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I routinely discuss the development of education policy, including in respect of qualifications and assessment, with young people through frequent visits to schools and a range of other events and meetings. The Scottish Government does not intend to publish details of this range of engagements.

I also met with representatives of the Scottish Youth Parliament (SYP) on the 19th of September, prior to the statement, to provide an overview of the Scottish Government response to the Independent Review of Qualifications and Assessment ahead of its publication.

The views of young people have, and continue to be, vital to informing our approach to evolving the qualifications and assessment system and I remain committed to meaningfully engaging with young people (including the SYP) as we take this work forward.

The Young Person’s Guarantee Measurement and Evaluation Framework was published in February 2022. This set out the approach envisaged at the time to monitor and evaluate the progress with the Guarantee, including Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and a planned Implementation Evaluation. The framework is available at: Young Person's Guarantee: measurement and evaluation framework - gov.scot (www.gov.scot).

The Young Person’s Guarantee Implementation Progress Report (July 2021) and Update Report (March 2023) both highlight progress made over the 2 years. The reports also summarised developments at the time in relation to KPIs identified in the monitoring and evaluation framework. These reports can be found at:

Young Person's Guarantee - implementation: progress report - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Young Person's Guarantee: update report March 2023 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

The Scottish Government published the Implementation Evaluation of No One Left Behind & the Young Person's Guarantee in August 2023. This evaluation considered progress in implementation and delivery, the experiences of service providers and service users, barriers and enablers to implementation and identified lessons from early delivery.

The Implementation Evaluation of No One Left Behind & the Young Person's Guarantee is available at: No One Left Behind and the Young Person's Guarantee: implementation evaluation - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

From April 2023 the Young Person’s Guarantee has been mainstreamed across Government, with activity across education, skills and employability supporting young people into opportunities.

Funding for the Young Person’s Guarantee was allocated through Further Education, Higher Education, the third sector and Developing the Young Workforce. For the employability element of the Young Person’s Guarantee, funding was allocated through Local Employability Partnerships (LEPs) which then distributed funding based on local context and needs. We do not hold a breakdown of allocation to rural and remote areas.

From April 2023 the Young Person’s Guarantee has been mainstreamed across Government, with activity across education, skills and employability supporting young people into opportunities.

The Scottish Government continues to provide funding to a wide range of organisations and third sector partners to improve support for young people; this includes more specialist support for young people furthest from positive destinations through third sector partners, many whom work in collaboration such as the Young Person’s Consortium (Barnardo’s, Princes Trust and Action for Children) and Inspiring Scotland.

From April 2023 the Young Person’s Guarantee has been mainstreamed across Government, with activity across education, skills and employability supporting young people into opportunities.

The Young Person’s Guarantee Implementation Progress Report (July 2021) and Update Report (March 2023) both highlight progress made over the 2 years. The links for these reports can be found below.

Young Person's Guarantee - implementation: progress report - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Young Person's Guarantee: update report March 2023 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

The Scottish Government publishes quarterly statistics on its devolved employability services which can be found at the link below.

https://www.gov.scot/collections/scotlands-devolved-employment-services-statistics/

These statistics show that through the No One Left Behind approach, 12,204 (35%) participants aged under 25 have entered employment, with 6,599 (19%) entering Further or Higher education and 5,350 (15%) gaining a qualification.

From April 2023 the Young Person’s Guarantee has been mainstreamed across Government, with activity across education, skills and employability supporting young people into opportunities. We therefore do not hold data on retention rates of young people completing the Young Person’s Guarantee.

The Young Person’s Guarantee was delivered in partnership with Developing the Young Workforce, local government, Local Employability Partnerships, services from Skills Development Scotland, employers, universities and colleges.

The Scottish Government published the Implementation Evaluation of No One Left Behind & the Young Person's Guarantee in August 2023. This is available at: No One Left Behind and the Young Person's Guarantee: implementation evaluation - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

From April 2023 the Young Person’s Guarantee has been mainstreamed across Government, with activity across education, skills and employability supporting young people into opportunities.

Local Employability Partnerships continue to deliver through the No One Left Behind approach. The No One Left Behind: employability strategic plan 2024 to 2027 can be found here:No One Left Behind: employability strategic plan 2024 to 2027 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

The Scottish Government collect data on all 16-19 year olds through the Skills Development Scotland’s Annual Participation Measure and publish Labour Market Statistics for 16-24 year olds.

From April 2023 the Young Person’s Guarantee has been mainstreamed across Government, with activity across education, skills and employability supporting young people into opportunities. We therefore do not collect the data requested.

Data will continue to inform our approach to policy-making.

The Scottish Government committed £60 million to the Young Person’s Guarantee in 2020/21, £70 million in 2021-22, and £45 million in 2022-23.

Funding for 2020-21 and 2021-22 came from UK Government Consequentials. From April 2023 the Young Person’s Guarantee has been mainstreamed across Government, with activity across education, skills and employability supporting young people into opportunities.

The Scottish Government is committed to increasing digital participation and ensuring that all of Scotland is able to enjoy the social, cultural and economic benefits of the internet. Connecting Scotland is a Scottish Government programme, delivered in partnership with the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO). It has provided internet-enabled devices, connectivity and digital skills support to people who are digitally excluded.

From April 2023 the Young Person’s Guarantee has been mainstreamed across Government, with activity across education, skills and employability supporting young people into opportunities.

From April 2023 the Young Person’s Guarantee has been mainstreamed across Government, with activity across education, skills and employability supporting young people into opportunities. We do not hold data on the number of young people with additional support needs supported through the Young Person’s Guarantee.