Shape the Future with Scottish Careers Week 2026
National campaign returns 9 to 13 November, bringing educators, employers, career practitioners, partners and communities together to inspire people across Scotland to explore their future.
Scottish Careers Week 2026 returns from 9 to 13 November, bringing educators, employers, organisations and communities together to inspire people across Scotland to explore their future.
Under the theme Shape the Future, the campaign will show how career support, learning, work and local partnerships can help people understand their options and make confident choices.
Throughout the week, partners will be encouraged to get involved by sharing real stories, promoting local activity and supporting conversations that bring careers to life in classrooms, workplaces and communities.
For educators, it is an opportunity to connect learning with the world of work and help young people see the many routes open to them. For employers, it is a chance to showcase pathways, skills and opportunities, and to play an active role in developing Scotland’s future workforce.
Scottish Careers Week will make careers support more visible, practical and accessible for people of all ages, whether they are at school, leaving education, changing direction, returning to learning or looking for their next step.
Young people are entering a labour market shaped by rapid change, from artificial intelligence and the transition to net zero to demographic shifts and wider economic pressures. At the same time, people of all ages are making decisions about learning, work and their next steps in an environment that can feel complex and uncertain.
Scottish Careers Week will highlight how high-quality careers support, employer insight and local opportunities can help them navigate those choices with confidence.
Head of Career Information, Advice and Guidance Operations at Skills Development Scotland (SDS), Dave McCallum said:
“People of all ages are making decisions about learning and work at a time of significant change.
“Scottish Careers Week is an opportunity to show how good careers support, backed by strong local partnerships, can help people understand their options, build confidence and move forward.
“It is not just about making opportunities visible. It is about helping people turn those opportunities into meaningful next steps.”
The campaign will celebrate the breadth of industries, pathways and opportunities across Scotland, but also the partnerships that help make those opportunities visible and accessible.
Employers can get involved by hosting or supporting an event, sharing a career story, posting practical advice, promoting opportunities or registering activity through the campaign hub at My World of Work. Whether it is a small action or a wider programme, every contribution helps people see what is possible.
Scottish Chambers of Commerce Chief Executive, Charandeep Singh BEM, said;
“Scottish Careers Week is an important opportunity for employers to showcase the breadth of career pathways available across Scotland, helping young people and those considering a career change understand what skills businesses need and where those opportunities lie.
“Since Scottish Careers Week began, the Scottish Chambers of Commerce has worked with our Chamber Network, employers, careers professionals and educators to help ensure people are better informed about the range of rewarding careers available across Scotland’s industries and regions.”
SDS’s expert careers advisers provide free, impartial support in schools, SDS centres, colleges, community venues, through our national helpline on 0800 917 8000 and online through My World of Work. Scottish Careers Week builds on that all-age approach by encouraging organisations and individuals across Scotland to get involved, promote local activity and support conversations that bring careers to life.
Scottish Careers Week 2026
Visit the campaign hub to download resources, explore activity ideas and find out how to take part.