Glasgow pupils gain marketing and business skills in the classroom

Pupils at St Thomas Aquinas Secondary School in Glasgow are developing real-world business skills, gaining an industry recognised qualification, and for some, winning a national start-up competition with a product designed to keep women safe.

The school introduced the Qualifications Scotland NPA (National Progression Award) at SCQF level 5 in Business and Marketing as an alternative pathway for learners with an interest in business, marketing and entrepreneurship. The qualification provides practical knowledge of marketing-based business principles alongside skills directly relevant to employment and further study, covering areas including market research, promotion, event organisation, customer care and selling skills.

Part of the course is dedicated to the START programme, a free school entrepreneurship programme in Scotland that takes teams of S6 pupils through the journey of launching a startup business. Through this, learners have developed and pitched marketing ideas, engaged with external partners and gained first-hand insight into how businesses operate in practice.

Orla Ritchie, Depute Head at St Thomas Aquinas, said the ambition from the start was to connect learning outside of the classroom, 'We wanted our learners to develop not only an understanding of marketing principles, but also key employability skills such as communication, teamwork, creativity, problem-solving and entrepreneurial thinking. We also hoped to increase engagement by helping learners see the relevance of their learning beyond the classroom.'

'The impact has been significant. Learners have demonstrated increased confidence, independence and professionalism, and several have gone on to study Business, Marketing and related subjects at college and university. One pupil per year also earns a summer internship through the START Programme, speaking to the quality of experience the qualification offers.'

'The combination of a Qualifications Scotland qualification and real-world application has produced some significant results. Earlier this year, a team of S6 pupils, Jovita, Elodie, Amy, Emma, and Maja, won the START competition. Competing against teams from four Glasgow schools at a pitch evening at Glasgow Science Centre, the group presented a business concept pairing existing tracking technology with jewellery to create a discreet wearable safety device for women.'

'One of the most significant outcomes of introducing the NPA has been a broader shift in how learners, parents, carers and the wider school community think about qualifications and progression. Orla says, "One of our main challenges was ensuring that the NPA was understood and valued by our learners, parents and the wider school community, particularly as it sits outside the more familiar National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher pathways.'

Orla explains how things do seem to be changing, 'Several learners who had already achieved Higher Business Management in S5 have chosen to return in S6 to take the NPA. While the NPA is one level below a Higher on the SCQF framework, learners recognise the opportunity to specialise in an area of business that particularly interests them and to gain practical, real-world experience. Their decision demonstrates that learners increasingly value the skills, experiences and industry engagement that the qualification offers, rather than viewing progression simply as moving to a qualification at a higher SCQF level.'

This reflects a deliberate effort by the department to challenge narrower definitions of achievement. 'We have worked hard to promote the value of the wider SCQF framework and challenge the perception that success is defined solely through traditional exam-based qualifications,' Orla said. 'We believe that learners should be encouraged to follow pathways that align with their interests, strengths and future aspirations, regardless of the qualification level.'

For Jovita, one of the START Programme competition-winning pupils, the NPA delivered far more than she had anticipated, 'I chose to take marketing because I had the opportunity to set up a business with my friends and invent a new business plan, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The most challenging part was coming up with the initial idea for our business, but this course helped me to learn how to understand target markets. It also gave me huge confidence.'

That confidence is already shaping her future. In September, Jovita will begin studying English and Film at Edinburgh Napier University, with ambitions to become a producer, a reminder that the skills developed through qualifications can create many different opportunities and pathways for learners.