Who can advise me?

Pupils in schools will continue to receive

support and advice from Pupil Support staff.

Skills Development Scotland Careers Advisers

work in partnership with schools to help pupils

with career planning and researching.

SDS Careers Advisors continue to offer

information, advice and guidance to young

people beyond school.

Where can I find out more?

Contact your (child’s) school or Skills

Development Scotland if you want to discuss

how 16+ Learning Choices will apply to you

or your child.

In West Lothian, Skills Development Scotland

are based at:

Careers Scotland Centre

Cairngorm House

Almondvale Boulevard

Livingston

EH54 6QN

01506 434249

www.skillsdevelopmentscotland.co.uk

Information is available in Braille, tape, large print and community languages. Please contact the interpretation and translation service on 01506 775000

Text phones offer the opportunity for people with a hearing impairment to access the council. The text phone number is 01506 464427.

A loop system is also available in all offices. Published by West Lothian Council

Customers with special requirements

16+ Learning Choices in West Lothian

A guide for young people, parents and carers

What is 16+ Learning Choices?

16+ Learning Choices is the Scottish

Government’s model for helping young people

stay in learning or training beyond their

statutory school leaving date.

The purpose of this is to improve their chances

of finding and staying in work, improve their

employability skills, prevent and reduce youth

unemployment and support economic growth

in Scotland.

What does this mean for young people?

16+ Learning Choices is a guaranteed offer

of a place in learning for every young person

who wants it and has reached their statutory

school leaving date.

Vulnerable young people who require more

choices and more chances are given particular

focus. This includes providing an enhanced

school to post-school transition for all young

people with additional support needs.

What is an offer of post-16 learning?

n Education in school

n Full or part-time further education (college)

n Full or part-time higher education (college

or university)

n National Training Programme eg Get

Ready for Work, Skillseeker or Modern

Apprenticeship

n Employment (not a National Training

Programme)

n Personal Skills Development

n Volunteering.

What will happen?

A young person in school and approaching an

eligible leaving date will be asked what they

intend to do. Support will be given to either

provide an appropriate course for that young

person at school (S4, S5 or S6) or to research

and apply for other learning opportunities, for

example, college, training or employment.

The school will record whether the young

person stays on at school or leaves to continue

their learning elsewhere and passes this

information on to Skills Development Scotland.

Should a young person’s circumstances

change, Skills Development Scotland will be

made aware and can offer information, advice

and guidance.

16+ Learning Choices in West Lothian