Abstract:

In 2014 the Scottish Government published the Developing Scotland’s Young Workforce report. The report had been formulated by a select commission over an 18-month period and since its publication, has been influential in driving Scotland’s colleges forwards in addressing some of the recommendations identified therein. With an overall objective of increasing youth employment in Scotland, the report lists 39 recommendations with which a large number of stakeholders would have to engage if the overall objective is to be achieved. A major aspect of the report is the recommendations for the development of educational pathways to enable young people to progress from school to college to employment. The optional route of progressing to university after college enables a pathway from age 16 to age 22 to be established. A partnership between West Lothian College’s and Edinburgh Napier University’s engineering departments has been setup to establish this pathway for local students, with particular attention being paid to the work required to support the learners in the transition from college to university. The paper gives the background to the scheme, describes the partnerships set up between the college and the feeder high schools, and describes the support arrangements identified, then implemented, to ensure the transition is positive and painless for the students as they move from college to university.

Keywords:

Developing Scotland's Young Workforce, articulation, transition, college, university, Scotland, Edinburgh.