Projects

Edge has supported Skills to Shine to deliver an innovative pilot project based in the North East of England. The Skills to Shine Programme offered vocational 'taster' courses that made learning real, relevant and inspiring through adding future options and career learning into the heart of the Key Stage 3 (KS3) curriculum.

The Skills to Shine Programme, as the name suggests, set out to support skills development for lower secondary students (years 7 to 9, aged 11 to 14). The young people were given a learning experience as part of the core curriculum to help them gain the knowledge, skills and experiences needed to make a more informed choice about their learning pathway through KS4.

The programme increased students' awareness and understanding of a variety of vocational career options open to them and informed them about the types of skills and experiences that are necessary to succeed in various career paths. By introducing the students to the range of career options available the programme raised students' awareness, aspiration, increased motivation and desire while instilling the belief that they could pursue and achieve in whatever career they choose.  Download the full evaluation report.

The pilot project involved working with 6 schools over 4 projects. The four pilot projects involved embedding vocationally related learning into 5 curriculum areas, English, Maths, Science, Humanities and Design & Technology.  This was achieved by working with schools alongside businesses and employers to design develop and deliver areas of the curriculum; bridging the gap between education and business, through vocation related study.

The Skills to Shine programme has worked with Edge to give young people the opportunity to try out and experience different skills and ways of learning which raises the status of vocational learning. Skills to Shine supported Steps 1, 3 and 4 of Edge's Six Steps manifesto.

Case studies of all the pilot projects as well as details of the vocationally related teaching and learning approach taken by the Skills to Shine programme can be found in the Skills to Shine review.