Flagship skills drive is failing youngsters
A FLAGSHIP initiative to tackle the growing numbers of young people not in employment, education or training - so-called NEETs - has been criticised just weeks before it is due to be introduced across the country.
Research by the Scottish Executive on its Skills for Work scheme found schools and colleges do not have the facilities to cope with the demand it creates.
The report also found some teachers misused the scheme to get unruly pupils out of the classroom, while there were also problems with college staff failing to adapt to instructing school children.
The Skills for Work programme identifies those pupils most likely to fall into the NEET category. It is designed to give them vocational training experience, improve understanding of the workplace and instil positive attitudes to learning. The interim review examined the two-year pilot project involving 225 schools, before the scheme is introduced to all secondary schools next month.
The report also found problems fitting the scheme into timetables, with some pupils missing out on lessons to accommodate Skills for Work. However, pupils who took part were positive about the scheme, with 75 per cent of the 41 interviewed saying they were confident the course had improved their chances of finding work.
The report, carried out by the National Foundation for Education Research, for the Executive, stated: “Schools and colleges reported increasing demand for courses, although evidence suggests increasing capacity was limited by physical space, staffing [and] in some cases, some staff attitudes to working with younger students.”
The report backs the Review of Scottish Colleges, published last month, which warned of “important capacity issues” which needed to be addressed to meet the demands of Skills for Work.
The review estimated 35,000 young people, about 13.5 per cent of Scots aged 16-19, fell into the NEET category - high by international comparisons.
Sue Pinder, convener of the principals’ forum of the Association of Scotland’s Colleges, said:
“Although issues exist in capacity in some colleges to deliver all Skills for Work courses, as the pilot continues we will address these issues.”
A Scottish Executive spokeswoman said: “Skills for Work can be delivered through a variety of means and pupils going to college is only one of them.”
Meanwhile, Glasgow City Council is to tackle its significant share of the NEET problem via a skills academy to encourage the unemployed, and pupils aged over 14, into the construction industry amidst a building boom in the city. The move comes despite the new Executive rejecting the idea, which was a flagship policy of Labour’s election campaign.
