SQA workshop gives Lourdes pupils tips on job success

Thursday 3 October 2024

Staff from SQA visited Lourdes Secondary School in Cardonald to deliver an employability skills workshop for senior pupils.

Over the course of the session, pupils from S4 through to S6 worked with volunteers from SQA on a number of activities designed to help the young people understand and talk about the core skills employers are looking for including communication, problem solving, and working with others.

Pupils were paired with SQA staff – including several of SQA’s recent intake of Modern Apprentices – who took them through a series of tasks before working with them on job applications, and interview techniques, before finally participating in a mock interview.

The workshops were designed by SQA to support young people as part of the national awarding body’s commitment to the Developing the Young Workforce initiative.

Fiona Robertson, Chief Executive at SQA, who attended the workshop, and met with several pupils and staff from Lourdes Secondary School, said: ‘These employability workshops are designed to get young people to think about the skills they have developed in school – and away from the classroom – so they can talk about them positively, and learn how they could be applied in the workplace.

‘Workshops are delivered by my colleagues, including some of our Modern Apprentices as part of their volunteering hours, and are enthusiastic about giving something back to our local communities.

Ms Robertson adds:  ‘The workshop also gives the learners the chance to experience an interview – which can be a bit daunting – but gives them the opportunity to take their new knowledge of the process and put it to use.’

At each session, students are given a workbook so they can recognise and record their skills. They can also highlight their achievements which then form the basis of their answers for their practice job interview. All participants in the workshop also receive a SQA certificate at the end of the day.

Lisa Blain, a teacher at Lourdes Secondary School said: “The workshop went very well; the pupils were engaged and benefitted from hearing from the SQA apprentices about what kind of jobs are out there and what they can progress to. The workshops gave them different career path options and allowed them to hear first-hand experiences about job roles they didn’t necessarily know existed.

‘As the day progressed, the students come out of their shell, helping to bring out their skills and qualities that will help them on their journey to their next steps after school.’

Hollie McFall, a pupil at the school said: ‘I really enjoyed the workshop. The person I was paired with helped me understand what skills I had, and how they could be applied in a workplace. They gave me advice on how to talk about my skills and experience, in a way that made sense to me. We all then had the chance to take part in mock interviews at the end of the workshop and put what we learned over the day into practice.’