YouthLink Scotland’s Position Statement on Scottish Government Response to the IRQA

YouthLink Scotland is heartened that the Scottish Government’s response to the IRQA^[1] acknowledges that education is more than the qualifications a young person achieves. Other independent reviews contributing to education reform have reinforced this, highlighting the need for youth work in an interconnected education and skills landscape. The response recognises the potential benefits of recognising a broader range of a young person’s achievements, including considering how achievement through personal pathways could be equitably incorporated into the curriculum entitlements and any leaving certificate. Ongoing engagement with youth work is vital, including understanding how youth work provides personal pathways, opportunities for skills development, and personal achievement, which can address inequity in education and support the ambitions for Scottish education.

As the national agency for youth work, YouthLink Scotland is committed to working alongside Scottish Government and Education Scotland to take forward the following recommended actions:

• YouthLink Scotland invites the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills to meet with the youth work sector to explore how youth work – in providing personal pathways, opportunities for skills development and personal achievement can address inequity in education and support the ambitions for Scottish education.
• Continued collaboration between Education Scotland, Skills Development Scotland and the youth work sector is needed to ensure that the digital tool to support profiling will be aligned to meet the needs of young people active in youth work.
• YouthLink Scotland is committed to working with the Scottish Government, Education Scotland, and the new qualifications body to explore how best to recognise achievements through youth work. This includes considering how personal pathways and achievements can equitably be included in a leaving certificate.
• Young people must be at the centre of decisions around education, including being heard within the new qualifications body. Youth workers are in an ideal position to engage with young people and ensure that their voice is heard.
• Youth work is experienced in designing and delivering project learning. It can help the refreshed Education Scotland working group to determine the place of project learning/interdisciplinary learning (IDL) in the curriculum, across contexts and settings, including developing a shared understanding of the principles and benefits of this approach to learning.

[1] https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-government-response-final-report-independent-review-qualifications-assessment-future/