Progressing Pathways
Scotland · CDI RegisteredSchools · Colleges · Employers

A clear path for every young person wherever they are in Scotland.

Progressing Pathways partners with schools, colleges, employers, local authorities and funders across Scotland and internationally — career guidance, skills assessment and transition support for every young person, including those at risk of becoming NEET.

Commission servicesExplore funded support
A young person looking toward the horizon over Scottish heather hills at golden hour
CDI Registered Career Development ProfessionalGTCS Qualified Secondary TeacherPVG Scheme MemberMandatory Scottish Government Compliance Training CompletedAligned with the Young Person's GuaranteeCDI Registered Career Development ProfessionalGTCS Qualified Secondary TeacherPVG Scheme MemberMandatory Scottish Government Compliance Training CompletedAligned with the Young Person's Guarantee

01 — What we offer

Strategic support for commissioners, funders and international schools.

01

1:1 Career Coaching

Person-centred guidance for young people facing complex barriers — built around their goals, pace and circumstances.

02

Transition Programmes

Senior phase and post-school transition curricula for schools and colleges, focused on positive destinations.

03

Group Workshops

Practical sessions on CVs, interviews, options and self-belief — delivered in classrooms, community spaces or online.

04

Employer Engagement

Connecting young people with Scottish employers through structured placements, taster days and apprenticeship pathways.

05

Funding & Bid Support

Co-designing fundable interventions and supporting evidence packs for grant applications and tenders.

06

Staff CPD

Training pastoral, DYW and youth-work teams in career conversations and CIAG best practice.

07

International Career Services

Career guidance, options advice and destinations support for international, British-curriculum and overseas schools — delivered online or in person.

08

Tailored Pupil Support

Individual and small-group support shaped around each pupil's plans, including applications and transitions to UK, Scottish and international destinations.

09

NEET Prevention & Re-engagement

Early identification and targeted support for young people at risk of disengaging, plus re-engagement routes back into learning, training or work.

Every next step, guided end to end.

Alongside this, support runs right through the decisions young people and their families find hardest. That means subject choices and career advice in the early years, then college and university admissions: UCAS applications from start to offer, personal statements written and refined with the applicant rather than for them, and honest conversations about entry requirements, alternatives and contingency plans.

For international pupils and families, that extends to qualification conversion and course comparison across UK, Scottish and overseas systems, guidance on scholarships and funding routes, and advice on graduate schemes, apprenticeships and early-career recruitment so the plan holds beyond results day.

Career Development Framework

One framework. Four moving parts. Every young person, mapped.

A structured advisory model that joins meta-skills, competency mapping, assessment and planning — so commissioners get evidenced outcomes, not isolated interventions.

Meta Skills01

The transferable foundations.

Self-management, social intelligence, innovation and digital fluency — the Scottish Government's four meta-skill families, mapped to each young person's strengths and growth edges.

  • Self-awareness diagnostics
  • Strengths-based coaching
  • Reflection & journaling tools
Skills & Competency02

What they can do, evidenced.

We build a living competency profile aligned to SCQF levels, the Career Education Standard and employer-recognised frameworks — so progress is visible to learners, parents and partners.

  • SCQF-aligned mapping
  • Employer competency framing
  • Portfolio of evidence
Skills Assessment03

Diagnostic, not gatekeeping.

Structured assessments and 1:1 review sessions identify capability, confidence and barriers — feeding directly into the development plan rather than sitting on a shelf.

  • Baseline & exit assessment
  • Barrier & wellbeing screen
  • Outcome reporting for funders
Career Development Plan04

A pathway they own.

Every young person leaves with a personalised, milestone-based plan: short-term actions, post-school destination targets and the support scaffolding to get there.

  • Goal & milestone setting
  • Sector & route exploration
  • Quarterly review cadence

The advisory loop

Assess → Plan → Develop → Evidence. Repeat with intent.

Scope a programme →

Meta-Skills & Competencies Library

Search the framework. Grounded in Scotland.

Aligned with Skills Development Scotland's Meta-Skills Model and the Career Education Standard — with examples drawn from real NEET transition pathways.

21 competencies

  • Self-ManagementFoundation

    Self-Awareness

    Recognising your strengths, triggers and motivations.

    Scotland · NEET pathway example

    A young person in Glasgow uses a strengths card sort to identify three transferable skills built through gaming and informal caring.

  • Self-ManagementFoundation

    Focusing

    Sustaining attention on a task despite distractions.

    Scotland · NEET pathway example

    Pomodoro-style work blocks during a college taster day at New College Lanarkshire.

  • Self-ManagementDeveloping

    Integrity

    Acting consistently with your values, even when unobserved.

    Scotland · NEET pathway example

    Owning a missed shift at a Highland hospitality placement and proposing how to repair it.

  • Self-ManagementDeveloping

    Adapting

    Adjusting plans when circumstances change.

    Scotland · NEET pathway example

    Re-routing a Foundation Apprenticeship plan after a placement provider withdraws.

  • Self-ManagementAdvanced

    Initiative

    Acting before being asked, within scope.

    Scotland · NEET pathway example

    Pitching a peer mentoring idea inside a Fife DYW programme.

  • Self-ManagementFoundation

    Time Management

    Planning and protecting time against priorities.

    Scotland · NEET pathway example

    Using a weekly planner to balance SDS appointments, college and caring responsibilities.

  • Social IntelligenceFoundation

    Communicating

    Expressing ideas clearly across formats and audiences.

    Scotland · NEET pathway example

    Drafting a first email to a Skills Development Scotland adviser with coaching support.

  • Social IntelligenceDeveloping

    Feeling (Empathy)

    Reading and responding to others' emotional context.

    Scotland · NEET pathway example

    De-escalating a disagreement during a youth-work group session in Dundee.

  • Social IntelligenceDeveloping

    Collaborating

    Contributing to a shared goal with others.

    Scotland · NEET pathway example

    Co-running a community café shift inside a No One Left Behind programme.

  • Social IntelligenceAdvanced

    Leading

    Setting direction and supporting others to act.

    Scotland · NEET pathway example

    Leading a CV peer-review huddle at the end of a workshop block.

  • Social IntelligenceDeveloping

    Relationship Building

    Forming trusting, productive connections.

    Scotland · NEET pathway example

    Maintaining contact with an employer mentor between placement days.

  • InnovationFoundation

    Curiosity

    Asking questions and exploring options.

    Scotland · NEET pathway example

    Booking three sector taster sessions through Developing the Young Workforce.

  • InnovationDeveloping

    Creativity

    Generating new and useful ideas.

    Scotland · NEET pathway example

    Designing a pop-up service for a Social Enterprise Academy challenge.

  • InnovationAdvanced

    Sense-Making

    Synthesising information into insight.

    Scotland · NEET pathway example

    Summarising labour-market data for the Highlands to choose a training route.

  • InnovationDeveloping

    Critical Thinking

    Evaluating evidence and arguments.

    Scotland · NEET pathway example

    Comparing two apprenticeship offers using a structured pros/cons tool.

  • InnovationAdvanced

    Problem Recognition & Solving

    Spotting issues early and designing fixes.

    Scotland · NEET pathway example

    Resolving a travel-funding gap to keep a college place secured.

  • DigitalFoundation

    Computer & ICT Literacy

    Confident use of everyday digital tools.

    Scotland · NEET pathway example

    Setting up a myWorldofWork account and saving a CV to cloud storage.

  • DigitalDeveloping

    Information Literacy

    Finding, evaluating and using digital information.

    Scotland · NEET pathway example

    Cross-checking course content between SDS, UCAS and college websites.

  • DigitalDeveloping

    Digital Communication

    Communicating appropriately in digital channels.

    Scotland · NEET pathway example

    Joining a Teams interview rehearsal with a careers adviser.

  • DigitalFoundation

    Online Safety & Identity

    Managing your digital footprint and wellbeing online.

    Scotland · NEET pathway example

    Auditing public social profiles before an employer placement starts.

  • DigitalAdvanced

    Data Literacy

    Reading and reasoning with data.

    Scotland · NEET pathway example

    Interpreting a personal skills assessment radar chart in a planning session.

Service Guide

Transparent fees, from £600 a day.

Book a call →Request a quotation
  • Individual Career Guidance Session
    One-to-one career guidance, action planning and progression support delivered by a Registered CDI Practitioner.
    £125 per session
  • Progression Assessment & Report
    Comprehensive assessment, progression planning and written report with recommendations.
    £200 per report
  • Workshop Delivery (Half Day)
    Employability, career planning, progression and skills-based workshops.
    From £600
  • Workshop Delivery (Full Day)
    Bespoke workshop delivery for organisations and funded programmes.
    £800 – £1,000
  • Consultancy & Programme Delivery
    Specialist support for employability providers, charities, training providers and youth organisations.
    From £600 per day
  • Half-Day Consultancy
    Delivery, consultation, participant support or project work.
    From £350
  • Programme Design & Development
    Design of employability, progression and engagement programmes.
    Bespoke quotation
  • Group Career Guidance Sessions
    Small group guidance and progression planning sessions.
    Bespoke quotation
  • Staff Induction Training Day
    Induction training for new staff, volunteers and mentors covering career guidance principles, safeguarding awareness and supporting young people at risk of becoming NEET.
    From £600 per day
  • Industry-Specific Training Day
    Sector-focused training days for teams in care, construction, hospitality, retail, digital and other industries — tailored to the roles, entry routes and skills your sector recruits for.
    £800 – £1,000 per day
  • Half-Day Training Session
    Shorter induction or sector-specific training for smaller teams.
    From £350
  • International Pupil Package (Schools Abroad)
    Complete per-pupil package: guidance interview plus skills, personality and aptitude assessment, with a written report and destinations and applications advice. Delivered online or in person.
    £200 per pupil
  • International In-Person Delivery
    Whole-school days abroad: workshops, staff training and grouped pupil sessions delivered on site.
    From £600 a day plus travel and accommodation
  • Travel Outside Local Area
    Charged where applicable.
    By agreement

All fees exclude VAT where applicable. Funded and partnership rates available on request.

02 — Why it matters

Outcomes that move the dial on the Young Person's Guarantee.

One in seven 16–24-year-olds in Scotland is currently not in education, employment or training. Behind that statistic are young people who need patient, expert advocacy — and partners willing to fund it well.

10+
Years in secondary classrooms
CDI
Registered Career Professional
1:1
Tailored to each young person
100%
Scotland-focused practice
Progressing Pathways career guidance session with young people mapping career pathways on a whiteboard

03 — About the practice

Fifteen years in the classroom, and industry before that.

Progressing Pathways is led by a qualified secondary teacher with over 15 years' teaching experience across both private and state schools, an experienced SQA marker and a CDI-registered career guidance and development practitioner.

Before teaching, that career was built in oil and gas and in marketing — and as a work experience co-ordinator, connecting pupils with real employers. That mix of industry and education is why the advice young people receive here is honest about the world of work, not just the world of qualifications.

  • 15+ years teaching — private and state sectors
  • Experienced SQA marker
  • CDI-registered career guidance practitioner
  • Work experience co-ordinator
  • Industry background: oil and gas
  • Industry background: marketing

All mandatory Scottish Government compliance training has been completed, alongside PVG scheme membership — so partners can commission with confidence from day one.

04 — Who we work with

Partners across Scotland's education, employability and funding landscape.

  • Local Authorities
  • Secondary Schools
  • Colleges & UHI
  • Third Sector
  • Employability Programmes
  • Trusts & Foundations
  • Skills Development Scotland Partners
  • Employer Networks
  • International & British Curriculum Schools
  • Overseas Families

Book a discovery call

Pick a time for a 30-minute discovery call.

Calls run weekday evenings at 6pm and 7pm, and weekends between 11am and 4pm — bookings open from one week ahead. Requests are confirmed by email within two working days.

International clients: times shown are UK time. Tell us your time zone in the notes and we'll work around it.

1 — Choose a date

2 — Choose a time

3 — Your details

Select a date and time to continue.

05 — Start the conversation

Commission services, scope a programme, or explore funded partnership.

Tell us a little about your organisation and the young people you want to support. We'll be in touch within two working days.

Or email directly: progressingpathways@outlook.com