There are many things that the Scots get right at a policy level: the importance of youth engagement between ages 16 to 24 years in learning, work, and other societally productive activity; the need to provide additional career learning support to disadvantaged youth to enable them to visualise and plan their futures in learning work, and society; and the need to constantly review and revise policies and systems for career guidance through stakeholder consultation so that they continue to be relevant. The newly published Careers by Design Report is another good example of a careers system review in Scotland that pays attention to young people’s voices, especially the experience of those who have used the careers services provided by Skills Development Scotland, but not only! Parents, carers, teachers, and mentors were also consulted.

The report’s conclusions draw attention to the importance of
-career related learning embedded in the curriculum and in post-school course provision
-more industry involvement in supporting career learning
-better service and system performance data
-better alignment between career learning in post-school education and the needs of students, employers, and broader social and economic goals.