Help for school leavers
Pupils leaving school in December can often find themselves without work, training or further education places to go to.
To help avoid that scenario North Lanarkshire Council launched a new “winter leavers’pathways programme”in May last year and it’s proved hugely successful.
The programme targets those at the greatest risk of leaving school without a positive destination and offers the opportunity to engage in a full-time curriculum linked to employment.
Winter leavers can often feel disadvantaged by having to stay at school until they reach 16 years, halfway through the academic year at the end of December.
They were previously three times more likely to leave school without a positive destination than summer-leavers.
Councillor Frank Mcnally, convener of Education and Families, said:“we identified 111 statutory winter leavers from each of our 23 secondary schools and 90 of them joined the programme. Of those, 33 are now in employment or an apprenticeship, 19 are in further education, 25 in training which will lead to employment, three are currently on an activity agreement, and eight are continuing to receive support until they are work-ready and a relevant opportunity arises.
“We’re determined that all our young people leave school and go on to benefit from a positive and sustained destination.”
Three programme co-ordinators worked with teachers, pupils and parents to shape the curriculum appropriate to the needs of each young person.
They worked closely with Routes to Work, New College Lanarkshire and local employers to create new opportunities for each of the winter leavers, who were asked about their aspirations.