A flagship Scottish Government website is telling academically successful school pupils to consider careers as bodyguards and chimney sweeps.
One 13-year-old in Fife, who is in the top set of maths for her year group, was also offered the options of acupuncturist and hairdresser when she used Skills Development Scotland’s “My World of Work” tool.
It is supposed to be used as the first step towards helping school pupils decide what they want to do when they finish their education but the Bell Baxter High pupil’s furious father claimed it is being ridiculed by pupils.
He said: “In essence either the website was downgrading her aspirations or was churning out stock results.
“Three of my daughter’s female top maths set friends also got chimney sweep. She said that the whole class was laughing at their results. It’s not a great way to develop Scotland’s young workforce.
“It appears although digitised, the careers service hasn’t moved on from the irrelevant nonsense trotted out when I was at school.”
When The Courier tested the site, our reporters were offered options such as childminder, nanny, IT trainer, EU official and civil service administrator.
Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie said the “comical and worthless recommendations” being offered by the website damaged the credibility of Scotland’s education system.
The North East Fife MSP added: “The IT is only as good as the people who create it and they are clearly stuck to such a rigid and unintelligent rules and guidance.
“Good solid careers advice should be based on the analysis of educational performance, work or voluntary experience, an assessment of the personality but also an intelligent human assessment of the person.
“My world of work does only some of this and it doesn’t do that especially well. The authorities need to review this website.”
The programme, launched in 2011, uses algorithms developed by Professor Alex Linley at the Centre for Applied Positive Psychology to allow users to determine their strengths and explore related careers.
It has won UK awards and it is understood that a recent survey of site users showed that 80% would recommend My World of Work.
A spokesman for Skills Development Scotland (SDS) said: “The My World of Work interest tool is designed to be a very simple and engaging exercise aimed at stimulating discussion around many and varied careers. Suggestions presented by the tool will vary depending on the amount and quality of information provided by the user.
“SDS always advocates that important decisions around subject choice should involve an in depth face-to-face engagement with a trained careers adviser. That is why the Scottish Government has invested additional funds enabling the provision of careers advice earlier in school.”
