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CHAPTER THREE: STRATEGIC PERSPECTIVES
3.1 This chapter presents the findings from the face-to-face interviews with 12 key representatives of the Scottish Executive policy team, HMIe, Learning and Teaching Scotland, Careers Scotland, and the SQA between November 2004 and January 2005. Interviews were conducted with a variety of individuals who had, in many cases, been involved in both the development and current implementation of the DtS strategy.
3.2 The NFER research team used a semi-structured framework, agreed with the Research Advisory Group, which explored respondents' views of the DtS strategic vision, what it was expected to achieve and their views of its strengths and potential barriers to the implementation process. The interviews also provided valuable contextual information, which has been used to inform the analysis of LA plans and development of research instruments for the case-study element of the evaluation.
RATIONALE
3.3 Interviews with five key respondents suggested that, in their view, the main reasons why the DtS strategy was introduced were to:
- Provide a more coherent approach to EinE across all LAs and schools
- Develop young people's skills relevant to work and their future lives
- Increase business start-up rates in Scotland in order to reduce the country's current over-reliance on external investment.
3.4 Several interviewees commented on the fact that prior to the introduction of the DtS strategy, there was already a lot of good practice in delivery of EinE across schools and LAs in schools. Speaking about EinE, as one respondent pointed out, there was a need for joined-up working across Local Authorities and organisations, they commented;
"... you could be in one part of the country working on one thing and there were similar initiatives in other parts of the country but nothing was joined up. There was a lack of continuity between different organisations and between different authorities and people were doing a lot of good work but it seemed to be very spasmodic and patchy."
3.5 Therefore, there was a perceived need for central government to initiate a more coherent approach across Scotland, which the DtS strategy was seen as having met.
3.6 Just under half of those interviewed identified inter-related economic reasons as the main drivers behind the strategy. On the one hand, five respondents thought that the strategy was introduced because:
"Government wants a more skilled workforce"
"Enterprise was seen as the model for economic success and politicians thought that education should play its part in supporting economic growth".
On the other hand, the same number of interviewees thought that " recent evidence of low start-up rates of new businesses in Scotland" had initiated a perceived need for schools to develop young people's enterprise and entrepreneurial skills and qualities, and to "encourage them to be more willing to take risks".
3.7 Other reasons given for the introduction of the DtS strategy identified by lower numbers of respondents included a perceived need for pupils to improve self-belief and increase levels of confidence. Two interviewees thought that it was driven by the Government's perceived need to integrate education and business more closely:
"They recognised that a stance had to be made and there was a need to look at how business and education could work together in order to make sure the future of Scotland and the future economy of Scotland was going to be more effective if you could try and get this business education interface."
3.8 Finally, two other stakeholders said that social reasons were behind the strategy, and it was seen as a way of addressing the fact that there are such high proportions of young people who are disengaged from school, achieve no qualifications, and/or leave school without entering employment, further education or training.
Expected Outcomes
3.9 Interviewees were asked to identify what they expected the DtS strategy to have achieved in three years' time and what they saw as the key measures of success for different groups of people affected by EinE. Responses were often closely related to the reasons given for the introduction of DtS, but often provided more of a detailed break-down of what this meant in practice.
3.10 As regards pupils, interviewees hoped that the DtS strategy would:
- Encourage greater confidence - a "can do" attitude (nine respondents)
- Increase their preparedness for work, mainly by developing their vocational and core skills (eight respondents)
- Provide them with a greater variety of experiences (breadth and flexibility) (five respondents)
- Result in more enterprising employers and employees (five respondents)
- Increase the uptake and achievement of vocational qualifications and/or options (five respondents)
- Lead to a reduction in the number of disengaged pupils and young people who are not in employment, education or training (five respondents)
- Ensure that all pupils have regular enterprise experiences (four respondents)
- Encourage children to take risks and be confident to fulfil their potential (two respondents).
3.11 One of the key expected outcomes of EinE for pupils was that the alternative learning approaches that it would increase their confidence. As one interviewee explained:
"It is about giving young people the opportunity to learn in a different environment where they can reflect on their learning, be more involved in their learning and maybe come out as a person that has more pride in themselves, more confidence and a person that is more able to actually say there are a lot of different things I could do out there."
3.12 As regards parents, the key expected outcome identified by five respondents was to get them involved and convince them of the value of enterprise activities. As one interviewee explained: "they need to be won over, so that they see a value in their kids doing say, a vocational element and not just Standard Grades". Others emphasised the need to increase parents' awareness of EinE " so that they all know about it".
3.13 All interviewees agreed that one of the key outcomes with regard to schools and teachers was that it would change the adopted teaching and learning approaches. In particular, it was hoped that:
- "It becomes part and parcel of everyday teaching - that they will teach creatively across the curriculum"
- "Teaching and learning is more exciting so pupils want to learn"
- "Teachers realise that enterprise relates to them and not just Careers Information and Guidance teachers - at the moment enterprise is seen as a product-based thing, but they need to understand that it is more about delivering teaching in a more enterprising way"
- "Teachers recognise that EinE is at the core of their school"
- "They all know about EinE and agree with it".
3.14 As regards businesses, the two most important outcomes - each identified by five interviewees - were an increase in businesses' awareness of EinE and a resulting increase in their involvement in schools "with a clear definition of what they will do and not just a marginal involvement". As one respondent explained:
"One of the main aims that is seen as being crucial to the success of the whole thing is business involvement. I suppose that is because the government recognises that businesses are saying that you are not producing the people that we need and we are having to start again."
3.15 As regards LAs, more than half hoped that they would show both a "financial and organisational commitment" to the strategy and that they would see it "as an integral component of their education strategy", so that activity in this area would not cease if, at some stage in the future, there was no longer any targeted funding for EinE.
STRENGTHS OF THE DtS STRATEGY
3.16 Respondents all felt that the DtS strategy had a number of strengths which made it more likely that the ambitious outcomes (discussed in the previous section) would be achieved. In particular, it was felt by interviewees that DtS benefited from strong financial backing and a strong long-term commitment from the Government to make it a success. One interviewee remarked that while "there have been various initiatives" in this policy area in the past "there has been a general failure for any of them to have a major and lasting impact often due to a lack of clear objectives". The strength of the DtS strategy was seen to be that it provided clear recommendations but also allowed LAs the flexibility to take ownership of it by focusing on local issues that they deem important.
3.17 All interviewees agreed that one of the strengths of the implementation of DtS so far had been the way it had managed to establish a "real space for partnerships between key agencies" at a strategic level. Several respondents commented on the way the strategy had "introduced a new way of working into central government". One area of concern identified by one interviewee was that some of the DtS recommendations - such as Recommendation 13 1 - did not make it sufficiently clear who had responsibility for "taking it forward and this can damage the relationship between organisations; and basically whoever takes it forward will interpret it in their way and this will affect the way it is implemented". Respondents also thought that advances had been in developing stronger partnerships at operational levels, but that some tensions remained. In particular, two interviewees commented on the way that some LAs had not worked with and consulted all the necessary stakeholders when devising their plans.
POTENTIAL BARRIERS TO THE SUCCESSFUL IMPLEMENTATION OF DtS
3.18 The 12 stakeholders interviewed all identified various potential barriers which could hinder successful implementation of DtS across LAs and schools. Three-quarters of interviewees (nine) thought that one of the key challenges was increasing teachers' understanding and commitment to the strategy. As one interviewee explained:
"Some think of enterprise as only being about building mini-entrepreneurs - it is a matter of getting all teachers on board and not just the one dedicated member of staff. We need to "mainstream" it, so it is not just a subject on Friday afternoons."
3.19 Others commented on the way they were concerned that some teachers might be put off by the economic rationale for DtS:
"That one of the principal functions of education should be economic growth. One of the key challenges will be how to deal with teachers' angst of connecting education with the business world when currently it's almost completely disconnected."
3.20 All interviewees agreed that DtS could only be a success if the majority of teachers "could be brought on board" in order to "achieve real and lasting cultural change in schools".
3.21 Related to this was a concern voiced by half of the interviewees that there were many barriers to the extent to which DtS can become embedded in the curriculum. Some interviewees focused on the constraints of time teachers have to do other things on top of the rest of the curriculum, while others that more work needed to be done to convince teachers to change their traditional styles of teaching. One respondent questioned the extent to which there was enough available evidence on pedagogies used to embed EinE into the curriculum:
"I find it hard to imagine what it will look like "being embedded" in the school curriculum - where it is not a concrete activity. There is a need for a bit more input on pedagogy. What is "an enterprising approach to teaching and learning"? How is it different simply from good teaching."
3.22 Other barriers or potential pitfalls identified by about a quarter of interviewees included:
- The sustainability of the strategy beyond the initial period.
- Lack of employer engagement
- Obstacles to expanding the uptake of vocational options, such as transportation costs and Disclosure Scotland
- The extent to which DtS can make a change given all the other priorities
- Achieving even national coverage across all LAs
3.23 However, it is worth emphasising that almost all respondents thought that the strengths of the strategy outweighed the potential pitfalls.
LESSONS LEARNED
3.24 Interviewees were asked what lessons they had learned so far from being involved in developing and implementing DtS. Some respondents thought that it was too early to say. Otherwise, the most commonly made response (five) was that they had learned the importance of communication and working in partnership. As one interviewee said:
"Talking with Directors and finding out what they want - consultation. This was a really important thing to give them the opportunity to say what was relevant to them."
Similarly, another interviewee emphasised that the "partnership aspect is key - all partners need to be identified and involved from the outset and they need clear objectives to work towards".
MAIN FINDINGS
3.25 This chapter presented the views of 12 key representatives of the Scottish Executive policy team, HMIe, Learning and Teaching Scotland, Careers Scotland, and the SQA. Key findings were that:
- The key rationales for the strategy were perceived to be providing a more coherent approach to EinE across LAs, developing young people's skills and confidence, and increasing business start-up rates in Scotland
- It was hoped that the strategy would lead to a reduction in the number of disengaged pupils and young people who are not in employment, education or training
- The main success factors of the strategy were thought to be that schools need to adopt more enterprising teaching and learning approaches, that teachers became committed to the strategy, and that there was an increase in the involvement of parents, businesses and the wider community in EinE
- It is hoped that the strategy would result in young people having greater confidence, prepare them for the world of work and give them a greater variety of experiences
- The main perceived strengths of the strategy were that DtS benefited from strong financial backing and a strong long-term commitment from the Government to make it a success
- The key lessons learned from developing and implementing DtS related to the importance of communication and working in partnerships with other key stakeholders
- All respondents said that the strengths of the strategy outweighed the pitfalls.
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