Employability

We work with businesses and schools to build capacity in language and employability skills.

Breadalbane Academy

School: Breadalbane Academy
Project: Languages Mean Business in Highland Perthshire
Level: Gold
Date: June 2026

Languages: Spanish, French, Gaelic and Gaìdhlig  

Employer partners: Glen Lyon Roastery, Splash White Water Rafting and the Scottish Crannog Centre 

Spanish – Glen Lyon Roastery 
Following an earlier Bronze Award, National 5 and Higher Spanish learners visited Glen Lyon Roastery to learn about its operations and hear how Spanish and Portuguese are used in international business. They practised barista skills before completing employer-informed writing tasks, including a job application and a fictional business trip to South America. The employer judged the work, providing an authentic audience and supporting exam preparation. 

French – Splash White Water Rafting  
S3 French learners observed a safety briefing delivered in French, exploring how clear communication and accurate language are essential when working with international visitors. Back in school, they collaborated to create a French-language safety briefing video intended for future French-speaking visitors, applying their language skills in a meaningful, real-world context. 

Gaelic and Gàidhlig – Scottish Crannog Centre 
Gaelic and Gaelic-medium learners experienced a bilingual tour led by Crannog Centre staff, discovering how Gaelic and English are used in heritage and tourism. Learners then selected an artefact and recorded their own mini guided tours, developing communication, presentation and digital skills while exploring local history and culture. 

All three projects helped learners make meaningful connections between language learning and future employment. Feedback highlighted increased motivation, enjoyment and confidence, alongside opportunities to develop communication, presentation and other transferable skills. By working directly with employers, they gained authentic insights into the value of languages in international business, outdoor activities, heritage and tourism. 

The school plans to maintain its employer partnerships and explore opportunities to extend similar activities to other year groups, helping more learners recognise the relevance of languages to their future. 

It is excellent to see how Breadalbane Academy has built on its previous award and developed a range of meaningful partnerships that clearly demonstrate the value of languages in the workplace. The project brings together learners from several year groups and connects language learning to authentic contexts through partnerships with organisations from very different sectors. The work with the coffee roastery, white-water rafting company and Crannog Centre provides learners with genuine opportunities to apply language skills alongside research, presentation, digital and teamwork skills.  

  

Particularly impressive is the way each partnership has resulted in tangible outcomes for learners, such as safety briefings, presentations and interpretive materials. The projects are well aligned to learners’ interests and local employment opportunities, while also supporting progression within the languages curriculum. The strong collaboration between the school and its partners is evident throughout and has clearly had a positive impact on learner motivation, engagement and understanding of employability.  

  

This is a highly effective example of languages, interdisciplinary learning and Developing the Young Workforce coming together in a coherent and purposeful way. Congratulations, Team Breadalbane!  

    


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