Employment

Bathgate Academy already deliver 'Employability' and 'Your Future' units of work in S3. These units explore language-learning options such as a gap year, further education, and employment. With the employment part in particular, they aim to help pupils to understand that employers in all industries value employees who have knowledge of more than just English and why this is the case.  

As part of this, the department built the SCILT Industry Videos into their departmental lessons. Pupils worked in groups to watch one video and turn it into a presentation for the rest of the class. Following on, pupil interest led the focus to turn to engineering, and, in collaboration with local firm Clarke Fire Protection Products, Modern Languages teachers at the school developed Level 2, 3 and 4 French reading comprehensions about the company. These proved very engaging for pupils.

Following this, the school organised a very well-received ‘Meet a Professional’ event involving representatives from Clarke Fire Protection Products, Mitsubishi and WL Gore, thereby building very effectively on local connections and partnerships. Each business described their work and how languages are an important part of it. This event was again aimed at S3 but the department also involved their S1 Lead Linguists as guides on the day, which was a great way to extend the influence of the event.

The plan had been for the partnership to continue with an exciting, languages-focused site visit for S3 to Clarke Fire Protection Products, but unfortunately this became impossible due to COVID-19 and the subsequent school closure. However, the school is still to be highly commended for all that it managed to achieve in the time available.

This is a very good submission from Bathgate Academy. There is clear evidence of thorough planning and preparation in advance of the project. The links made with local businesses are strong and purposeful and have excellent long-term potential.

Although the project was curtailed by the Covid-19 outbreak, there have clearly been strong benefits to the school, the pupils, and the businesses involved, and the mechanisms are now in place for excellent collaborative work which can continue once circumstances allow it. 

Bathgate Academy’s project has achieved a great deal in spite of the difficult times, and we want to commend them for that. It has developed young people’s learning about the world of work and their understanding of the value of language skills to their future employability.