Highland Council celebrates record-breaking School Leaver Destinations for 2023/2024
27th February 2025
The Highland Council is delighted to announce a significant increase in positive destinations for school leavers in the academic year 2023/2024. An impressive 96.5% of Highland leavers have secured a positive destination, up 1.2% from last year. Nationally, positive destinations have dropped by 0.2% to 95.7%.
This year, Highland has seen an increase in the number of school leavers, with a total of 2,632 students. This rise aligns with the national trend of increasing school leaver numbers across Scotland. Of these, 40.3% have successfully transitioned into employment, including Modern and Graduate Apprenticeships, placing Highland second only to Orkney in employment as a positive destination.
Key Highlights:
Record School Leaver Destinations: 96.5% of school leavers have achieved positive destinations, reflecting a significant increase from the previous year.
Employment Success: 40.3% of school leavers have entered employment, including Modern and Graduate Apprenticeships, ranking Highland second in Scotland.
The Highland Council's strategic focus on youth development and employment readiness has been instrumental in these achievements. The "Workforce of the Future" plan aims to equip young people with the skills and opportunities needed to thrive in a dynamic job market.
Education Committee Chair, Cllr John Finlayson, said: "We are thrilled with the outstanding results achieved by our school leavers this year. The increase in positive destinations is a testament to the hard work of our students, educators, and the supportive community. We remain committed to fostering an environment where every young person can succeed and contribute to the future workforce.
"The Highland Council continues to prioritise initiatives that support young people's transition from education. We are committed to building effective partnerships with employers, trainers, colleges and universities and building cross sector career pathways and skills packages while also aligning the school curriculum towards the economic opportunities available, to ensure a bright and prosperous future for the region."
Related Businesses
Related Articles
The Highland Council has appointed Bernadette Scott as Chief Officer Education - Primary and Early Years. The appointment completes the new senior management structure of the Council's People Service Cluster under the leadership of Kate Lackie, Assistant Chief Executive – People.
The timetable for the election of one Councillor to represent Ward 6 Cromarty Firth and one Councillor for Ward 10 Eilean a' Cheò on The Highland Council has been confirmed. The by-elections are being held following the resignations of former Councillors Maxine Smith from Ward 6 and Calum Munro from Ward 10.
The Highland Council is pleased to announce that from Monday 21 April it's in-house bus team will be delivering the 918 Wick to Berriedale service. This is the first venture for the in-house bus company outside of the Inverness area since the successful introduction and launch of Highland Council Buses.
The Radio Teleswitching Service (RTS) is due to end on Monday 30 June 2025. If your electricity meter uses RTS, it must be replaced.
Following the conclusion of the public consultation on the possible introduction of a visitor levy for the Highlands, the Council Convener has thanked everyone who submitted responses and confirmed the next steps to be taken. The Council held a series of webinars, community drop-in events, face to face public sessions and business events as part of the consultation process.
Continuing with the trend over the past few years, Highland has seen the highest ever direct spend recorded for filming in The Highland Council region. In 2024, figures surpassed previous years to reach over £3.5million in direct spend.
At the recently held meeting of the Educational Trusts Sub Committee, the trustees made awards of over £105,000 to a wide variety of individuals and organisations from The Highland Council Charitable Trusts. The awards ranged from a few hundred pounds to £10,000.
Highland Council is implementing several changes to service charges in 2025: Council Rent Charges: An 8% increase has been agreed for council homes to address rising costs and fund housing improvements. The average weekly rent for council homes will rise to £82.84, which is still below the national average.
Highland Council have agreed to boost senior councillor pay by between £5-11k this year. The move adds almost £500k to the councillor wage bill, bringing it to a new total of £2.3 million.
Highland Councillors will be asked to consider a new approach on the future of the Highland Investment Plan (HIP). Approval is being sought for the allocation of funding for the first phase of proposed projects for 2024/25 to 2029/30 which will help improve local public facilities and sustain local communities and population.
