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DETERMINED TO SUCCEED: THE JOURNEY
The history
A review of what we then knew as Education for Work and Enterprise was established in September 2001 under the chairmanship of Nicol Stephen, then Deputy Minister for Education and Young People. Its remit was:
"to assess the effectiveness of Education for Work and Enterprise in schools, in preparing young people for the world of work and encouraging an enterprising culture in later life; and to examine the scope to improve Education for Work and Enterprise in fully supporting Scotland's priorities for education, and its economic success." 1
The Review Group included individuals from business, education and representatives from the Executive's support agencies. During the course of their work, group members were impressed by what they saw. They identified a number of enterprising activities already underway in Scottish schools and recognised that there was much to celebrate in this area. They considered examples of good practice across the length and breadth of Scotland, from inner-city areas to rural communities, in primary, secondary and special schools. They looked further a field, in Norway and Boston. They considered carefully the views expressed in a widespread public consultation, listened to representatives of the business and education communities, and enabled young people and parents to contribute their views on the value and limitations of current provision, and how it might be improved. Despite the examples of good practice, the Review Group agreed that if Scotland was to realise its potential, much more needed to be done. The consultation process enabled them to identify challenges facing both business and education - challenges that had to be met in order to produce the significant culture change necessary to secure Scotland's future economic success.
The Report " Determined to Succeed", presented by the Review Group for the consideration of Scottish Ministers, was about responding to those challenges. The Review Group believed that its 20 recommendations (Annex 1), when implemented by the key players working together, would enable young people to develop positive, enterprising attitudes, and so contribute to a more enterprising Scotland that achieved greater economic success locally and globally.
Scottish Ministers set out their commitment to the recommendations in Determined to Succeed in March 2003. And they made clear their intent to work closely with the business and education communities in delivering them.
The Review Group had signalled that a step change was required in the scale of our delivery of enterprise in education if we were to instil the necessary culture of enterprise in our young people and effectively support the transition from education to the workplace. Ministers agreed the case for this level of change and made available £40m over the first three years of the strategy in order to help deliver it. Additionally, in a unique public/private sector partnership with The Hunter Foundation, a further £4 million (on a 50:50 basis), was pledged to develop a series of innovative enterprise in education pilot programmes. This level of financial commitment was increased by £44m in Spending Review 2004, allowing enhanced delivery until 2008 and laying the foundation for the longer term of Determined to Succeed. Taken together, this £86m has established Scotland at the forefront of enterprise in education in the UK and beyond - and acts as a signal of our determination to make a difference.
Encouraging enterprising values - a 'can do, will do' attitude - in our school children isn't just about producing the business people and entrepreneurs of tomorrow. It's the route to a more enterprising Scotland, where all our people understand the contribution they can make as citizens, both to society and the economy. And where individuals have the self-confidence and belief in their ability to succeed in whatever they choose. That means it is a fundamental element of ensuring Scotland's future competitiveness. It is also central to our goal of a more inclusive Scotland, where we are narrowing the opportunity gap. 2
This statement is important. We want all pupils in all schools to enjoy an enterprising ethos that encourages a sense of responsibility, recognises strengths and achievements and contributes to their individual development. We want all pupils to have access to a range of vocational and entrepreneurial experiences - from workplace training, to understanding and running a business - so they can go on to be successful employees, employers and entrepreneurs. In short, we want to help get all young people ready for work.
Our vision is for our programme of enterprise in education to give pupils the wide range of experiences needed to increase their self-confidence, to motivate and to provide them with an understanding of the world of work and the opportunities that are open to them. The result should be more positive attitudes towards school, learning and skills development beyond school, improved attendance, and increased levels of qualifications - as well as a determination to succeed in work and life. These characteristics are a pre-requisite of our economic development and, in addressing a relative lack of economic activity and low skills, will be essential elements in tackling social exclusion in Scotland.
First steps
We discussed implementation of Determined to Succeed with local authorities, putting them in the lead of delivery. Meanwhile, we undertook to support their efforts with a series of complementary strategies. The first year saw 10 Pathfinder local authorities leading implementation with the remaining 22 authorities, and Jordanhill School, coming on board in 2004.
Working closely with us, all 32 local authorities developed Action Plans clearly setting out their approach to implement Determined to Succeed in the context of local educational, economic and social needs.
We made available Innovation Funding to provide the opportunity to develop innovative projects, enhancing good practice in local authorities. Details of the specific areas supported are at Annex 2.
We worked with colleagues in local authorities on an annual reporting process and in ensuring examples of good practice or additional support in particular areas, could be shared and channelled appropriately.
In June 2006, at the end of the first three years of Determined to Succeed, local authorities worked to produce evidence to illustrate their implementation of the Determined to Succeed recommendations. That material forms the bedrock of this report.
Working in partnership with key players, including the business community, Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education, Learning and Teaching Scotland, Careers Scotland, the Scottish Qualifications Authority, and all 32 local authorities has, and continues to be, central to the success of Determined to Succeed.
Three years on
We have made significant progress in delivering the recommendations presented by the Review Group in 2002. We have successfully carried out the necessary consultative and planning stages and established a clear framework for action. We have engaged effectively with key stakeholders, working closely with Scotland's business community, our partner agencies, other key Scottish Executive departments, and enjoyed highly productive and successful partnerships with all 32 local authorities across Scotland.
Implementation of the 20 recommendations has been supported by the Executive's internal team. Consisting of a unique mix of government officials and secondees from the education community and private and public sector business, the team has brought a range of experience and expertise to the development of the strategy. Its role has been to add value to local authority Action Plans by providing leadership and resources targeting communications; learning and development; partnership working; employer engagement; and research, evaluation and monitoring.
Although Determined to Succeed is an economic policy, delivery is clearly within our education system. Partnership working with Education Department colleagues, as well as other key departments, is a critical component of the strategy and crucially, for sustainability, in the embedding of enterprise in education in Scotland's schools.
Determined to Succeed is comprised of four key themes, bringing enterprise in education into a coherent framework - enterprising learning; entrepreneurial learning; work-based and related vocational learning; and appropriately focused career information, advice and guidance. Each of these themes is underpinned by an enterprising pedagogy. So, Determined to Succeed is not about teaching enterprise as a subject, per se; rather teachers deliver their subject lessons in an enterprising way that contextualises learning, that involves employers, wherever possible, and makes learning relevant in the context of the world of work and today's global environment.
The continued involvement of Scotland's employers is therefore critical and is at the heart of our strategy. Young people need to understand the relevance of what they are learning to the world in which they live. Enterprise in education needs to enable young people to understand the business world and what it means to be enterprising. They need to understand entrepreneurialism and the opportunities it presents for wealth creation, not just for the individual but for Scotland. Young people need to be able to make informed decisions about their future education and employment.
This is why it is so important that employers, from all sectors, play their part. And they do! Many employers have been involved for some considerable time. But many more have become involved since the launch of Determined to Succeed, a powerful illustration of the desire and commitment of both the education and business communities to work together for the benefit of Scotland's young people.
Through Determined to Succeed, we have embarked on an important journey. Excellent progress has been made, in what has been a relatively short period of time; the target of 2,000 school/business partnerships by 2006, has been exceeded nearly four-fold; local authorities are reporting that enterprise education is now happening in all of their schools; more young people than ever before are getting a chance to participate in experiential entrepreneurial learning and in vocational learning opportunities, linked to qualifications; 22,000 teachers have been trained in enterprise education; and there has been a 17% increase in the number of entries to the enterprise categories of the Scottish Education Awards.
But, Determined to Succeed is a long-term strategy about changing culture and attitudes. We need to ensure enterprise education is embedded within both the curriculum and overall ethos of all our schools. There is no room for complacency - much more has still to be done.
A more successful and prosperous Scotland where young people are Determined to Succeed and where innovation, wealth creation and entrepreneurship are valued. This demands a change in Scotland's culture. The ultimate goal of enterprise in education must be the creation of successful businesses, jobs and prosperity. Prosperity and wealth creation are vital to support the existing services such as health and education.
Young people in Scotland must have the best possible experiences of enterprise in education so that they can contribute to an enterprising, successful Scotland as employees, employers and entrepreneurs. But for this to happen there is a need for major expansion in the involvement of businesses in schools. 3
Looking ahead
Determined to Succeed is an ambitious plan, the vision for which remains consistent with that of the Review Group - to encourage young people to be ambitious, self-confident, prepared to take calculated risks and not to fear failure. Turning this rhetoric into reality is self-evidently a long-term challenge and one that demands changed cultures - within education; and among young people, and their parents and carers. This ambition presents a series of both challenges and opportunities.
Securing the continued commitment of our teachers remains essential as we embed enterprise in education within the curriculum. Ensuring teaching is delivered in an enterprising way that contextualises learning, that involves employers, wherever possible, and makes learning relevant in the context of the world of work. We will continue to address this through our partnership working, on A Curriculum for Excellence and AifL-Assessment is for Learning; with Learning and Teaching Scotland, Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education, Careers Scotland and the Scottish Qualifications Authority; with key employer organisations; and in our support to local authorities.
Helping local authorities develop a fuller set of vocational learning options that increases the breadth of opportunities in school remains high on the agenda, and is integral to the aims of Ambitious, Excellent Schools. Whilst this focus has initially been strengthened by the work underway through Determined to Succeed and the new Skills for Work courses 4, current provision is simply not enough. We are addressing this issue through the provision of an additional £2 million for local authorities to support the development and implementation of further vocational learning models in 2006/08. We will share these models and look to inform wider educational developments in this vital area.
We must continue our partnership with Scotland's key business organisations to ensure further engagement with education and young people from employers across the public, private and voluntary sectors. We aim to address this through a refocused employer engagement strategy that aims to ensure appropriate and sustainable school/employer connections are made across Scotland in support of Executive policies.
As children learn in new and creative ways and develop more and more skills that will help them later in life, the role of parents has never been more important. Parents need to understand the aim of, and be enthused by, enterprise in education and how it can benefit their child during and after school. Whilst authorities have developed local communications strategies, we will further support their efforts through the development of a refocused nationally-led communications strategy, in partnership with key Executive departments.
The infrastructure created by local authorities to support Determined to Succeed remains a critical element of successful delivery as we drive forward the culture change required in our schools. Enabling and empowering leadership development at all levels will contribute to embedding a culture of enterprise in both the curriculum and ethos of our schools. We will continue to address this by providing specific leadership and continuing professional development opportunities for those staff involved in leading the enterprise agenda at local authority and school level.
And while Determined to Succeed is not the answer to reducing the proportion of young people who do not enter education, employment or training on leaving school, it does complement our NEET strategy - More Choices, More Chances. These young people represent a wealth of undeveloped talent, a waste of human potential, and a missed opportunity for our economy. We are helping to address this issue through the provision of an additional £1 million to continue and expand the Prince's Trust Scotland's 'xlerate with xl' programme, across all local authorities during 2006/08. We will also identify models of good practice at local authority level where enterprise in education is effectively re-engaging young people in their learning.
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