Highland Council celebrates record-breaking School Leaver Destinations for 2023/2024

The Highland Council is delighted to announce a significant increase in positive destinations for school leavers in the academic year 2023/2024. An impressive 96.5% of Highland leavers have secured a positive destination, up 1.2% from last year. Nationally, positive destinations have dropped by 0.2% to 95.7%.

This year, Highland has seen an increase in the number of school leavers, with a total of 2,632 students. This rise aligns with the national trend of increasing school leaver numbers across Scotland. Of these, 40.3% have successfully transitioned into employment, including Modern and Graduate Apprenticeships, placing Highland second only to Orkney in employment as a positive destination.

Key Highlights:

• Record School Leaver Destinations: 96.5% of school leavers have achieved positive destinations, reflecting a significant increase from the previous year.
• Employment Success: 40.3% of school leavers have entered employment, including Modern and Graduate Apprenticeships, ranking Highland second in Scotland.
• 21.2% of our young people who go into employment do so as a Modern apprentice, demonstrating  great commitment from employers to develop our young people into Highland’s future workforce.

The Highland Council's strategic focus on youth development and employment readiness has been instrumental in these achievements. The "Workforce of the Future" plan aims to equip young people with the skills and opportunities needed to thrive in a dynamic job market.

Education Committee Chair, Cllr John Finlayson, said:  "We are thrilled with the outstanding results achieved by our school leavers this year. The increase in positive destinations is a testament to the hard work of our students, educators, and the supportive community. We remain committed to fostering an environment where every young person can succeed and contribute to the future workforce.

“The Highland Council continues to prioritise initiatives that support young people's transition from education.  We are committed to building effective partnerships with employers, trainers, colleges and universities and building cross sector career pathways and skills packages while also aligning the school curriculum towards the economic opportunities available, to ensure a bright and prosperous future for the region.”