Skip to main
23 May 2023

Interim Participation Snapshot for 16–19-year olds

CIAG

SDS has today published the Interim Participation Snapshot for 16–19-year olds, providing a picture of the learning, training or work status of Scotland’s young people.

At 90.8%, the participation rate for 16-19 year olds had increased by 0.1 percentage points (pp) compared to the same point in 2022.

This management information helps SDS and other partners to ensure we are doing all that we can to support the future plans of young people across the country and enables Scottish Government to better understand the youth labour market.

Ciag Connect Interim Participation Snapshot 810 370Px 1
I’m delighted to see that the participation rate amongst Scotland’s young people remains high. “The figures are testament to the hard work, commitment and resilience of our young people and of the SDS careers advisers working in partnership with schools and local partners to support pupils throughout their time at school and through their transitions.
Sharon Mcintyre.Png.Article 620

Sharon McIntryre, Head of Career Information, Advice and Guidance at SDS

Sharon McIntyre, head of the career service at SDS said: “I’m delighted to see that the participation rate amongst Scotland’s young people remains high.

“The figures are testament to the hard work, commitment and resilience of our young people and of the SDS careers advisers working in partnership with schools and local partners to support pupils throughout their time at school and through their transitions.  

“We will continue to work closely with schools and local partners to ensure we do all we can to support all young people.”

The information is drawn from SDS’s CSS dataset which, with data feeds from statutory data sharing partners, is maintained as a shared dataset on behalf of Scottish Government.

The dataset is the source of regular management information to data sharing partners on the education, training and employment status of 16–19-year-olds in Scotland via the 16+ Data Hub, and is the source of the Annual Participation Measure, a key indicator in the National Performance Framework. 

The interactive report is produced using data collected by SDS and a range of partners, including local authorities, colleges, the Student Award Agency for Scotland, the Department for Work and Pensions and the Scottish Funding Council, which is shared through the 16+ Data Hub.  

Apprenticeships are one pathway for young people entering work and SDS has today also published the annual statistics for Modern Apprenticeships, which show that more than 25,000 new Modern Apprenticeships were created by Scotland’s employers in the past year, surpassing the Scottish Government ambition and helping apprenticeship job creation move closer to pre-pandemic levels.

The Annual Participation Measure publication is planned for Tuesday 29 August 2023.