young job-seekers and the skills shortage

More than 450,000 young adults who should be building careers lack the skills they need to do it, particularly in communication, team-working, and customer service. Entry-level jobs used to teach these skills. The job market having shifted in the last decade, however, those jobs are no longer there. The Work Foundation warns of a long-term problem if too many young people fail to join the workforce. Plenty of jobs do exist, points out the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. But because of a mismatch betyween the aims of education authorities and employers, many of these jobs go unfilled — in spite of the growing surplus of unemployed young people. Read about this important paradox here.

Football Academy attracting star talent

Musselburgh football prodigy Jason Jarvis is coming to Broughton in August, reports the East Lothian Courier, part of the Scottish Football Association’s growing Performance Schools inititative designed to get Scotland back to World Cup-level football. There are seven schools in this new programme. It’s encouraging to see young power players like Jason choose Broughton. Read more about the young star here.

music school news

Sean Hughes, who is about to join the Edinburgh Music School at Broughton High School, has been chosen to sing at St Paul’s Cathedral for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. Sean is the only boy from Scotland selected for this prestigious occasion. We are delighted for him and for his family.

helpers young and old needed on Wednesday evening, 16th May

S1 Parents Evening is on Wednesday, 16th May. The S6 pupils who have been helping serve refreshments are away on study leave. A number of S3 pupils are standing in, for which we are very grateful. They could use some backup. Can anyone, parent or pupil, step in to help?

Please contact Sharee MacKerron (0131 332 7805 or sharee.mackerron@broughton.edin.sch.uk) if you can.

All CfE course documents now online from the SQA

The finalised National Qualifications course documents are now downloadable here. These are the formal arrangement outlines for every subject, conformed to the requirements of the Curriculum for Excellence initiative. Included in these downloads are also explanatory leaflets for learners and their parents.