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Modern Apprenticeships give young learners lifelong edge
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Modern Apprenticeships give young learners lifelong edge
7
August
2025
None
Thursday 7 August 2025
SQA Chief Executive Nick Page meets with Modern Apprentices Sam Forbes, Caitlin Dunion, and Ben Cooper along with David Hannah, Head of Apprenticeship Delivery at QA Ltd (Scotland)
Modern Apprenticeships should be one of the options under serious consideration for the thousands of young people across Scotland considering their next steps after receiving their SQA results.
This is the view of young modern apprentices in Glasgow, who have been supported by QA Ltd (Scotland), one of the leading providers of digital apprenticeships in sectors including Digital Technology, Business Administration, Digital Marketing, and Digital Applications Support.
Modern Apprenticeships give young people at the start of their career the opportunity to gain real-world experience and responsibilities in the workplace and achieve a valuable qualification all while earning a competitive wage.
Sam Forbes, 17, from Newton Mearns left school in May after completing his final qualifications in S6 at Eastwood High School. Days later he started a Modern Apprenticeship programme at law firm Harper Macleod in Glasgow.
Now a framework administrator, Sam is getting up to speed with life in one of Scotland’s leading law firms.
Talking about his new job with SQA Chief Executive Nick Page, Sam said: ‘I applied for an apprenticeship with QA Ltd, and we talked about the jobs and apprenticeship programmes they had available and which of them I was interested in. We looked at the role with Harper Macleod, and I submitted my application. I was fortunate enough to have a successful interview shortly afterwards, and I started my new job just four days after my last exam!’
Sam continued: ‘It all happened really quickly, but I’m loving my new job. It’s early days but I’m getting a lot of support from the team at Harper Macleod learning my new role. The assessors, QA Ltd, have been brilliant too helping me understand how the work I’m doing at my job provides evidence for the qualification I’m working towards.’
Caitlin Dunion, 22 from Glasgow, is also undertaking a Modern Apprenticeship with Harper Macleod. Caitlin started a degree programme last year but quickly made the switch to a Modern Apprenticeship after deciding that university wasn’t for her.
Now nine months into her Business and Administration apprenticeship, Caitlin is thriving in her current role at Harper Macleod. Caitlin said: ‘I’ve had a great start to my career. Every day is different, and I’m getting that chance to work with people across the business and learn while getting paid. I’m developing new skills, my confidence is growing, and I know that I’ve made the choice that was right for me.’
Ben Cooper, a Digital Marketing modern apprentice at SQA, offered his insight as he was coming to the end of his 12-month placement with Scotland’s awarding and accreditation body. Ben said: ‘I knew for some time before I left school last year that university wasn’t for me. The prospect of a Modern Apprenticeship in digital marketing was intriguing and over the last 12 months I’ve been able to work on a number of campaigns and projects. At the same time, I’ve also achieved an SVQ in Digital Marketing. Having that qualification, and the experience of the last year under my belt will help me with whatever comes next.’
David Hannah, Head of Apprenticeship Delivery at QA Ltd (Scotland), said ‘Modern Apprenticeships give young people the agency and opportunity to shape the early part of their career. With the support of QA Ltd, they can identify the apprenticeship programmes that align with their interests and work for them. We’ll then help young people identify potential employers who will take them on and oversee the day-to-day aspects of their training and development, while our team of assessors will help them achieve valuable SQA qualifications.
‘Employers like Harper Macleod play a hugely important role in the development of our young people, and together we can instil a lifelong-learning ethic that will serve our modern apprentices throughout the course of their careers.’
Martin Darroch, Harper Macleod Chief Executive, said: “Modern apprentices play a significant role in our business. We’ve supported the programme for more than 10 years and, in that time, we’ve supported more than 100 colleagues to achieve their Modern Apprenticeships, with many going on to be promoted into other roles and gain new qualifications. Today, 14% of our people came through the programme. Harnessing that talent today will pay dividends as we continue to build and grow our future workforce.”
Nick Page, SQA Chief Executive said: ‘Hearing first hand from Sam, Caitlin and Ben about their experiences has been hugely inspiring. While they are all just starting out on their careers, they are proving every day that there is a huge variety of pathways to success open to our young people as they leave school and head into the wider world.
‘By its nature, a Modern Apprenticeship instils young people with the habit of active lifelong learning; they are achieving goals, generating evidence, and improving daily. Together with the employers who support our modern apprentices, and the training providers like QA Ltd, who oversee their development, SQA – and in turn Qualifications Scotland – will provide our young people with the best opportunities to make the most of the first steps in their careers.’
For more information on Modern Apprenticeships, visit www.sqa.org.uk/apprenticeships.
114548
447
07-AUG-2025
Thu, 7 Aug 2025 11:41:24 +0000
NEW
Results Day: 2025 marks 'landmark year' of achievement by Scotland's learners
Around 147,000 learners across Scotland will receive their results today - and their hard work has made 2025 a ‘landmark year’ of achievement and success for them.
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Results Day: 2025 marks 'landmark year' of achievement by Scotland's learners
5
August
2025
None
Tuesday 5 August 2025
Around 147,000 learners across Scotland will receive their results today - and their hard work has made 2025 a ‘landmark year’ of achievement and success for them.
The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) - which will be replaced by Qualifications Scotland in December - confirmed that the 2024-2025 session resulted in:
Overall attainment rates at A-C increasing at all levels of National Qualifications (National 5, Higher, and Advanced Higher)
The poverty-related attainment gap narrowing at all levels of National Qualifications (National 5, Higher, and Advanced Higher)
Total number of vocational and technical qualifications – the skills-based awards that unlock training and career opportunities – surging past 100,000 for first time ever
More than 200,000 Higher entries for first time since Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) qualifications were introduced in 2014.
All learners will receive their results and qualifications certificates by post. More than 60,000 of them have already received their results via email or text from 8am today, having signed up for MySQA digital services.
Donna Stewart, Scotland’s Chief Examining Officer, said: 'Scotland’s learners should be rightly proud today – and we are proud of them.
'Their hard work and commitment has made 2025 a landmark year. The rise in overall attainment at all three National Qualification levels will rightly be welcomed in classrooms and staffrooms across Scotland. Higher entries have also risen beyond 200,000 for the first time since Curriculum for Excellence was introduced.
'The number of vocational and technical qualifications passed the 100,000 landmark for the first time, with record numbers of learners embracing the wide range of skills-based learning that schools, colleges, teachers and lecturers are working so hard to offer and that employers are crying out for.
'2025 has also seen the poverty-related attainment gap narrow at all levels of national qualifications. We welcome that progress towards the shared national mission to reduce inequality.
'All of those achievements are to be celebrated – and they belong to Scotland’s learners.
'I also want to thank my fellow teachers, not only the thousands of them who also play a critical role as SQA markers and so make Results Day possible but every educator across Scotland for the work they do every day to support learners.
'Today is the last Results Day for SQA, after three decades of service to Scotland. We are already working hard to ensure that Qualifications Scotland builds upon the best of SQA while delivering positive change that will be felt long before Results Day 2026.'
The headline figures for 2025
Category
National 5
Higher
Advanced Higher
Entries
333,995
202,490
28,610
A-C attainment rate
78.4%
75.9%
76.7%
A attainment rate
39.2%
30.8%
31.4%
National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher attainment, 2023, 2024 and 2025
Year
National 5 A-C attainment
Higher A-C attainment
Advanced Higher A-C attainment
2023
78.8%
77.1%
79.8%
2024
77.2%
74.9%
75.3%
2025
78.4%
75.9%
76.7%
Number of qualifications at Scottish Credit & Qualifications Framework (SCQF) levels 1-6 in 2025
2025 attainment – vocational and technical qualifications
Awards
National Progression Awards
National Certificates
Skills for Work
48,240
38,445
5,460
18,235
TOTAL
110,390 (up 22.6% on 2024)
2025 attainment – National Courses
National Course
Course entries
Number attained
National 2
3,085
2,390
National 3
31,630
27,760
National 4
133,785
115,065
Record-breaking year for vocational and technical qualification awards as 100,000 landmark reached
2025 saw learners achieve a record number of vocational and technical qualification awards, with an increase of 22.6% taking the total beyond 100,000 (110,390) for the first time ever. The awards included a wide range of areas including leadership, employability and personal finance, as well as a range of Skills for Work courses, Awards, National Certificates and National Progression Awards.
These include skills-based qualifications in areas such as Cybersecurity, Computer Games Development, Sports and Fitness: Team Sports, Employability, Personal Finance, Modern Languages for Life and Work and Sports Development. Other valuable and popular course choices include Mental Health and Wellbeing.
Donna Stewart added: 'Our ‘Your Voice’ national engagement programme has taken us to schools and colleges across the country to listen and learn from educators and learners. A central theme has been the huge amount of work being done to broaden the curriculum offering and unlock the potential of every learner.
'These landmark results show that hard work has been rewarded. We are also celebrating those who receive certificates throughout the year for other qualifications, including for Higher National and Scottish Vocational Qualifications and for those undertaking Foundation Apprenticeships.
'The wide range of qualifications is supporting young people in reaching their full potential as they progress to college, university, apprenticeships, other learning, training and employment.'
2025 in numbers
National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher
More than 130,000 learners from over 480 schools, colleges and training providers took these courses.
More than two million exam papers and more than 465,000 items of coursework.
Around 7,550 markers and 128 Principal Assessors (experienced teachers and lecturers).
123 Grade Boundary meetings over four weeks.
Support for learners
SQA’s Appeals 2025 service is free of charge and can be accessed directly by learners or on their behalf by their school or college. It opens at 9am on Results Day. More information will be sent to learners and is available at sqa.org.uk/appeals.
If learners have a query about their certificate, they can call SQA’s Candidate Advice Line on 0345 279 1000.
Skills Development Scotland’s Results Helpline: 0808 100 8000.
UCAS: 0371 468 0468 / Clearing resources can be found at ucas.com/clearing-launch.
Chief Examining Officer's Report
Chief Examining Officer's Report (239 KB)
Statistics
114509
447
05-AUG-2025
Tue, 5 Aug 2025 10:04:00 +0000
UPDATED
