More Highland school leavers than ever before moving into a positive destination

A record number 95.3% of Highland school leavers in the last year have gone into a positive destination including employment, higher education, further education, training, personal skills development and voluntary work.

Education Chair, Cllr John Finlayson said: “I am delighted that this year we have more young people than ever before leaving school into a positive destination. There is a lot of collaboration and close partnership working taking place between our schools, education officers, and Developing the Young Workforce partners to support our young people into their chosen career.

“Growing up in Highland should not mean that young people have to make compromises when they leave school. Therefore, we work very closely with national partners such as Skills Development Scotland, as well as employers, colleges, training providers and employability services to open more doors into the world of work, training opportunities, and higher and further education.

“There are a number of programmes which offer direct and individual support, such as ‘My Future, My Success’ which has been running successfully since 2022.”

Working with partners and families, ‘My Future, My Success’ brings a bespoke offer to each young person, developing skills for life, work, and learning. The main partners engaging in the programme alongside the Council include: High Life Highland, University of Highlands and Islands, Social Enterprise Academy, and NHS Highland.

Cllr Finlayson continued: “Selecting a positive destination for a young person is a big and personal decision. We often focus on the transition into primary and secondary education, but the transition out of school requires support too. It is a defining moment in a young person’s life to decide for themselves on the journey they will embark on as an independent person. For some young people, it may even be a big decision to pick a path at first, but collectively with our partners, we are there to make sure that they do have options and are fully equipped to make that first step.”

The majority of young people who left school in the 2022-23 cohort (39.1%) are now in employment opportunities, while 33.1% enrolled into higher education to undertake an undergraduate/graduate degree. A fifth of school leavers are now in further education and a small percentage are in training opportunities.