Plan your career - Careers Scotland

Important note

From 1 April 2008, Careers Scotland will be incorporated in a new organisation - Skills Development Scotland. Please bookmark this page for further updates.

Careers Scotland was launched in March 2002 as a one-stop shop to provide the highest quality career guidance to everyone in Scotland from the Borders to the Shetland Islands. In the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, Careers Scotland has been closely aligned with HIE.

As well as assisting school pupils and college students, Careers Scotland extends its services to all ages – helping people who are in or out of work, those who need career planning support and giving advice on learning and employment opportunities.

It is the first such organisation in the UK to offer an all-age career guidance service and plays a key role in the drive to create one of the world’s most competitive workforces.

The world of work is changing and new opportunities and challenges arise, some resulting in the need to learn new skills, not only at school, but throughout our lives.

Careers Scotland advisers can give you advice and information about work and learning, whenever you need it, how often you need it and at whatever stage of life you are at.

Their purpose is to provide you with what you need to make the most of your working life and enhance your job prospects.

Careers Scotland will, working with you, and through others, assist you with:

learning and training opportunities;
information about the labour market;
advice and guidance on career plans;
developing skills to increase job prospects.

Careers Scotland's aims are:

to make it easy and encouraging for people in the Highlands
  and Islands to access their services, regardless of age,
  geography and circumstances;
to improve the employability and enterprise skills of the
people in the whole of Scotland;
to increase participation in learning and employment;
to be the leading national advocate for the guidance and
employability sector.

Careers Scotland can help both individuals and employers. For more information, visit the Careers Scotland website or contact your local Careers Scotland centre.

Key links

Windmills - career and life management Windmills is an approach developed by the GIEU at the University of Liverpool and Dr Peter Hawkins. Together they have developed Windmills into a portfolio of job, career, work and life resources.Careers Scotland - Adventure Challenge It’s all about getting young folk involved in fun outdoor activities, but with a focus on helping them gain new skills and confidence which should help them become more confident about facing their futures.Gaelic Career Box - Central Primary School Inverness Joan Duncan and Morag Eisner from Careers Scotland recently delivered a Gaelic Career Box session to 23 primary 2/3 pupils at the Gaelic Medium Unit at Central Primary School, Inverness.The Careers Scotland Rock School ...rock-on Tomás! An opportunity for young people to learn about what it’s like to be a musician - and discover the skills needed to make it in the music industry.Excellence in Education through Business links (EEBL) - teacher placements Excellence in Education through Business Links (EEBL) is the programme that allows you to further your own knowledge of the industry and business world and disseminate this knowledge in the classroom and for businesses to learn more about what tomorrow's employees are taught in school.Careers Scotland and the By Hands and Feet Greenland expedition In Spring 2006, a team of six, in the spirit of Nansen’s first epic crossing of Greenland, 117 years ago, pushed back the modern-day frontiers of knowledge, technology and exploration, by completing a 600km inclusive traverse of the vast empty Arctic desert of Greenland’s ice-cap. Careers Scotland - Inverness and East Highland locality - is tapping-into this expedition's challenges as a vehicle for school pupils in four Strathspey schools to develop essential life and work-related skills.By Hands and Feet across Greenland - expedition web pages The first inclusive crossing of Greenland by a British woman. The technologies and expertise developed through this project will enable other disabled people to challenge themselves in the outdoors - and to change lives.Careers Scotland report shows impressive progress An independent study into the progress of Careers Scotland has concluded that the service has laid strong foundations, compares well with leading good practice across the world and has made impressive progress.Ideasfactory Scotland Ideasfactory - opening a doorway into the real world of arts,media and creativity

Find your nearest Careers Scotland centre Contact details for Careers Scotland centres in the Highlands and Islands.Careers Scotland news News feed from Careers Scotland

Careers Scotland