Employability

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

St Patrick's Primary

School: St Patrick's Primary (South Ayrshire)
Project: From Troon to the World
Level: Silver
Date: June 2026

Language: French 

Partners Involved:  
The programme was delivered through strong local partnerships that provided real‑world contexts for learning:  

  • STV: Pupils engaged with the STV Political Correspondent, gaining insight into careers in media, journalism and broadcasting, with a specific focus on how he uses languages in his job and global awareness.  
  • The Marine Hotel, Troon: Staff supported a hospitality and tourism learning experience, offering learners a practical understanding of customer‑facing roles in an international setting.  
  • Royal Troon Golf Club: Learning connected to the hosting of international sporting events, exploring the importance of languages, intercultural awareness and professional communication.  
  • School Community: P7 Language Ambassadors worked with learners and families to celebrate linguistic diversity within the school.  
  • These partners provided authentic contexts that helped learners see clear links between languages, employability and the wider world.  
Planning Processes  
Planning was collaborative and skills‑focused, with clear links to:  
  • Curriculum for Excellence (Languages, Literacy, HWB and Skills for Life, Learning and Work).  
  • Learner voice and progression across P4–P7.  
  • Real‑world employability skills such as communication, teamwork, leadership and cultural awareness.  
  • Activities were carefully sequenced to ensure progression, with each project reinforcing the message that languages have practical value beyond the classroom. Staff worked closely with partners in advance to agree learning outcomes and ensure experiences were age‑appropriate and purposeful.  
Activities Undertaken  
The programme consisted of four interconnected projects:  

  • Languages in Media (STV):  
Learners participated in an interactive talk exploring careers in broadcasting, focusing on interviewing, teamwork and communication. Learners practised target‑language vocabulary linked to jobs, countries and communication.  

  • Languages in Hospitality (The Marine Hotel):  
Learners took part in a behind‑the‑scenes hotel visit, explored job roles and used hospitality‑related vocabulary and simple phrases. Learners also created basic language resources to support welcoming international guests.  

  • Global Events and Careers (Royal Troon Golf Club):  
Learning focused on hosting international events, media presence and visitor engagement, with learners exploring the role of languages and intercultural skills in a global sporting context.  

  • Language Ambassadors (P7):  
P7 learners led a whole‑school language survey and delivered a weekly Word of the Week initiative, promoting consistent language use and celebrating linguistic diversity.  

Feedback  
Feedback from learners, staff and partners was very positive:  

  • Learners reported increased confidence and enthusiasm for learning languages. They valued hearing first‑hand from professionals and seeing how languages are used in real jobs. 
  • Staff observed improved engagement, particularly among learners who thrive in practical and leadership‑based activities. 
  • Partners responded positively to pupils’ questions, behaviour and curiosity about career pathways.  
Impact  
The programme had a clear and measurable impact:  

  • Increased learner understanding of how languages link to employability and global careers. 
  • Improved confidence in using target‑language vocabulary and speaking skills. 
  • Enhanced leadership and responsibility among P7 Language Ambassadors.  
  • Raised the profile of languages across the whole school.  
  • Strengthened relationships between the school and the local community. 
  • Learners demonstrated a broader awareness of cultural diversity and the importance of communication in the modern world.  
Future Plans  
Future developments include:  

  • Extending partnerships with local businesses and global organisations.  
  • Further developing the Language Ambassador role to include mentoring younger

The verification team was delighted to receive St Patrick’s Primary School’s first submission for the Scottish Languages Employability Award, and highly commend the thoughtful, ambitious approach taken to embedding languages across the life of the school. The “From Troon to the World” project demonstrates a strong commitment to helping learners understand the value of language skills beyond the classroom through engagement with a diverse range of local and national partners. The involvement of organisations from different employment sectors has provided learners with meaningful insights into how languages can support communication, tourism, hospitality, media and international opportunities.  


A particular strength of the project is the leadership role taken by the P7 Languages Ambassadors, who have helped promote language learning across the school and provided positive role models for younger learners. The project has successfully engaged learners from across the school and has clearly increased awareness of the importance of languages in future learning and employment. The ambition shown in developing partnerships with high-profile organisations is commendable and has created motivating and memorable experiences for learners.  


The submission demonstrates strong links between languages, employability and wider school improvement priorities. As the project develops further, it could be beneficial to make the language-learning outcomes and learner language use even more explicit, highlighting how learners apply and develop their target language skills through each activity, and to showcase these language outputs These developments would strengthen an already impressive project even further!  


This is a very strong submission which reflects a whole-school commitment to languages and employability, and it provides an excellent foundation for future development and a potential Gold Award!  

    

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