Responsible business

Responsible Business (formerly CSR) is an integral part of SQA. Our staff, stakeholders and customers support our Responsible Business strategy ‘Giving Something Back’.

There are three main areas where our responsible business work has an impact:

SQA’s people - We develop and promote a supportive, enjoyable and inclusive workplace.
Community and customers - We engage with young people to improve their employability skills; we provide qualifications for our customers that promote equality and inclusion.
Environment - We continually work to improve our environmental record.

Read our Responsible Business Annual Review 2016 – 2017 (28.31 MB) for an overview of how we’ve supported these areas during the last year.

Responsible Business Team

Our Responsible Business Team is responsible for developing, delivering and evaluating all Responsible Business activities across SQA with colleagues and external stakeholders. The team directs and supports the work of our Responsible Business champions.

Volunteering

Our staff have 21 working hours each year to use for volunteering and supporting local communities. With a line manager’s agreement, staff can participate in a range of volunteering activities covering:

young people and social inclusion
enterprise and employability
environment and sustainability
human health and wellbeing

Volunteering can take many forms — from helping out at a school, to mentoring someone, to helping to build a community garden.

Corporate Parents, Who Cares? Scotland

SQA Chief Executive Janet Brown poses for a photo alongside Deputy First Minister John Swinney and young learners

Results day 2017

In April 2015, SQA joined many other public bodies in Scotland and became a national corporate parent under the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014, giving us responsibilities to young people who experience the care system.

As part of our responsibilities, we welcomed representatives from Who Cares? Scotland, and a group of care-experienced young people to celebrate their achievements on results day.

Joined by staff, members of the SQA board, and Deputy First Minister of Scotland John Swinney, the candidates celebrated their accomplishments and were congratulated on their achievements.

SQA’s nominated charities

Our staff are supporting two nominated charities during 2017 – 2019 through a variety of fundraising activities. The British Heart Foundation was selected by our Dalkeith colleagues whilst Glasgow voted for The Scottish Association of Mental Health (SAMH).

The British Heart Foundation was founded in 1961 by a group of medical professionals wanting to fund extra research into the causes, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of heart and circulatory disease. It is now the UK's number one heart charity and through 50 years of funding cutting edge research we have already made a big difference to people’s lives.

The Scottish Association of Mental Health (SAMH) has been around since 1923, and currently operates over 60 services in communities across Scotland providing mental health social care support, homelessness, addictions and employment services, among others.