Careers support in schools is delivered by professionally qualified Careers Advisers from the national skills agency “Skills Development Scotland” (SDS).

Careers Advisers work with school pupils in all secondary schools across Scotland, helping them to develop their Career Management Skills and make plans for their next steps after school. We want all young people to be effective lifelong career planners who can make informed and confident decisions about their future.

SDS offer a range of activities to support school pupils including group work sessions, face-to-face career guidance interviews and optional drop-in appointments. SDS school services provides additional detail of the support on offer.

For those who have left school recently (and not so recently), ongoing support is available from SDS network of careers centres.

SDS centre services include:

• Career information, advice and guidance on career choices
• Advice on the routes into career including jobs, apprenticeships, training, and learning

• Help with CVs, application forms and interviews
• Insight into the local labour market
• Redundancy support
• Support for parents and carers

Check SDS contact us page to find details of your local careers centre. The web service My World of Work provides trustworthy, expert information and advice – free to access at any time, for people at any stage in their career (including support for parents to help their child with career conversations). My World of Work is designed to support people of all ages and stages, with activities and tools to help identify available opportunities.

Want to find out more about apprenticeships?

Apprenticeships.scot provides information on work-based learning opportunities that can be undertaken by school pupils, those planning on leaving school and for those who have already left school.

You can access face-to-face career information, advice and guidance in Dumfries and Galloway College, Dumfries or Stranraer Campus, Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm.

As well as our hubs, SDS are also present in the following community venues:

• Hillview Leisure Centre, Upper Nithsdale – Tuesday 10am – 2pm
• Lochthorn Library , Dumfries – Thursday 2pm – 5pm
• Newton Stewart Library – Thursday 10am – 4pm
• Annan Jobcentre – Tuesday and Friday 9am – 5pm
• Dumfries Jobcentre – Tuesday and Thursday 9am – 5pm
• Stranraer Jobcentre – Thursday 9am – 5pm

In addition, individuals can request an appointment at any of the following locations by phoning 01387 272500:

• Castle Douglas Community Centre
• Dalbeattie Library
• Kirkcudbright Council Offices
• Lockerbie Library
• Summerhill Community Centre, Dumfries
• The Bridge, Dumfries
• Xcel Project, Langholm
• YMCA, Dumfries