Careers Scotland

Careers Scotland aims to improve the employability and enterprise skills of the people of Scotland. They carry out a core series of activities open to teachers at all stages. For a more detailed outline of each activity I recommend you visit the Careers-Scotland website.

The Schools Enterprise Programme is an ambitious 3-year programme that aims to enable all schools and teachers in Scotland to deliver enterprise education within the 5-14 curriculum.

This programme is funded by Schools Enterprise Scotland Ltd and the Scottish Executive and is managed nationally by Careers Scotland.

Each area has recruited one or more Enterprise in Education Advisers, (Enterprise Education Support Officers) whose main remit is to train teachers in enterprise education and to ensure that every young person in Scotland has the opportunity to participate in at least three separate enterprise projects within the 5-14 curriculum.

The programme aims to develop enterprise skills and attitudes to develop a 'can do' culture.

What is sustainable development?

"Our biggest challenge in this new century is to take an idea that seems abstract -- sustainable development -- and turn it into a reality for all the world's people."
Kofi Annan
Secretary General of the United Nations March 2001

Sustainable means that something is viable and can be continued in the long term in ways that do not harm people but benefit them equally. This can apply to anything from decisions about the school playground to issues relating to the national economy and global environment.

Development refers to the way in which the interaction between the environment, the economy and society progresses and changes. Development happens everywhere and involves everyone

Opportunities for CDP in Sustainable Development

This area has proved to be the most difficult to source opportunities for CPD. It requires some development nationally to provide a framework for schools and individual teachers to progress. Nonetheless there are fascinating possibilities for CPD in the local area. In Golspie for example there is a community composting and recycling centre being developed and a close association is being formed with the school.

Any teacher interested in this area will have a plethora of interested groups from whom to take advice. The Highlands and Islands are rich in such opportunities.

Below are examples of the organisations involved in education for sustainable development.

Qualifications and Curriculum Authority in England

This group has put forward the following model for sustainable development in schools

What are your school's professional development needs?

The first step in planning is to identify your school's ESD professional development needs. This means reviewing your school's progress to date and thinking about what it wants to achieve in the future.

QCA has identified three stages of development in ESD,

School Stages and Education for Sustainable Development:

Introductory stage
Schools starting to develop ESD

If your school is at this stage, it may have carried out one or two projects related to sustainability and have some elements as part of the formal curriculum. However, it is unlikely to have:

Considered ESD as a whole school before
Developed a policy for ESD
Appointed a member of staff responsible for ESD
Formally identified ESD within the curriculum
Prioritised this aspect of the national curriculum

Emergent stage
Schools that are underway with ESD

If your school is at this stage, it will have carried out a few projects related to sustainability and have begun to identify ESD within its curriculum. It is likely to have done one or two of the following:

Considered ESD as a whole school before
Developed a policy for ESD
Appointed a member of staff responsible for ESD
Formally identified ESD within the curriculum
Prioritised this aspect of the national curriculum

Advanced stage
Schools that have a successful history of developing ESD and want to take further steps

If your school is at this stage, it will probably have:

Developed an ESD policy
Identified a member of staff responsible for ESD
Developed formal planning and action teams for ESD
Audited its curriculum for ESD and decided to further refine and update practice

Education for Sustainable Development:
Qualifications and Curriculum Authority England 2003