Project Description

St Columba’s High School held a career and pathway event with attendance from employers including: Fife Council, Army, RAF, Royal Navy, various Scottish Universities, SDS, BAM, Exxon, Fife College, NHS Fife, Clas-Sic Wafer Fab, Semefab, The Mortgage Advice Club, Hazid Technologies Ltd, Stone Marine Services Ltd, PRECIA-MOLEN UK Limited, Discover You, Botanic Gardens – St Andrews, Purvis Group, TechnipFMC, Kingdom Housing, KM-Academy and Find Beauty Education. 

During PSE classes, students from S4-S6 completed an employability booklet relating to the event. The booklet was split up into three sections and was completed in the weeks leading up to the event, on the day of the event and the weeks after the event. The booklet was designed to ensure the students had questions to ask employers on the day to ensure full participation. 

Businesses became involved in a number of ways, some were through previous contacts, some had reached out to the school and were supporting the delivery of STEM and Amanda Liddell, DYW Fife’s Business Engagement Executive, provided great support in sending out invites to her contacts.  

The school wanted to provide opportunities from a wide range of business areas to allow its students to gain a better understanding of their employment and career pathway opportunities that are on offer to them. 

It was hoped that after discussions with the employers, the young people would be better informed to make career and/or subject choices for the future. 

An added bonus of the career and pathway event was that the school was able to make introductions between the young people who are going to be participating on a future programme with Discover You to their mentor. 

The students who will be taking part were handed invites and letters were sent home asking them to approach David from Discover You on the day of the event.  

David from Discover You was also given the names of the young people in his group, so that he could ensure he was able to speak to all the students that will be attending his workshops. 

This proved very successful as the students identified for the Discover You programme have numerous barriers to learning and employment and this personal approach worked for those that had additional support needs and anxiety.