National Outcome 3

NO03 - We are better educated, more skilled and more successful, renowned for our research and innovation

One of our key commitments is to maximise our intellectual capital so that by 2025, the City will be universally recognised for its people, expertise and skill, including outstanding educational and career opportunities.

The economic wellbeing of the City requires a well educated workforce with good educational qualifications and skills and the ACC Workforce Development Strategy emphasises the need to ensure maximum participation, benefit and growth is available to all citizens and local businesses.  General data on deprivation in Aberdeen shows that the City is amongst the most divided in Scotland in relation to outcomes for communities between affluent areas and deprived data zones. The domains of health, education, skills and training and housing show relatively high numbers in the worst 20% in Scotland. The gap in average earnings between the lowest and highest earners is the greatest in Scotland. Together with our partners, we are taking action to address the inequalities in educational outcomes in Aberdeen and to close the gap between the highest and the lowest achievers.

Progression to further and higher education in Aberdeen is below the national average for five schools and continues to be concern for us, although we have had success with the Children’s University programme and plan to extend this further. Our More Choices More Chances partnership and 16+ Learning Choices will also have a positive impact. Skills shortages and evidence of employers’ concerns about a lack of core skills are well documented. Research demonstrates that 23% of Scottish adults require support with literacy and numeracy. In the City, there are approximately 42,000 adults who are disadvantaged in everyday life by levels of literacy skills which do not allow them to participate fully as lifelong learners, citizens, family members or workers. The 2001 census data shows us that 26% of the 16-74 year old population in the City have no qualifications. Our Community Learning and Development Service has achieved success in all recent learning community inspections and is continuing to have a positive impact on the lives of young people, adults and communities throughout the City.  Our Family Learning Team have been nationally recognised as an example of best practice.

The Lifelong Learning Forum, a partnership of key providers in Aberdeen, is committed to ensuring that partner organisations contribute to the local outcomes which are addressing the issues above. There is already good joint working between Community Learning and Development, schools, Further Education and Higher Education institutions, Libraries, the Communities Training Unit, Economic Development, Voluntary Sector and Health in relation to improving opportunities for learning and training.  Together, we are committed to making a difference and to use learning, training and skills development to help lift families out of poverty.

LO3A Ensure education is appropriate to pupils’ needs and ensure pupils leave school with skills essential for living

Measure

Performance

Note

Proportion of school leavers in positive and sustained destinations

It should be noted that this measure has changed from the original SOA due to national changes in definitions.

There was an increase of 4 young people reported in the School Leaver Destination Return.  Overall the % of leavers entering a positive destination is 85.6%, a decrease of 3.2% on 2006/07.    There were 2065 school leavers leaving from schools within the Aberdeen City local authority area. 12 of these leavers have since moved outwith Scotland and have therefore been excluded from the return leaving a total of 2053.

A review of the More Choices More Chances Partnership was undertaken in March 2009. A revised Strategy and Action Plan for 2010 – 2013 is out for consultation. The Integrated Children's Services Team have been successful in their application to the Scottish Government for additional resources to implement 16+ Learning Choices to all school leavers in the summer 2010 cohort. This activity is expected to improve performance towards achieving the targets.

Measure

Performance

Note

% school leavers entering higher education.

Baseline September 2007: 33.7%. A skills audit was undertaken in the summer of 2008 with results available at the end of the year. A feasibility study into a proposed delivery mechanism for a Workforce Development Strategy is ongoing.

Our target is 35% by 2010.

The percentage of young people entering further and higher education has fallen from 56.3% in 2006-07 to 54.4% in 2007-08, this being lower than the Scottish figure of 56.1%. The decrease in the Aberdeen City leavers continuing in post school education is mirrored by a decrease in leavers entering employment and training (31.2%), 1.3% lower than last year, this decrease mirroring the Scottish trend. The percentage of young people entering training (2.0%) has increased slightly from last year when 1.5% of leavers entered training.

The percentage of leavers who are unemployed seeking has risen slightly this year to 9.7%, 1.1% lower than the national rate. Leavers whose destination is unknown to SDS has risen sharply to 3.2%, still higher than the national figure of 1.1%.

There were 37 leavers from special education in 2007-08. Of these 19 (51.4%) went into positive destinations. 3 leavers (8.1%) were unknown.

Of the 2016 leavers ethnicity was established for 1232 clients – 61.1% of leavers. Of those with recorded ethnicity 1196 (97.1%) were reported as White UK.

LO3B Encourage and support people of all ages to take an active part in their own learning

Measure

Performance

Note

Number of adults receiving support with literacy and numeracy

The target of 1,939 is an increase on the figure from the actual value in 06/07. This target has not been achieved for a variety of reasons: the literacies tutor budget was reduced in 2007/08 due to the end of Literacies Partnership funding; a European Social Fund funded literacies project ended in January 2006, and the Pathfinder funding for the Healthwise project also ended.

Although we would have hoped to maintain the 1,326 figure as a target for 2008/09, the adult learning budget for 2008/09 was reduced.  The actual value of 1,000 is better than anticipated.

Measure

Performance

Note

Number of adults involved in family and community based learning

The target figure of 7,012 was not achieved for 2008/09. The figure of 6,538 as an actual value for 2008/09 is still an estimate – a final figure for Community Based Adult Learning will be available later in 2009.