals, Highers, etc.) and vocational routes (e.g. Apprenticeships, Scottish Vocational Qualifications (SVQs)	Secondary schools, colleges or independent training providers

Source: Based on the OECD (2021[4]), Scotland’s Curriculum for Excellence: Into the Future, Implementing Education Policies, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/bf624417-en.

Young people can build up a bespoke portfolio of qualifications, awards and skills by the time they leave school and move on to their next stage of learning or employment. The Scottish school system allows students to choose a range of courses and gain various qualifications and awards. These include more academic routes that involve courses in multiple subjects from National 1 to 5, Higher and Advanced Higher. Alternatively, students can take a more work-based route that leads to vocational qualifications, including Scottish Vocational Qualifications (SQVs) and apprenticeships. In addition, there is an increasing focus on opportunities for students to gain broader achievements and personal awards, which, in some circumstances, can be accredited. These opportunities extend into volunteering and youth work, including a comprehensive system of youth work awards that provides non-formal learning opportunities for young people aged 10 to 25. The awards are designed to encourage personal development, skills acquisition and community involvement among young people (Education Scotland, 2015[6]; Awards Network, 2024[7]).

Over the last decade, the national school curriculum has emphasised preparing young people for employment and strengthening pathways to work. The CfE promotes an interdisciplinary approach to provide all young people with broader skills, attributes, and knowledge to flourish in the future labour market (OECD, 2021[4]; Education Scotland, 2024[8]). In upper secondary schools, a key ambition is to provide students with various learner pathways to prepare them for academic and vocational routes. In addition, a core policy aim is for the school to be “learner-centred”, meaning that there are no pre-convinced notions about the number or types of qualifications taken and that learning can be provided by a range of providers, including schools, colleges, Community Learning and Development (CLD) and other less formal settings.

The institutional framework of the education system in Scotland

Local Authorities play a crucial role in supporting the education and learning of young people and building the foundations to prepare them for work. Scottish LAs have a statutory duty to ensure adequate education provision through schools in their area. This duty extends from early years through primary and secondary education. This includes a critical focus on reducing the attainment gap, i.e. the disparity in education outcomes/academic achievement levels between different groups of students, often correlated with socio-economic factors, ethnicity, disability or other demographics (Scottish Government, 2023[9]). Combined with their broader responsibilities for delivering employability services (including for youth out of employment, education and training) and CLD, LAs assume a central role in supporting especially more vulnerable youth in their transition from the last years of school and into work or other positive destinations such as further and higher education, apprenticeships and voluntary work.

Education Scotland is the national agency overseeing the delivery of the CfE and providing guidance to schools and Local Authorities. It is pivotal in driving improvement and ensuring quality in Scotland’s education system, working in partnership with schools, educators, LAs, and other stakeholders. A vital task of the agency is to provide schools and LAs with guidance and tools to enable more devolved management within schools and support local decision-making. Local priorities for action to drive better outcomes for young people are also informed by Local Authority Improvement Plans (LAIPs), which are strategic documents developed by LAs to outline their priorities and strategies for improving educational outcomes and enhancing the quality of education within their jurisdiction. The plans are created within the National Improvement Framework (NIF), introduced in 2016 to strengthen the co-ordination of local and national education priorities. The NIF includes a set of indicators and benchmark measures to monitor and evaluate educational performance across the 32 LAs (Education Scotland, 2023[10]).

School spending per pupil in Scotland is over 18% higher than in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (Institute for Fiscal Studies, 2023[11]). In Scotland, provisional education budgets are determined over three years, but annual budgets are agreed upon and allocated for each financial year in line with LAs setting council tax levels. From 2009/2010 to 2014/2105, school spending per pupil fell across the UK (a fall of 6.5% in Scotland). Since then, spending per pupil has mostly recovered to 2010 levels across England, Wales and Northern Ireland and has more than reversed past cuts in Scotland. In the most recent year (2022/23), school spending per pupil in Scotland was over GBP 8 500 – compared to the average of GBP 7 200 across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Increased spending in Scotland has primarily reflected an expansion in the early-years funding and increases in teacher pay (Sibieta, 2023[12]).

Most funding for school education comes through councils, with the remainder coming directly from the Scottish Government and Scottish Government agencies. Council spending on school education accounts for around a quarter of council revenue expenditure, with local spending on primary and secondary school education increasing in real terms between 2013/14 and 2018/19 by 5.1% (from GBP 4.1 billion to GBP 4.3 billion). In the same period, the number of pupils in Scottish schools increased by 1.7% (The Scottish Parliament, 2021[13]).

Educational outcomes of primary and secondary school pupils vary across LAs in the Glasgow City Region

The differences in youth outcomes across the Local Authorities in the Glasgow City Region are observed from a young age. Pupils in East Renfrewshire and East Dunbartonshire in grades P1 (age 4-6), P4 (age 7-9) and P7 (age 10-12) have the highest literacy and numeracy scores in Scotland. At the same time, in Glasgow City, pupils have lower literacy and numeracy scores than the Scottish average (Figure 5.3).

Figure 5.3. School leavers in Glasgow City are less likely to attain one or more passes than the Scottish average

Share of pupils achieving the Curriculum for Excellence, P1, P4 and P7 combined, 2022/2023

Differences in youth outcomes across the Local Authorities in the Glasgow City Region are likely related to deprivation. East Renfrewshire and East Dunbartonshire, the LAs with the best outcomes among youth in GCR, have the lowest share of pupils living in deprived areas of Scotland, at 6% and 8% respectively (Figure 5.4). In contrast, Glasgow City has the highest share of pupils living in deprived areas, at 56%. Pupils from the most deprived areas tend to have lower educational and labour market outcomes. This suggests that the sheer scale of deprivation might be the driving factor behind the lower educational and labour market outcomes in some LAs, such as Glasgow City.

Figure 5.4. A high share of pupils in Glasgow City and surrounding areas live in the most deprived areas of Scotland

Share of pupils in Q1 most deprived areas, 2021/2022

The Scottish Government allocates additional funding to Local Authorities with the highest levels of deprivation and challenges in terms of educational outcomes. LAs with the highest proportions of pupils living in the most deprived areas, based on the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD), are classified as Attainment Challenge Councils. These LAs receive additional funding from the Scottish Government through the Attainment Scotland Fund (ASF), which supports the Scottish Attainment Challenge (Scottish Government, 2024[14]). Five of eight LAs in GCR are classified as Attainment Challenge Councils: Glasgow City Council, West Dunbartonshire Council, Inverclyde Council, North Lanarkshire Council and Renfrewshire Council. The fund supports specific households living in deprived areas with children who are known to be at a higher risk of poverty-related lower attaint (e.g. single-parent households, households with disabled members or members with ethnic minority backgrounds). Most recent data shows that despite a slight improvement from 2021/22 to 2022/23, those from poorer backgrounds are still 20 percentage points behind their better-off peers (Scottish Government, 2023[15]).

The post-school system: Pathways for youth after compulsory education

After finishing upper secondary education, youth in Scotland have multiple pathways to pursue, with higher education being the most common. Depending on when they leave school (at level S4 or S5/S6), youth can pursue four main routes: further education in colleges, higher education in universities, employment/apprenticeships and training, voluntary work or personal skills development. In Scotland, these routes are termed “positive destinations” and are distinguished from “other destinations”, which include unemployed and inactive youth and those with unknown destinations. In Scotland, 93.5% of school leavers were in a positive follow-up destination in 2021/22 – the highest proportion since consistent records began in 2009/10 (Scottish Government, 2023[16]). 40% of school leavers were in higher education (the most common follow-up destination), 22% in further education and 34% were in employment (Figure 5.5). The purpose of this section is to describe the different pathways youth can take after they leave the compulsory school system in Scotland and the outcomes for youth in GCR.

What happens after secondary school: College, university, apprenticeship or work?

Differences exist in the pathways that school leavers pursue across the Glasgow City Region, which likely affects their subsequent employment outcomes. In GCR, 45% of school leavers study at a university nine months after leaving school, five percentage points higher than the Scottish average (Figure 5.5). School leavers in GCR are also less likely to go directly into employment after leaving school. However, pathways of secondary school leavers differ across the LAs. In East Renfrewshire and East Dunbartonshire, the share of pupils that pursue higher education is over 20 percentage points higher than the Scottish average. In these areas, few secondary school leavers go to further education or directly into employment (including apprenticeships). In contrast, a lower share of secondary school leavers in Glasgow City pursue university education (38%) than the Scottish average (40%), and a higher share goes into further education. Few secondary school leavers go directly into employment (including apprenticeships) after finishing secondary education (27%) compared to the other LAs in Scotland, and a relatively high share goes into “other” positive destinations such as personal skills development or voluntary work (8%).

Figure 5.5. Many secondary school leavers in Glasgow City pursue further education, and relatively few enter employment

Destinations of secondary school leavers at follow-up (9 months after leaving school), 2021/2022

While students can leave education at age 15/16 (level S4), most stay one or two more years during the senior phase (levels S5 and S6). The Scottish Government has encouraged students to stay in education beyond compulsory years. This push is reflected in statistics on school leaver cohorts. In 2021/22, 60% of the school leaver cohort was in S6, while 28% were in S5 and only 12.5% in S4 (Scottish Government, 2023[17]). In addition, steps to establish a fast-track entry from school into universities have been taken, involving a review of application processes and criteria in universities. Some stakeholders interviewed in this context have criticised the push to make a maximum number of pupils stay in school longer and go to university. It is seen to be in opposition to other government efforts to broaden the range of pathways for youth when they leave compulsory school and support students into the most suitable educational track (rather than the highest possible). In addition, it has been argued that despite increasing demand for high-skilled workers in the Scottish economy, (higher) vocational education and other work-based learning might also provide skills in demand now and in the future.

Outcomes for youth after leaving secondary school

The measures of youth outcomes commonly used in Scotland are the participation rates of 16-19-year-olds and secondary school leavers. The outcomes of secondary school leavers have increased over time in Scotland and GCR. In GCR, the share of youth aged 16-19 not achieving a positive destination has decreased from 12% in 2016/17 to 8% in 2022/23. In Scotland, the share has reduced from 9% to just below 6% in the same period (Figure 5.6). Within GCR, all LAs have seen a similar development, with the share of youth not achieving a positive destination falling in recent years. In 2022/23, the share ranged from 2% in East Renfrewshire to 8% in Glasgow City (Figure 5.6).

Figure 5.6. Outcomes of youth over time by Local Authority and in Scotland

Share of 16-19-year-olds not achieving a positive destination

A central tool to support positive destinations for youth and collaboration across multiple stakeholders is the 16+ Data Hub. The Scotland-wide 16+ Data Hub supports information sharing among key partners in the youth field to provide tailored support to young people (age 16-19) when they leave school, specifically those not moving on to learning or work. It is a secure online portal which allows partners (including SDS, LAs, schools, colleges, SFC, SAAS, and the Department for Work and Pensions) to input and access a combined database of information on individuals as outlined in the legislation requirements. Data in the database include expected school leaving dates, where young people intend to go after school, and information on those receiving career services and welfare benefits. This enables front-line staff to provide more effective, targeted support (Skills Development Scotland, 2024[18]). However, interviews with stakeholders in the region indicate that the actual use of the data hub varies across LAs and other stakeholders.

While tracking outcomes of students leaving education is critical, many youth aged 20 to 24 are in non-positive destinations; hence, outcomes for these higher-age groups could also be monitored more regularly. The measures of youth outcomes commonly used in Scotland are the participation rates of 16-19-year-olds and secondary school leavers. This is an additional year in comparison to England, where outcomes for 16-18 years are commonly followed (Government of the United Kingdom, 2023[19]), but less than in Wales and Northern Ireland, where outcomes up to 24 years are regularly tracked (Welsh Government, 2024[20]; Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency, 2024[21]). Data for the UK as a whole shows that many youth, especially those beyond 20 years, have non-positive outcomes: While only 4% of 16-17 year-olds were NEET in the third quarter of 2023 in the UK as a whole, 11.4% of 18-20 year-olds, 16% of 21-22 year-olds, and 15.9% of 23-24 year-olds were NEET during the same period (ONS, 2024[22]). That suggests that being in a positive destination at a young age (16-19) or shortly after finishing secondary school does not guarantee a positive outcome in the long run. Therefore, the measures of youth outcomes in Scotland that focus on the 16-19 age group and the school leavers may not be sufficient to monitor the education system’s effectiveness in helping youth find sustainable employment.

A combination of actions is needed to ensure that youth outcomes are positive in Scotland in the short and long term. As a starting point, it seems necessary to establish measures for participation rates that cover a broader age range (e.g. 16-24) or to add a follow-up measure for secondary school leavers (e.g. after three years). This will allow Scottish authorities across levels of government to track youth outcomes for extended periods. In addition, various measures are needed to ensure that youth outcomes improve in the long run. This could include a strengthened and better-connected career guidance offer both in and after school, as well as stronger co-operation across schools, colleges and universities to facilitate information-sharing between the different education institutions and allow, e.g. for feedback on how students can be best prepared to enter further and higher education (see the following sections).

Services and programmes supporting youth school-to-work transitions in the Glasgow City Region

While transitioning from school to work may be straightforward for many young people, others find it more challenging. The ease or difficulty with which young people can transition from school to work has a lasting impact on their lives and labour market prospects. For some groups of youth, the transition into adulthood remains a complicated process. Therefore, supporting students in successfully transitioning from school to further education, training, or work is essential.

In Scotland, several services are in place to support youth transitioning from school to work. Career advisers from Skills Development Scotland (SDS) are available in every secondary school in Scotland for youth still in education but seeking guidance on pathways beyond school. For youth at risk (as assessed by their schools) of falling out of education or leaving school without a positive destination, LAs provide employability services and Community Learning and Development (CLD) activities. In addition, other support services, such as youth work, health and mental health, and housing and family services/learning, are available and often delivered by or in partnership with LAs. Lastly, apprenticeships (particularly Foundational and Modern Apprenticeships) and broader work-based learning opportunities are available for youth seeking an alternative to more academic routes.

These measures target the youth for whom the pathways after school are not straightforward and where vocational education and training may present an alternative to the academic route. In this section, these measures are presented and discussed based on learning from other OECD countries that have invested in support measures for youth school-to-work transitions. The section includes a discussion of i) the youth career guidance system in the Glasgow City Region, ii) measures to integrate youth services locally, iii) youth programmes in Scotland and the Glasgow City Region and iv) the role of the third-sector organisations in providing services for the most vulnerable youth.

The youth career guidance system in the Glasgow City Region is complex and includes multiple overlapping services

Career guidance is essential to prepare young people to succeed in an ever-changing labour market. Today, young people live in a society where creating sustainable career opportunities is complex. Career guidance is the range of activities that support individuals in managing their careers and making educational, training, and occupational choices that match their characteristics. It helps students navigate the many options and pathways available when they leave school and progress through further and higher education, work-based learning, and employment.

Scotland has a comprehensive career advice and guidance system for youth at the local and school levels. The main elements of the Scottish all-age career advice and guidance system were laid out in Chapter 3 of this report. While the leading Scottish provider is SDS, the broader career guidance system includes multiple stakeholders operating through various sites. This is especially the case for youth, who can receive guidance at different stages in their school-to-work transition, including in secondary/upper secondary schools, colleges, and universities, through employability and CLD services and the broader landscape of youth organisations. The baseline career guidance provision draws on the universal careers service delivered by SDS. SDS has advisers in every state secondary school in Scotland. While support is initiated for everyone in the third year of secondary school, it is targeted more to those most in need over time. This is in line with findings across OECD countries, which show that particularly youth from the most disadvantaged backgrounds are confused about what they need to do to secure their job ambitions (e.g (Mann, 2020[23])).

Beyond the SDS advisors, Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) school coordinators operate across Scotland's public secondary schools. Launched in 2014, Developing the Young Workforce is Scotland’s Youth Employment Strategy, created to bridge the gap between employers and young people (Box 5.1). The strategy has resulted in a broader DYW programme implemented nationwide through 21 DYW Regional Groups. Three groups operate in GCR: DYW Glasgow, DYW West, and DYW Lanarkshire and East Dunbartonshire. These groups lead various initiatives, including the DYW school coordinators, who support senior management in the schools to create a structure for employer engagement and embed the DYW strategy and other employer offers within the curriculum (Scottish Government, 2021[24]). The school coordinators also engage with teachers and SDS advisors, e.g. to strengthen employer-led career aspiration activity and promote vocational pathways in a system that has traditionally focused more on academic routes. In addition to the DYW and SDS offer, some LAs commission additional career guidance services in school. One example is the MCR Pathways, a mentoring programme delivered nationwide, including in Glasgow City (MCR Pathways, 2024[25]).

Box 5.1. Developing the Young Workforce (DYW)

Following the recommendations from the Commission for Developing Scotland’s Young Workforce published in 2014, the Scottish Government developed its youth employability strategy – Developing the Young Workforce. The strategy sets out to deliver on the recommendations from the commission through partnerships with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and Scotland’s education and employer communities. A central part of the strategy has been the implementation of 21 employer-led DYW Regional Groups that help coordinate a series of partnerships between employers and local education institutions (e.g. schools, colleges and universities). The regional groups aim to bridge the gap between industry and education and assist employers in actively preparing young people for the world of work. Activities promoted by the regional groups are, among others, extra-curricular projects, career-focused events, work experience placements, and workplace visits. Another central part of the strategy has been the development of the Marketplace – an online tool connecting schools and colleges with businesses, e.g. by providing information on workplace site visits and career events.

Source: Scottish Government (2021[24]), “Implementation of Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) school coordinators - child rights and wellbeing impact assessment (CRWIA)”, www.gov.scot/publications/implementation-developing-young-workforce-dyw-school-coordinators-child-rights-wellbeing-impact-assessment-crwia/ (accessed on 02.05.2024).

After leaving school, youth enter a new career guidance system with a more significant number of providers. For youth who continue into further or higher education or work-based training, career guidance will be provided by colleges, universities, independent training providers, professional associations, etc. For youth not in education, employment, or training, career guidance may be provided by SDS, employability providers, Jobcentre Plus offices, voluntary organisations, CLD practitioners, etc. SDS has a targeted career guidance support service – the Next Step Service – for vulnerable unemployed youth up to 18 years. After this age, youth fall under the remit of the general adult guidance service provided through walk-in centres, phone and online through the My World of Work portal. Local stakeholders, including voluntary organisations, provide additional support for youth facing multiple challenges. In GCR, all LAs are actively working through the more comprehensive provider network to strengthen partnerships across the various providers and provide more intensive support for those most in need. As described in the national strategy for career guidance, these services can take multiple forms (Scottish Government, 2020[26]).

The career guidance system stands at a crossroads in light of the outcomes of the Career Services review. The Scottish Government launched Scotland’s Career Strategy Moving Forward in February 2020 (Scottish Government, 2020[26]). The strategy was followed by the Career Review programme, which was implemented by the Career Services Collaborative. This programme has resulted in several reports, including the Careers By Design report, which in February 2022 outlined ten recommendations on delivering the national strategy and the final report launched in March 2023. The Career Review outlines an ambitious programme to redesign the career ecosystem to create a more integrated and user-driven service, which the Scottish Government has subsequently approved. Among the key elements was the design and implementation of a Target Operating Model, which defines a common vision, shared outcomes, and a consistent set of service delivery principles to be applied across the ecosystem of career services (Skills Development Scotland, 2023[27]).

Despite ongoing reform efforts, the Scottish career guidance system for youth faces challenges. With multiple providers operating in different settings and stages in the school-to-work transition, the career guidance system is challenging for youth to navigate. This is the case for youth in schools and those who have left the compulsory education system. In schools, various advisors covering different parts of the “guidance field” (e.g. employer relations and mentoring) seem unnecessary. This is especially true in the LAs where additional services have been purchased. These roles could be integrated under the same organisation (e.g. SDS). Stakeholders consulted for this review also raised concerns about i) capacity/funding (i.e. only one SDS advisor for an average of 840 pupils in upper secondary schools), ii) inconsistency (different parts of the system emphasise different pathways), iii) targeting (if resources are sufficiently directed towards vulnerable youth), iv) and quality (a lack of standardised use of labour market information to align guidance with regional labour market needs especially for non-SDS services). Looking beyond the school system, an explicit challenge is the break in services at the age of 18. In other OECD countries, dedicated career guidance systems for youth are available until higher ages (e.g. 25 years) to avoid a break at a critical moment (age 18) in the school-to-work transition.

There are multiple examples across the OECD of how countries work to strengthen their career guidance system for youth. One example is from Finland, where a combination of school guidance counsellors and one-stop-shop guidance centres provides guidance and support for youth until age 30. Participation in career guidance is compulsory for youth aged 13-16, career education is part of the core curriculum and school guidance counsellors serve as full-time, salaried staff members. In addition to the guidance counsellors, a well-established network of one-stop-shop guidance centres provides support for youth up to 30 years old across the country. Another example is Norway, where youth can access targeted career guidance up to age 21. As in Finland, this is combined with a broader support system for youth up to the age of 30 (Box 5.2).

Box 5.2. Career guidance services for youth in other OECD countries

Access to Guidance Counsellors and One-Stop Guidance Centres in Finland

In Finland, career education has been embedded in the Finnish education system and its core curriculum since 1970. Students in grades 7-9 (ages 13-16) are required to complete 76 hours of compulsory career education. Career education is treated as, and has a similar status to, general education subjects such as mathematics or history. The national core curriculum promotes a whole-school approach to career education. Within the core curricula, acquiring career management skills is an explicit objective for learning. School guidance counsellors serve as full-time, salaried staff members whose qualifications are legally defined by the state. They oversee the mandatory compulsory hours of education, coordinate partnerships and work agreements with employers, and provide individual career guidance to students. The ratio of students to guidance counsellors is about 250 to 1.

In addition to guidance counsellors, a well-established network of one-stop-shop guidance centres (Ohjaamo centres) for young people has been in place since 2014, counting almost 70 centres across the country in 2024. The centres provide a wide range of services at the local level, free of charge, to young people under 30 to support their transition from school to work and provide guidance and support in various matters. The objective is to bring multidisciplinary services and staff together in one centre (one-stop-shops). Young people can access the centres during opening hours and are not restricted to using the respective municipality of their residence. Young people may, for example, receive support on issues related to studying, finding employment, housing, and dealing with health and welfare issues. The centres build on co-operation between the Finnish Public Employment Service and the municipalities. Staff is disciplined in different areas and can be employment counsellors, social workers, health personnel such as nurses, outreach workers, financial advisors, and advisors on foreigners’ permits and immigration, etc. Representatives from the youth centres meet multiple times yearly to share experiences and practices and learn what works and does not work across the centres.

Career guidance and one-stop-shop centres in Norway

According to the Norwegian Education Act, pupils in upper secondary schools in Norway have the right to education and vocational counselling through advice and information on the choice of profession and education, education tracks, occupational areas and the labour market, guidance tools and job search and application procedures. In addition, youth under 21 who are not in education or work are entitled to individual follow-up and supervision. The Norwegian counties are responsible for establishing the follow-up services and establishing contact with individual youth in the target group. In addition, the Ung.no website, administrated by the Directorate for Children, Youth and Family Affairs, provides information and guidance for young people aged 13-20 about opportunities, rights and obligations related to the labour market. The career guidance work occurs within the Norwegian Youth Garantuee, which was renewed in 2023. The guarantee is a “follow-up guarantee”, where everyone between the ages of 16 and 30 will receive help and close follow-up from a youth counsellor, e.g. to complete their education or find employment opportunities. The guarantee is overseen by the Norwegian PES (NAV), which facilitates interdisciplinary youth teams that work together to provide young people with complex problems with a more comprehensive and coordinated service.

Source: OECD (2024[28]), “Career Readiness Project: Effective Career Guidance”, www.oecd.org/education/career-readiness/examples-of-practice/; NAV (2024[29]), “New Youth Guarantee in NAV”, www.nav.no/samarbeidspartner/ungdomsgaranti#hvem-er-omfattet-av-ungdomsgarantien.

In the context of national reforms and building on international experiences, members of the Glasgow City Region could seek to support the co-ordination of career guidance delivered in the region. While the Scottish Government determines the future of the national career guidance system, GCR has options to 1) provide input to this work and 2) facilitate co-operation among the multiple providers that operate at the local or regional level. One option could be for GCR to establish a working group on career services as part of the renewed GCR governance structure. The group could support a regional dialogue with the Career By Design Collaborative, including options to simplify the existing system for career guidance in schools (e.g. by integrating different advisor roles under the same organisation and strengthening their capacity to provide support in schools). In addition, the eight LAs in GCR could continue strengthening the existing career guidance offered in the region by supporting collaboration among the different advisers operating in schools. There are also options for the region to enhance career guidance services for youth out of employment, education and training – e.g. by building an offer that supports youth beyond 18. Lastly, GCR could look into options to strengthen collaboration between schools, colleges and universities to facilitate transitions into further and higher education.

Integration of youth services can facilitate transitions into further and higher education and help target youth who face multiple barriers to labour market participation

In recent years, governments in OECD countries have integrated services for individuals experiencing vulnerable situations, often with a particular focus on youth (OECD, 2023[30]). Youth policies are designed and delivered by a mix of central government, local government, education institutions, third-sector organisations, etc. Jointly, they cover various services, including education, employment and training, and health and social policies. Responsibilities for different parts of these services are often spread out across varying levels of government and other stakeholders. This may be a challenge, especially for vulnerable youth (e.g. care-experienced youth, youth from ethnic minorities, youth with disabilities or youth affected by poverty) who face a complexity of challenges that cut across different public services. For these youth, a holistic service integration approach is needed.

Service integration is especially relevant in the transitions from school to work, where youth move from childhood to adolescence and adulthood. In these transitions, young people must make essential choices, e.g., about their future education and career paths. In addition, if they need special support measures, they will often move from one system to another, e.g. when turning 18 or 25.

There is a potential for further integration of youth services to support school-to-work transitions in Scotland and the Glasgow City Region. It is widely recognised among stakeholders in GCR that services such as education, CLD, employability, health and mental health and housing services need to work more closely together to facilitate transitions, particularly for disadvantaged youth. The current youth system entails a risk of fragmentation due to a lack of vertical integration (i.e. across levels of government) and horisontal integration (i.e. across multiple stakeholders operating at each level). From the local perspective, LAs only influence parts of the support system (e.g. schools and employability services) and have less to say when youth move, e.g. into further and higher education. In addition, LAs suffer from internal fragmentation, with different departments operating according to individual budgets, governance structures, legislation, data information systems and professional cultures.

The Glasgow City Region could seek to integrate youth services in two ways: 1) across education institutions and 2) across education, employability and other support services. Integration across education providers and institutions could be beneficial for most youth in the region in the period just before/after leaving school. While several regional partnerships are already in place to encourage joint working in the regional education and skills sector, these tend only to cover parts of the system. For example, the Regional Improvement Collaborative (the West Partnership) is an education network operating across the GCR, focusing only on schools (Box 5.3).

Box 5.3. West partnership – the Regional Improvement Collaborative in the Glasgow City Region

The Regional Improvement Collaboratives were introduced following recommendations from the 2015 OECD Review Improving Schools in Scotland: An OECD Perspective. The objective of the partnerships is to provide educational improvement support to schools to raise learner outcomes and build capacity by establishing Networked Learning. This encourages innovation and the spread of good practice across a region, drawing on broader professional expertise from Local Authorities (LAs) and Education Scotland. The Scottish Government funds six partnerships nationally, and each partnership works through an annually agreed regional improvement plan and submits resourcing requests through an annual commissioning process. The West Partnership operating within the GCR consists of Directors and Heads of Service of Education for each of the eight LAs and a representative from Education Scotland. It reports to the GCR Education Committee, a sub-committee of the GCR Cabinet. The current improvement plan is organised around three workstreams: Wellbeing for Learning; Leadership, Empowerment and Improvement; and Curriculum and Learning, Teaching and Assessment. These are individually led by Workstream Lead Officers. The Regional Improvement Collaborative takes a network-based approach, seeking to build an infrastructure for collaboration beyond the core team to teachers and professionals. This includes working with specialist networks (e.g. early years, educational psychologists, family community, CLD, home education, health and wellbeing, digital officers, and literacy and numeracy.

Source: OECD (2015[31]), “Improving Schools in Scotland: An OECD Perspective”, https://www.oecd.org/education/school/improving-schools-in-scotland.htm; Glasgow City Region (2022[32]), “The West Partnership Improvement Plan 2022-23”, www.westpartnership.co.uk/; and Scottish Government (2021[33]), “Schools – Regional Improvement Collaboratives: review”, www.gov.scot/publications/review-regional-improvement-collaboratives/documents/.

While the Regional Improvement Collaborative is a good initiative on its own, there is an option to draw on the experience from the network to build a more comprehensive regional network, facilitating interactions with colleges, universities and other training providers. In Georgia (United States), the University of West Georgia and other education stakeholders have formed the Carrollton-Carroll County Education Collaborative. The collaborative facilitates corporation among critical stakeholders in the local education system to facilitate youth career pathways and access to further and higher education (Box 5.4). Another option is establishing a regional integrated information system where colleges, universities, and other training providers can access information on students with extra support needs earlier in their education journey. Such initiatives would allow for more targeted follow-up by these institutions. They could build on a mutual recognition of shared responsibility in preparing students for success in postsecondary education and beyond.

Box 5.4. The Carrollton County Education Collaborative in Carrollton-Carroll County (Georgia, United States)

The Carrollton-Carroll County Education Collaborative is a community-wide education initiative comprised of representatives from the University of West Georgia, West Georgia Technical College, Carroll County and City of Carrollton school systems, and chamber and community leaders. It was formed in 2014 to unite education leadership in the area and establish a shared vision for post-school success. The collaborative seeks to provide youth with career pathways and access to post-secondary education, ensuring that all students who graduate from high school are prepared to enter the workforce or a post-secondary institution, thus closing the achievement gap among students. The collaborative consists of an executive committee and several action teams (which focus on performance and research processes, student support and interventions, and communication and partnerships) and a networking effectiveness team (which addresses community and entity network structures continually evaluating the design and effectiveness of these structures).

Source: Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education (2024[34]), Carrollton-Carroll County Education Collaborative – 2019 Summit, Carrollton-Carroll County Education Collaborative – 2019 Summit – Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education (gpee.org).

For the most vulnerable youth who struggle with multiple challenges, a broader integration of education services with other support services (employment, social, housing, etc.) is needed. Comprehensive and holistic approaches to tackling youth unemployment tend to be more effective for disadvantaged youth than single interventions. In addition, studies show that effective support for young people furthest from the labour market is underpinned by intensive advisory support and personalised information, advice and guidance. Ideally, youth at risk of falling out of the labour market should be followed by one advisor with access to the broader network of providers. Building on the discussions around more integrated client journeys in the employability system (see Chapter 4) and the idea of a one-stop-shop approach to youth career guidance, LAs in GCR could, in close co-operation with schools, SDS, DWP, employability providers, CLD providers, colleges etc. seek to bring together services for youth through co-location and co-ordination measures. Efforts to develop youth one-stop shops could take inspiration from different measures implemented in Denmark and Vienna (Austria). These services are available for youth under the age of 25/30 (Box 5.5). Another interesting examples from the region is the work of the Prince’s Trust (see Box 5.7).

Box 5.5. Integrated youth services in other OECD countries

Denmark

In 2017, Denmark reformed their preparatory training and education system for youth under 25. The reform replaced many existing preparatory training and education offers for youth with one single, integrated and coherent programme for youth seeking to undertake upper secondary education or get into employment (Forberedende Grund Kursus). The target group of the new education and training offer is youth in vulnerable situations under the age of 25 who have not yet finished an upper secondary education or entered the labour market. The reform also gave the municipalities the full responsibility for supporting all young people under 25. All municipalities are responsible for assessing if young people are in the target group for the new training and education offer and coordinating youth support measures across the education, employment and social areas.

Vienna (Austria)

In Vienna, the “U25 – Together for Young People in Vienna” programme helps young, unemployed recipients of means-tested minimum income to provide for living independently. The project offers young people early and tailored-made support to help them find their way into the labour market and thus reduce the risk of needing long-term financial support. Each young person is assigned an individual advisor who helps them access relevant training, employment, and social support. The programme is delivered in co-operation between the Public Employment Service and the social welfare department in the municipality of Vienna. Despite initial challenges with different administrative competencies and responsibilities, the project has managed to make administrative authorities on different levels (federal and provincial levels) bundle their resources and services (insurance and social welfare services) for a joint target group to offer coordinated advice and support.

Source: OECD (2023[30]) “Integrating local services for individuals in vulnerable situations”, OECD Local Economic and Employment Development (LEED) Papers, No. 2023/08, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/1596644b-en; and European Institute of Public Administration – IPA (2024[35]): “U-25 - Together for Young People in Vienna”, www.eipa.eu/epsa/u25-together-for-young-people-in-vienna/ (accessed on 06.05.2024)

Youth programmes in Scotland and the Glasgow City Region

Multiple UK and Scottish Government programmes, including the Young Person’s Guarantee, Kickstart, and the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), provide support for youth. The Scottish Government has made significant investments in initiatives to support young people, using a range of ring-fenced funds. These include the Young Person’s Guarantee, which was launched in 2020 in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and seeks to ensure education and work opportunities for all young people aged 16 to 24 (Box 5.6). In addition, the UK Government has provided funding for youth employability services, e.g., through the Kickstart programme, a UK-wide initiative to create job-placement schemes for young people aged 16 to 24 who are at risk of long-term unemployment. The programme was closed in September 2022.

While these initiatives have been central to broadening opportunities beyond formal education for youth, they rely on short-term, project-based funding, which creates instability in the system. The predominance of more constrained, short-term and fluctuating funding can limit long-term planning and the continuity of local initiatives. As these funds fluctuate in scale and focus, this also adds substantially to the administrative loads and bureaucracy associated with accessing funds and managing performance and reporting requirements. Fund gaps also risk undermining and losing the expertise, capacity and capability acquired locally in running critical programmes.

GCR does not have a formal role in supporting youth, but the region has experience delivering a regional youth programme, Youth Gateway. The programme was an employment programme for young people (aged 16 to 24) and was led by Renfrewshire Council but delivered locally across all eight LAs in the region. During the programme, more than 18 000 youth from the region and 8 000 were guided into sustained employment. Youth Gateway emphasised early engagement with the employers and in-work support to ensure that jobs were sustained (see Chapter 4).

All the Local Authorities in the Glasgow City Region have developed employability programmes targeting youth. These programmes include, for example, the youth employability service My Brighter Future in South Lanarkshire, Inverclyde Youth Work Service and the In Work I’m Better Off programme in Renfrewshire. These programmes are primarily funded by the NOLB programme. LAs in GCR have also used the UKSPF to support vulnerable youth. For example, North Lanarkshire has extended its services for youth furthest from the labour market, Inverclyde has developed additional volunteering opportunities for youth, East Renfrewshire has enhanced its numeracy support for vulnerable youth and East Dunbartonshire has delivered youth programmes to improve skills (Glasgow City Region, 2022[36]).

Box 5.6. The Young Person’s Guarantee in Scotland

The Young Person’s Guarantee is a commitment from the Scottish government to connect young people in Scotland between 16 and 24 to positive destinations, i.e., a job, an apprenticeship, further or higher education, training, or volunteering opportunities. The guarantee builds on existing education, learning, employability and training opportunities. It seeks to bring together employers, education and training providers, third-sector organisations, Local Authorities, and young people to tackle the economic and social challenges youth face. Through the guarantee, funding from the Scottish Government has been channelled into, e.g. the college sector, Local Authorities through the Local Employability Partnerships, employers e.g. through an Apprenticeship Employer Grant to encourage more employers to take on Modern or Graduate Apprentices and schools through the DYW School Coordinators. As of March 2023, over 8 900 young people have been supported into positive destinations, and 816 employers have signed up to the guarantee, of which 75% were SMEs. More than 1 000 organisations across Scotland are currently involved in the programme.

Source: Scottish Government (2023[37]), “Young Person's Guarantee Update Report March 2023”, www.gov.scot/publications/young-persons-guarantee-update-report-march-2023/ (accessed on 27.05.2024).

The third sector plays a central role in the youth support system

A particular focus of Local Authorities in GCR is fostering partnerships in youth activities, for example, through third-sector organisations that specialise in youth work. As a result, several dedicated national and local youth organisations and third-sector organisations are active in GCR. Among the leading national organisations are Youthlink Scotland, Youth Scotland, Fast Forward (Scotland-wide) and the Prince’s Trust (UK-wide), which specialise in providing services to re-engage vulnerable young people. In addition, there are more local organisations, such as Fare Share (Box 5.7).

Box 5.7. Co-operation with the third sector in the Glasgow City Region to support youth

Prince’s Trust Wolfson Centre

The Prince’s Trust was established in 1976 to help young people from disadvantaged communities at risk of exclusion. With offices all across the UK, it has a dedicated office in Glasgow City: the Wolfson Centre. This centre operates as a youth employability hub that supports youth aged 13 to 30 living in deprived areas across the region to 1) advance their education and training, 2) secure work, and 3) set up their businesses. In the Wolfson Centre, advisers from various organisations are present, including Jobcentre Plus offices, Glasgow City Council’s Education Team (Positive Futures Teams), employability team (Jobs and Business Glasgow) and community-based providers. In addition, the centre has an in-house mental health team to support youth with mental health challenges. The delivery model includes two strands: i) indirect delivery through co-operation with trusted community providers (e.g. social enterprises, youth organisations, colleges and employers), and ii) in-house delivery teams. Referrals are made through the Jobcentre Plus offices, self-referral and Local Authorities. The fund also works closely with a range of mainly larger employers. For example, the fund has developed sector-based training programmes to provide youth with skills in demand in the regional economy (e.g. in the construction and engineering sector, green sector, and health and social care sector).

Move On and FareShare

Move On is a voluntary organisation operating across Scotland to provide a range of learning, employability services, and work experience to support youth at risk of social or labour market exclusion. The organisation was established in 1997 and has since expanded its operations nationwide through various support services, including employability services and mentoring. The organisation is a Scottish Qualification Authority (SQA) accredited learning centre that provides employability and training courses for youth leading to recognised qualifications. The organisation also operates two social enterprises: Move On Wood Recycling and Fare Share. Fare Share operates through a site in Glasgow where it saves surplus food from the food and drinks industry and redistributes it to frontline organisations, feeding the most vulnerable people in the community. The social enterprise uses its income (generated from an annual membership fee collected from the members to whom it distributes food) to fund its services and staff – primarily youth out of work and education. It focuses on providing youth with “soft skills” such as confidence-building, time-keeping, and vocational qualifications, including class-based training options.

Source: Move On (2024[38]), https://moveon.org.uk/our-services/ (accessed on 06.05.2024), Prince’s Trust (2024[39]), “Wolfson Centre”, www.princes-trust.org.uk/about-us/where-we-work/scotland/wolfson-centre, (accessed on 06.05.2024).

Third-sector organisations providing training and employability services for youth in the Glasgow City Region face challenges similar to those of other employability providers. As described in Chapter 4, third-sector organisations in the employability field face several challenges in providing services for individuals far from the labour market. These include challenges with diverse and complex commissioning processes across LAs and general challenges with securing long-term and sufficient funding for their operations (see Chapter 4). One challenge mentioned by multiple consulted stakeholders was the detailed requirements included when commissioning youth and employability programmes, which can make it challenging to fit youth with diverse needs into the different programmes running in parallel. In addition, as youth services cut across education, skills, employability, and other services, organisations struggle to establish relations with and work with multiple government stakeholders, including SDS, (departments within) LAs and the Jobcentre Plus offices. Lastly, third-sector organisations only have fragmented access to Management Information Systems such as Hanlon. Thus, they struggle to get the correct information about the youth they work with and provide additional information into these systems.

The role of employers is vital in school-to-work transitions

Employer engagement in youth school-to-work transitions is crucial for ensuring that young people are equipped with the skills, knowledge, and opportunities they need to succeed in the workforce. Employer engagement in youth support can take many forms, including recruiting young people, participating in apprenticeships and traineeships and providing work experience activities. Longitudinal analyses from multiple countries show that first-hand experiences of workplaces through job shadowing activities or worksite visits can help young people transition from education into employment (Covacevich et al., 2021[40]). There are various ways in which employers can support activities for young people in and after the school age in Scotland, including through the DYW programme and apprenticeships. In addition, various work-based learning programmes are available in colleges, universities, and independent providers and are often co-designed by employers (see Chapter 3).

Apprenticeships are a vital pillar of Scottish youth policies

A core policy objective of the Scottish Government is to enhance youth pathways through apprenticeships. In addition to the traditional form of apprenticeship – Modern Apprenticeships (MAs) – the Scottish Government has introduced Foundational Apprenticeships (FA) available in schools since 2016 and Graduate Apprenticeships (GA) providing routes into higher education since 2017/18 (Box 5.8). At the Scottish Government level, the apprenticeship system is funded and overseen by SFC and SDS, and at the local level, it is delivered by various providers, including colleges and employers (OECD, 2022[41]; OECD, 2020[42]). In addition, the Scottish Government has launched several initiatives to strengthen and improve apprenticeship governance, including the DYW strategy and programme and the Scottish Apprenticeship Advisory Board (SAAB). SAAB was created in 2016 to provide employer leadership and contribute to developing apprenticeships in Scotland (OECD, 2022[41]).

Box 5.8. Scottish apprenticeship system

There are three broad types of apprenticeships in Scotland: Foundation Apprenticeships (FA), Modern Apprenticeships (MA), and Graduate Apprenticeships (GA). The Scottish Funding Council (SFC) and Skills Development Scotland (SDS) share responsibility for funding apprenticeships. SFC is accountable for funding FAs and GAs, which it allocates to colleges and universities. SDS is responsible for FA funding distributed to learning providers and MAs.

Foundational Apprenticeships: FAs were introduced in 2016 as part of the Scottish Government’s efforts to expand vocational education and provide more pathways for young people to enter the workforce. They typically last two years and combine classroom learning with practical work experience. They are developed and delivered by employers, colleges, and training providers. FAs cover a range of sectors (e.g. engineering, construction, health and social care, and business administration). They target secondary/upper secondary education pupils and are designed to be completed alongside other subjects. There were just over 4 100 starts in the programme in 2021/22 in Scotland, with more than half of the enrolments in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) related sectors. The most common destination on completion is going to university.
Modern Apprenticeships: MAs have existed in Scotland since the 1990s and are the traditional vocational training programme that combines on-the-job learning with formal education and qualifications. They allow individuals to develop practical skills and knowledge in a specific industry or occupation while earning a wage. There are more than 100 different types of Modern Apprenticeships available to study across varying levels of the Scottish Qualification Framework. They last between one and four years. In 2022/23, there were just below 25 500 MA starts in Scotland, with the top three occupation groupings in terms of volume being construction, sport, health and social care and IT and other services.
Graduate Apprenticeships: GAs were introduced in 2017 and are a form of work-based learning that allows individuals to earn a degree while gaining practical experience in the workplace. They are designed for individuals who have completed their secondary education and wish to pursue higher education qualifications while working simultaneously. There are currently 16 providers delivering GAs and 13 GA frameworks. In 2021/22, there were around 1 200 enrollments in Scotland, with the most popular areas being business management, engineering, design and manufacturing and IT (software development). Given their stage in the learning pathway, most of the take-up is among adults rather than young people (i.e. nearly three-fifths of all starts are aged 25+).

Source: SFC (2023[43]), “Foundation Apprenticeship”, www.sfc.ac.uk/skills-lifelong-learning/foundation-apprenticeships/ (accessed on 06.05.2024); Skills Development Scotland (2023[44]), “Modern Apprenticeship Statistics Quarter 4, 2022/23 [1st April 2022 – 31 st March 2023]”, www.stf.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/modern-apprenticeship-statistics-quarter-4-2022-23.pdf, (accessed on 06.05.2024); and SFC (2023[45]), “Graduate Apprenticeships”, www.sfc.ac.uk/skills-lifelong-learning/graduate-apprenticeships/, (accessed on 06.05.2024).

Whilst the take up of FAs and GAs is increasing, participation remains modest compared to the longer-running MAs. In 2022/23, there were around 26 500 starts in MAs, compared to around 3 300 in FAs and 1 700 in GAs. The same patterns were observed in GCR, with Glasgow City having the highest numbers of MAs across the eight LAs in the period 2018 to 2021 (Figure 5.7). At the Scottish national level, the top three occupation groups with the largest volume of starts in MAs were Construction and Related (26%), Sport, Health and Social Care (12.8%) and IT and Other Services (12.8%) (Skills Development Scotland, 2023[46]).

Figure 5.7. Modern Apprenticeships have the highest number of starts across the Glasgow City Region

The governance and funding structure of the apprenticeship system in Scotland is complex. As for the adult skills system (see Chapter 3), critical Scottish Government stakeholders involved in the apprenticeship system are SDS, SFC, SQA and SAAB. While SDS manages the funding and contracting for the delivery of MAs, SFC manages funding for GAs and FAs. As the Scottish national accreditation and awarding body, SQA has a regulatory role in MAs and FAs and in developing and improving the framework for Scottish national, higher national and vocational qualifications. In addition, the SAAB gives employers and the industry a leading role in developing apprenticeships. Since its introduction in 2017, the UK-wide Apprenticeship Levy has raised funds from larger employers in the UK, including about 4 000 levy-paying employers in Scotland.

The Scottish Government receives a share of the UK Apprenticeships Levy based on the number of employers in Scotland, but only a share of this funding is channelled into the apprenticeship system. For companies operating in England and Scotland, the financial support they can receive to provide an apprenticeship will differ across the two countries and will generally be lower in Scotland. In England, levy payments are exchanged for online vouchers for apprenticeship training. In Scotland, only a part of the collected payments are allocated to employers and training providers. The contribution to Scottish employers for training apprentices depends on the apprentice's age, qualification level and the apprenticeship sector. Employers with a direct contract will receive the funding contribution directly and then transfer this to a training provider to deliver the apprenticeship. Interviewed stakeholders (including employers and apprenticeship providers) clarified that the contribution received does not cover the costs of providing apprenticeships. Contrary to the English system, Scotland does not have an in-built voucher model that incentivises employers to invest in apprenticeships through a 10% top-up to the funds the employers have in their accounts. Nevertheless, the English system is also criticised for its unspent levy funds (Institute for Public Policy Research, 2022[47]).

The number and types of apprenticeships available each year are determined by SDS and SFC through a collaborative approach. Scottish national decisions on how many and what kinds of apprenticeships to provide each year through various providers are based on several sources, including labour market analysis, industry consultations, broader government priorities and funding allocations and the availability of education and training providers to deliver in specific areas. Providers are most often chosen through a procurement process and contract negotiation for each provider and type of apprenticeship. Performance is monitored through a performance management framework, and a breach of contractual obligations (e.g. if providers cannot deliver the contracted amount of apprenticeships) may lead to financial penalties and review of contracts.

The system leaves little flexibility in adjusting provision and shifting resources across the different types of apprenticeships according to local and regional needs. The apprenticeship contracting system leaves little room for local and regional authorities to align provisions with regional employment requirements, which otherwise could counter skills shortages. To create a more flexible system that can respond to changing local and regional demand, GCR could continue discussing options with the Scottish Government to develop a regional model for planning and delivering apprenticeships. A regional model could allow for more flexibility in the contracting for the number and types of apprenticeships and provide options to reallocate resources throughout the year, depending on demand.

According to the Scottish Employer Perspectives Survey 2021, 19% of employers were offering apprenticeships at the time of the survey (Scottish Government, 2021[48]). While this level is similar to engagement levels in other countries in the UK, it is lower than in leading apprenticeship countries such as Switzerland and Germany. As argued by the OECD (OECD, 2022[41]), two broad factors prevent employers from engaging in the system: i) relatively few incentives and limited support for employers to offer apprenticeships, and ii) the system does not mandate strong employer engagement.

Despite some examples, the Glasgow City Region and Scotland suffer from low employer engagement in the apprenticeship system. Employers can engage in the system by i) offering apprenticeships or ii) becoming more deeply involved with its design, development, and governance (e.g. through the SAAS). While the second option occurs mainly through national routes in Scotland, the first is very relevant at the local and regional levels. In GCR, several examples of (mostly larger) employers engaged in the system exist. One example is BAE Systems, which, through the establishment of a new training academy, aims to train nearly 700 apprentices yearly going forward (Box 5.9).

Box 5.9. Employer engagement in the apprenticeship system in the Glasgow City Region – the case of BAE Systems

BAE Systems is an international defence, aerospace and security company, employing around 35 000 employees across sites in the UK and worldwide. At its Scotstoun shipyard on the banks of the River Clyde in Glasgow, it has a centre for shipbuilding. Skills investment and development are central to its business strategy, and it works closely with schools, colleges, and universities in different parts of the UK to deliver an effective workforce development programme. The company’s development of its future talent pipeline centres on early career programmes. This consists of pathways into the company through graduate, undergraduate and apprenticeship programmes. Graduates and apprentices can join pathways for technology, engineering, or business roles. Undergraduate programmes include industrial placements, internships or insight experiences. The company organises much of its training around dedicated training academies, which combine classroom training, a STEM innovation lab with realistic ship environments, and state-of-the-art research and technology facilities for each shipbuilding trade. A new academy is currently under construction at the Glasgow site to focus on Applied Shipbuilding. The new academy aims to extend its early career programmes substantially. On completion in 2024, this is expected to provide training for almost 4 500 employees, including nearly 700 apprentices. The company follows a hybrid model that subsidises in-house specialist training to complement that provided by the local colleges.

Source: Interviews with stakeholders in GCR.

There are several examples across the OECD of how countries are trying to strengthen employer engagement in the apprenticeship system, including through financial incentives (Box 5.10). Scotland could build on these examples and consider providing more transparent and targeted incentives and support to encourage employers (especially small employers and those new to the system) to engage in the system.

Box 5.10. Employer engagement in apprenticeships across OECD countries

Financial incentives and subsidies for employers

Across OECD countries, several instruments provide financial incentives and subsidies for employers. Austria has a mix of direct subsidies and grants, criteria-based grants, and indirect subsidies. Every company offering apprenticeships gets a direct public subsidy for each apprentice. In addition, the criteria-based subsidies are intended to increase quality (e.g. coaching, building training alliances or providing extra preparation for the trainer’s final examination or qualifications) and/or foster provision for specific target groups. Lastly, indirect subsidies are available (e.g. employers’ social security contributions for apprentices for sickness, unemployment and insurance are waived). The Netherlands has subsidies for training employers, which are paid to accredited companies that provide apprenticeships, up to a maximum of EUR 2 700 per year per apprentice. There must be a valid contract between the education and training institutions, the apprentice and the company. Companies apply for this subsidy to compensate for the cost of work-based training.

Guidance and tailored advice

Various stakeholders can offer guidance and tailored services to inform employers about apprenticeships. In Finland, the Finnish National Board of Education and partners published a manual on transferring innovative work-based learning practices. It is designed to help providers select the most appropriate work-based learning model and apply it in their context. In Berlin (Germany), the youth employment agency organises events, such as the BIZ fairs, that support young people in finding the proper apprenticeships and vocational education and training and making direct contact with companies.

Source: OECD (2022[41]) Strengthening Apprenticeship in Scotland, United Kingdom, OECD Reviews of Vocational Education and Training, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/2db395dd-en.

Employers are involved in other forms of work-based learning and work experience programmes

Mechanisms to enhance employer engagement in youth school-to-work transitions are being strengthened within the Glasgow City Region. The DYW Regional Groups in GCR are pivotal in connecting employers with schools and further and higher education institutions in the region. Consulted stakeholders highlighted the groups’ value in strengthening connections to priority sectors in the regional economy, including advanced manufacturing, the digital economy, creative industries, financial services, and health and social care services. Beyond DYW, there are other examples of employer engagement in supporting youth in the region. These include, for example, the local models for delivery of the UK-wide Kickstart programme from 2020 to 2022. In Glasgow City, a local variety of the programme was designed in co-operation with the Glasgow Chambers of Commerce and targeted youth on Universal Credit benefits.

In North Lanarkshire, the council has developed an innovative summer job programme for youth in close co-operation with local employers. The six-week programme aimed to provide students from local secondary schools, priority groups, and New College Lanarkshire with an opportunity to prepare for the workforce. The programme matched the students to work placements across different councils and health and care services, including the Social Work Joint Equipment Store, Home Support, Fleet & Waste, Employee Services Centre and Business Digital. A similar but larger scale programme exists in the City of Boston in the United States (US). One opportunity for the region could be to build on these experiences to create a region-wide summer jobs programme in co-operation with small and more significant businesses across the region (Box 5.11).

Several Local Authorities are focusing primarily on providing youth with digital skills to prepare for the world of work. In recent years, profound changes have been seen in the skills required to perform jobs, with generic digital skills being sought in virtually all jobs across sectors and occupations. Reliance on digital technology at work can create barriers to entering the workplace, especially for young people lacking digital training. Having digital skills enhances the person’s employability and opens up more job opportunities. In the Glasgow City Region, six of the LAs have come together to deliver Digital Critical Friends. This programme boosts interest in digital careers in schools. Another example of an early engagement programme for youth is the Digital Upskilling of Youth Programme in Canada, which provides technical skills training and direct job placement for youth in close co-operation with employers (Box 5.11).

Box 5.11. Employer engagement in providing early work experiences for youth in Canada and the United States

The Boston Summer Job Programme (United States)

In the US, the City of Boston runs a program that provides paid work opportunities for young people between the ages of 14 and 24 during the summer in unsubsidised or subsidised employment. The City of Boston’s Youth Employment and Opportunity Office offers the program and partners with not-for-profit organisations, public city agencies, local businesses, and other youth employment providers prepared to offer young people job opportunities. The positions typically run for six weeks in the summer, and the participants complete up to 25 hours of work per week, paid at the Massachusetts minimum wage. The initiative aims to support young people’s transition into the labour market and reduce the socio-ethnic inequalities in labour market outcomes that the City of Boston’s youth faces. The programme also has a training objective, with the young people in subsidised employment benefitting from job-readiness training provided by an external training provider. The City of Boston finances external providers to administer the programme, review job applications, and supervise and administer the training. In 2023, 9 300 young Bostonians were supported into summer jobs through the programme. Evaluations conducted on the programme have shown positive results on young people’s community involvement and positive outcomes on the likelihood of graduating from compulsory secondary education, workplace skills and community engagement attitudes.

The Digital Upskilling of Youth Programme in Canada

The Canadian Future Skills Centre has launched an initiative to provide technical skills training and direct job placement for youth in partnership with NPower Canada (a non-profit charity providing employment programmes in Canada). The program mainly targets vulnerable, unemployed youth who are facing barriers to securing and retaining employment. It is offered at no cost to participants who often come from low-income, diverse backgrounds. Young people have been provided skills training, direct job placement, mentoring, and continuing education for career advancement. Employers have played a vital role in the program through close co-operation and consultation with NPower. Over 200 employers were consulted and supported to identify their IT hiring needs. Employers’ engagement has been crucial for curriculum- and program design and training delivery to equip low-income adults with the in-demand skills. Early evaluations of the program have shown positive results for all three cohorts of graduates, with 85% of the first cohort of NPower participants with secured employment or enrolment in higher education within 11 months.

Source: Mayor’s Office of Workforce Development (2017[49]), “Reducing Inequality Summer by Summer”; Modestino, Cope and Blakely (2022[50]), Boston’s Summer Youth Employment Program: Building a More Holistic Workforce Development System for Boston’s Youth, https://impactengines.northeastern.edu/project/boston-syep-researchreport-22/, (accessed on 06.05.2024).

Despite improvements, employer engagements remains low and centred around the larger employers in the region. Growing employer partnerships should, therefore, continue to be a priority for the LAs in the region. In line with the analysis and recommendations presented in Chapter 3, the region could consider strengthening its employer engagement through a potential Regional Skills Board and a sub-working group focused specifically on questions around employer engagement in the regional skills system. This could include a separate focus on employer engagement in support of youth school-to-work transitions, including how to strengthen the role of the Developing the Young Workforce Regional Groups, ways to enhance employer engagement in the apprenticeship system and options to provide regional-wide work-training programmes.

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