Local high school pupils who took part in the School-College Opportunities to Succeed (SCOTS) programme, were presented with certificates this week to recognise their hard work over the past year.
At a special event held at Forth Valley College’s Stirling Campus on the evening of Tuesday 7 June, the pupils were joined by their parents, College staff, school teachers and VIPs from Stirling and Clackmannanshire Councils – including Stirling Provost Mike Robbins and Kevin Kelman, Head of School Improvement at Stirling Council - who were all keen to celebrate the successful programme.
Award winners on the night were Claire Brown from Lornshill Academy who won the Outstanding Contribution to STEM award, Keira Waghorn from Bannockburn High School who won the Inspire Award, Andrew Stuart from Dunblane High School who won the Outstanding Personal Achievement award and Jamie O’Hare from St Modan’s High School who was presented with the Learner of the Year award.
The ground-breaking partnership between Forth Valley College and Stirling Council (and also incorporating high schools from Clackmannanshire), allowed mainly fourth year pupils to attend college one afternoon per week to experience eight different subjects including: Construction Crafts, Construction Technology, Healthcare, Early Education and Childcare, Business, Hospitality, Salon Services and Broadcasting and to work towards SQA employability units throughout the course.
Within the local schools, the young people involved worked with teachers to improve their skills for learning, skills for work and skills for life. They also developed employability skills such as - researching for jobs, creating a CV, preparing for interviews and also learning more about the “taster” subjects they were undertaking within Forth Valley College.
Forth Valley College Principal Dr Ken Thomson, said: “Once again we are delighted to be here to honour pupils from the Stirling and Clackmannanshire area who have completed the full SCOTS course and are graduating today. We hope they found it to be worthwhile and of great benefit in helping them make up their minds as to which study route they might want to take in life. Many of those who took part may well apply for a further course here at Forth Valley College and we are delighted that a number of pupils will be progressing onto full-time college courses in August.”
“The SCOTS programme has certainly been a great success and an excellent example of the close working partnership between Forth Valley College and our local authorities. We are already looking forward to welcoming our next cohort of learners who will be able to experience the benefits of the SCOTS programme at Forth Valley College.”
Stirling Council’s Director of Children, Young People and Education, David Leng, said: “The Council’s own Raising Attainment Strategy is aimed at increasing ambition, raising expectations and improving the self-motivation and confidence of young people themselves, and the SCOTS programme is a fantastic opportunity in this regard, offering the chance for students to explore a range of opportunities. I would like to congratulate all successful participants in this year’s programme and wish them all the best for the future.”
SCOTS Programme graduates celebrate
