There is no wrong path

ON TUESDAY AUGUST 4 – EXAM RESULTS DAY IN SCOTLAND- THE #NOWRONGPATH SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN RAN FOR ITS FOURTH CONSECUTIVE YEAR.

This year over 15,000 posts featured the hashtag # NoWrongPath; illustrating that this award-winning campaign continues to go from strength to strength.

The aim of #NoWrongPath, which is run by the Developing the Young Workforce* (DYW) employer led national network, is to inspire and reassure young people that exam results are not necessarily the only key to future career success.

A wide range of Scottish businesses and industry experts got involved in this year’s campaign; using their social media platforms to post photos and videos detailing their – often circuitous – journey from leaving school to their current job.

West Lothian employers from a variety of industry sectors took part, including Lucerne, Glenmorangie, Electrify Marketing & amp; Communications, Witherby Publishing Group, Maxi Construction and incovo.

Chris Thomas, CEO of incovo, explained why it was important to be an employer voice in the campaign.

He said: “2020 has been a year like no other and I felt compelled to take part in DYW’s # NoWrongPath campaign, to reassure those who may not have got the results they were hoping for that they can still go on to achieve great things. It’s about inspiring the next generation to have hope and to believe in themselves, and it’s therefore a great privilege to be able to share my own career journey with so many young people through this campaign.”

As part of the wider DYW #NoWrongPath campaign, episode three of Scotland’s Biggest Parents’ Events was broadcast on August 4 and featured First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, in addition to Young Scot, SQA and employers.

The event, entitled ‘#NoWrongPath to Industry’, highlighted that there are any number of pathways that can lead young people to where they want to be.

Scotland’s Biggest Parents’ Events are industry-led broadcasts – aimed at parents, carers, and young people – which allow the audience to hear from experts on a variety of subjects.

The events provide a message of reassurance and optimism at this challenging time and signpost parents, carers and young people to resources that can support them in making informed judgements about the future.

The events have attracted over 114,000 views to date, with a fourth and final event planned for mid- September.

More i n f o rmation about the #NoWrongPath campaign and Scotland’s Biggest Parents’Events can be found at: https://www.dyw.scot/

*Developing the Young Workforce is the Scottish Government’s Youth Employment strategy to better prepare young people for the world of work.