When Scotland introduced Foundation Apprenticeships (FAs) in 2015, these innovative courses, developed by Skills Development Scotland in partnership with employers, seemed like they would finally achieve parity between traditional academic and vocational pathways. A senior phase pathway for secondary students in their final two years of study, FAs support the transition between education and work by allowing young people to explore career paths and develop employability skills alongside their academic studies. Accompanied by mentoring from their school, training provider, and employer partner, students also receive comprehensive careers support. The academic component is delivered in schools by teachers and industry-experienced trainers. Work-based learning involves undertaking SVQ units, (formally assessed vocational qualifications) and a work placement ensures learners can put everything they’ve learned into practice.
On paper, Foundation Apprenticeships seemed transformational. However, by 2018, uptake was disappointing in Aberdeenshire, where I am the council’s Developing the Young Workforce Lead. That year, there were fewer than 30 starts. As a local authority, we asked ourselves and school leaders: Why wasn’t the system effective? What would work better?
The answer lay in a new, flexible model, which we launched in June 2019. Delivering FAs in schools, timetabled like other senior phase courses. A significant change was moving to a one-year model. This aligns with existing school cultures and allows students to undertake a course without feeling locked into a specific career pathway. By contrast, for example, T-levels in England require substantial commitment (roughly the equivalent of three A Levels), which risks leaving students feeling “trapped” if they change their minds mid-course. Meanwhile, the FA curriculum is co-created and co-delivered with industry partners – another crucial aspect. Throughout my career, employers have long complained that young people aren’t leaving school with the right skills . Now employers have a direct hand in developing these skills and their talent pipelines.
The impact of our new model has been staggering. We are now oversubscribed – from 30 starts in 2018 to almost 900 in 2023/24. In the most recent year, those who’ve undertaken an FA have seen an average increase in attainment of 68.8% compared to those who haven’t. And we’ve not only closed but reversed the poverty-related attainment gap in two of the four years for which we have data. Significantly, the greatest improvement here has been among the lowest attaining 20%. Careful measurement has been critical in highlighting these and other impacts. Robust evaluation data is gathered from Scotland’s government-led Insight Tariff Scale, which quantifiably measures student attainment across various qualifications. The data speaks volumes:
58.8% average increase in attainment across the first four years of delivery
30% Attendance increases for FA students
50% Increase in engagement particularly in S4 among Level 4-5 students (Scottish qualifications roughly corresponding to GCSEs)
98.4%of FA students progress to positive destinations
The new FA model also addresses some deep-rooted misconceptions among employers, e.g. “young people aren’t interested in a career in my sector”. However, our data shows that healthcare, energy and engineering are among the most popular sectors. The issue was not a lack of interest but ambiguous career pathways – an issue we are now rectifying in partnership with, for example, the energy and healthcare sectors. All Scottish colleges and universities now recognise FAs. Aberdeen University – one of Europe’s top medical schools – recognises the Health and Social Care FA as equivalent to an A pass at Higher for entry into medicine.
The success of Foundation Apprenticeships isn’t just recognised locally; it has caught the attention of the OECD. Their recent report on career pathways programmes aligns perfectly with our approach. It stresses that what is important is an effective ‘Career Pathways Programme’ which must be systemic rather than programme-based and joined-up early rather than tacked on later. They also emphasise blending applied and academic learning with critical work-based experiences while advocating for an expanded definition of student success (beyond traditional academic measures). Designing a Career Pathways Programme based on OECD's recommendations would yield something remarkably similar to our FA model. With targeted changes that benefit students, schools, and employers alike, all this is achievable with minimal disruption to our educational culture.
In our first year, nine out of seventeen Aberdeenshire schools delivered our improved FA model; today, sixteen deliver it. FAs aren’t just working but thriving. They’re reshaping education, boosting effective employer engagement and producing young people with the essential skills they need. Moving forward, it's clear that Foundation Apprenticeships are more than just an Aberdeenshire – or even Scottish – success story. They are a blueprint with potential to bridge the gap between education and employment anywhere in the world. By delivering courses close to communities – co-created with industry – and focusing on meta-skills alongside preparation for further education, we're preparing students not just for exams but for life. And in doing so, we're building a more skilled and confident workforce that can face the challenges of tomorrow.
By Andrew Ritchie
Andrew is Lead Officer DYW at Aberdeenshire Council and was previously a secondary Headteacher.