Opportunities and Choices

Foreword

by The Secretary of State for Scotland

This government came into office not only with policies and plans to improve our education system and the productivity of our people and businesses but, more fundamentally and more importantly, with a vision. We want to bring about no less than a deep, radical and lasting change in attitudes to learning and education among all the people of Scotland.

Securing such a change is not easy and will take time to become embedded in individuals, companies and institutions. We have made a vigorous start, using the Comprehensive Spending Review to channel significant extra resources to education, implementing measures for improvement of the education system, setting out a path to lifelong learning in "Opportunity Scotland", and publishing a series of papers setting out our views and plans for detailed aspects of the lifelong learning agenda. We hope that these papers and the present paper will be of value to the new Scottish Parliament as they reflect on these important issues.

This paper is an important step in that process because it concerns the point where compulsory education ceases and is continued only if the learner sees economic advantage, personal satisfaction or pleasure - and these conditions are not mutually exclusive - from continuing to learn. At the age of 16 young people are asked to make choices about whether to remain at school, continue to learn at some other institution or go into employment, which may or may not include training leading to a recognised qualification.

For some, the choice is easily made but for others there will appear to be little choice and less opportunity. That is a tragedy for them but it is also a huge waste of resources for the country as a whole. We have already done much to improve the opportunities and increase the choices available but there is always more that can be done or further improvements that can be made. We acknowledge that there is no monopoly of wisdom, on anyone's part, in this area and we are genuinely trying to enlist the contributions of all who have an interest in improving the lot of our young people and, thereby, of our economy.

Please take the time to read the paper and make known your views. If we are to create a flourishing economy where all the people of Scotland can reach their full potential there can be few more vital issues than how we educate and train our young people.

Rt Hon Donald Dewar MP Secretary of State for Scotland