Employability

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

Loudon Academy

School: Loudon Academy
Project: Dean Castle visitor leaflets
Level: Silver
Date: June 2026

    Loudoun Academy’s submission contained a really detailed description of their timeline and processes. We are sharing this in full as it is a fantastic example of how to plan and carry out an employability project!


    Partner  

    We started by thinking of a partner to work alongside. Using local market indicators, I am aware that Tourism is an important industry for East Ayrshire. This may be a job sector that our pupils go into in the future. Visit Scotland also emphasises that French visitors like to visit Castles when holidaying in Scotland so Dean Castle seemed the perfect partner to approach. Dean Castle is managed by East Ayrshire leisure and is approximately 15 minutes drive from our school or one bus and a short walk. Dean Castle sits in a large country park that the school uses regularly for other initiatives such as Duke of Edinburgh. I contacted East Ayrshire Leisure via e-mail to see if they would be interested partnering with us on this project and Jennifer Herrera – Development Co-ordinator, got back to me saying they would like to be part of this, and it would be relevant for them as they have French groups who visit the castle annually.   


    Planning

    The planning process started with taking a small group of pupil representatives out to the castle to visit Jennifer and her marketing colleague to hear about the business needs and requirements before we started developing the leaflets. The pupils had the opportunity to ask questions, and they were given certain criteria such as; what font to use, logos, information to include such as accessibility and that it should be clear and concise. We then took a larger group back to the castle to do a guided tour to learn more about the castle and visit it in person. The third year classes were then given a different section to work on. The travel and tourism class created some PowerPoints on the Castle, the Country Park and the habits of French tourists in Scotland. This helped contextualise learning. S3 pupils worked individually on Chromebooks, completed work was then uploaded to Teams and sections from pupils were pulled together to create the final leaflet and additional materials.   

        Activities

        French classes

        • Staff pronunciation help – video and handout  
        • Opening Hours and Accessibility Information  
        • Objects that link to France  
        • Mary Queen of Scots link to the Castle & France
        • Courtyard plaques & general history  

        Travel and Tourism Class  

        • Researching habits of French tourists to Scotland (contextualising learning)  
        • Creating info PPT on this and the country park in general   

        Feedback  

        Pupils thoroughly enjoyed working on this project and were very well engaged. Pupils enjoyed visiting the castle and were very positive about the trip. Materials were sent to Jennifer for her to have a look at prior to printing final copies. 


        Feedback from East Ayrshire Leisure  

        “This looks amazing – thank you so much for sharing. I’ve passed everything on to Clare from marketing and we are both really impressed by the level of research and thought that’s gone into all of the work. The pupils have done a fantastic job. The PowerPoint and pronunciation guide are great resources to have and I’ll definitely share these with staff on site. Merci beaucoup!”  


        Impact  

        Pupils learned about and visited a tourist attraction in their local area, growing their appreciation and knowledge of their local area. Pupils had a sense of pride. Pupil engagement & enjoyment. Production of relevant materials for local business. Development of French language skills. Further contextualizing of Modern Languages Learning – French tourists in their local area.   


        Future Plans  

        Leaflets to be displayed at the castle, pupils have been invited back to visit again – we will arrange this and we would love to continue to work with the castle in the future. Clare Garcia from the Marketing Department has also offered to run a Canva workshop with the pupils at The Dick Institute in Kilmarnock. We are keen to take Clare up on this offer, helping pupils to further develop their skills and marketing insight.  


        Timeline  

        • June 2025 – initial e-mail sent to East Ayrshire Leisure asking if they would like to work with us on the Award   
        • August 2025 – meeting to discuss project and business needs with small group  
        • October 2025 – larger group visit to Dean Castle for guided tour
        • Jan-end of March 2026 – pupils working on the project 1 period per week   
        • 1 April – all work completed  

        E-mail communication has gone back and forth between Jennifer and the lead teacher with updates etc during this time. The lead teacher communicated with the rest of the department regularly throughout this project: giving info at DMs, providing support resources and checking in on progress and deadlines.   


        Planning Resources  

        • Discussion at DMs about what classes were to do, how the work was going to be divided up and the success criteria.   
        • PPT created for pupils outlining the project, objectives, success criteria, class sections.   
        • Help sheets for vocabulary were created.   
        • Agreed timeline. 1 period per week between New Year and Easter Holidays.   

        Loudoun Academy has developed a thoughtful and well-structured project which builds on their previous award and successfully combines language learning, local heritage and employability. The partnership with Dean Castle provides learners with an authentic context in which to develop research, communication and marketing skills while applying their French language learning to a real audience. The progression of activities across year groups is particularly effective, allowing learners to engage with the project at different stages and contribute to a shared outcome.  

          

        The creation of visitor materials for French-speaking tourists demonstrates a clear understanding of how language skills can support tourism and the local economy. Learners have responded to a genuine client brief and have developed their understanding of cultural and historical links between Scotland and France. The project is coherent, purposeful and well planned, with clear evidence of learner engagement and skill development. There is strong potential for future growth through the involvement of additional partners and languages, building on the solid foundations already established, and paving the way to a potential Gold Award! 

          

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