Young People Research

Our Programme of research with young people captures young people's perspectives on their career journeys across from S1 through to the post school stages of education and career transitions. It also provides evaluation evidence on the quality, value and benefits of our Career Information, Advice and Guidance (CIAG) Services.  

• Pupil Voice Senior Phase (S4-S6). This research collected feedback from nearly 11,000 pupils in 2024, providing evaluation evidence on careers services and exploring broader themes related to senior phase students' career journeys.   

• Young People’s Career Ambitions (1 year Post School). This research targets school leavers, focusing on their career journeys a year after leaving school. The 2024 study engaged almost 3,000 participants, exploring influences, motivations, and post school experiences.  

• Pupil Voice (S1-S3), a new pilot will be launched in spring 2025. This project specifically focuses on young people in S1-S3 and their career decision making process. 

This is accompanied by research with Parents and Carers in Scotland. In 2024 we gathered feedback from 4,000 parents and carers on awareness and satisfaction with SDS services, information sources used, awareness and perceptions of apprenticeships and confidence in having career conversations.  

Collaboration with external partners through an external reference group ensures alignment with broader priorities in the provision of Scottish Career services via the Career’s Collaborative.   

You can find links to our research outputs below.