About the organisation
Curriculo Solutions was founded by me, Karen Glen in 2013. From this point onwards I have worked with many experienced individuals in order to develop and bring to market products which enable young people to gain the skills they need to successfully navigate their way through education and into a meaningful career.
Our ambition is clear; we want to EMPOWER young people by building the skills to enable them to make GREAT decisions about their future career with clarity and a sense of purpose.
Using my experience as a qualified teacher, a senior leader from the pharmaceutical industry and latterly head of careers for Scotland at Skills Development Scotland (a Scottish Government Agency), together with the experiences of many others across the UK, we have developed 3 sequential programmes for young people and their educators.
- An Introduction to Skills for Work – Primary P5-7 Age 10-12
- Making the most of my Skills and Strengths – Lower Secondary Age 12-15
- Curriculo Industry Engagement Programme – for those aged 16+ – upper/senior phase Secondary, College and University Students
What makes Curriculo Solutions different is that our products have been developed by industry experts and educators and are delivered by them.
Below I have listed the individuals or organisations that we are currently involved with. This will give you a flavour of what I mean.
Primary Teacher Development Group
We have been working with a small (but perfectly formed) group of teachers based in Scotland. We have piloted and developed materials suitable for 10-12 year olds and as a result of their input and that of many others who have helped to shape this; we have brought to market a 3 year programme for teachers to deliver as a part of the curriculum.
The time and effort afforded to me by the HTs, DHTs and classroom teachers has been phenomenal.
Secondary School Development Group
We have built relationships with teachers from various secondary schools and through our partnership working we have developed materials pertinent to the age and stage of the lower secondary school. This programme has approximately 40 hours of learning for teachers to deliver in their classrooms. However, each secondary school will have its own needs and so we will provide a bespoke package of support and materials to suit their specific requirements.
I am delighted that our primary and secondary school development teams have agreed to continue to work with us going forward and I know that the quality of the materials we continue to deliver will benefit from our relationship and partnership approach.
Curriculo Industry Engagement Programme & Clemorton Consultancy
This is an exciting addition to our skills development programmes and is aimed at age 16+, regardless of their current status in education or work. What is unique about this programme is that it has been developed by industry leaders based on a vast experience of building successful teams from recruitment, to performance coaching and it is delivered by them too.
It is a programme delivered online, through face to face coaching and an assignment. Successful completion results in an Institute of Leadership and Management Development Award for every participant.
Clemorton Consultancy is our delivery partner – David, Andy and Stuart are seasoned consultants with a wealth of senior business experience themselves and 15 year of delivering leadership and management skills coaching within global organisations.
We have a great partnership built on mutual respect and a passion for working with people to enable them to reach their potential. In addition to the expertise the Clemorton team bring, they all have a particular sense of humour which is engaging and breaks down barriers quickly and smoothly.
Funl_Hub – A Glasgow City Council Sponsored Project
We worked with 7 other organisations on this project to develop and deliver a 6 week skills development programme for 15 and 16 year olds prior to leaving school this summer. This was a very successful programme and it is our intention to now take this to other local authorities.
During this project we worked with some great organisations including: Bad Idea, Made Brave, JS2020, SEA, Adopt an Intern, MakLab and Radiant and Brighter.
The International Education Suppliers – TIES
Working with Alphabet Babies, Giglets and World Teacher we have formed a cooperative, currently called TIES. Our aim is to take our various products and services internationally and to develop a partnership which helps all involved to be more successful in markets within the UK and outside of it. We will support one another in terms of market intelligence and data sharing. Some of the other partners already have a foothold in the Middle East. This is a truly exciting opportunity for Curriculo.
And finally, we are delighted to be working as part of the ‘Scotland’s Enterprising Schools Project’
Curriculo has been working with a number of organisations and has just completed a pilot that aimed to take ‘ enterprise and skills development’ into schools via our various offers.
This is a Scottish Government funded initiative and we have worked closely with the Enterprise team at Scottish Government as well as Education Scotland, Young Enterprise Scotland, The Social Enterprise Academy, Bad Idea and Cooperative Education Trust for Scotland.
As a consequence of this project, a new site will be launched on Glow – the Education Scotland website for teachers and pupils in August this year giving access to our pilot results and evaluation and an outline for other schools to become involved.
Offer(s)
We have a number of offers:
1. For Primary Schools:
An Introduction to Skills for Work Programme delivered in the 3 modules:
- Module 1 – An introduction to skills and strengths.
- Module 2 – Understanding what makes me great.
- Module 3 – Making the most of my skills and strengths.
The lessons within each module are sequential as well as being flexible and easily repeatable if you need to do so.
Pupils will be encouraged to take their work home and to include their parents and guardians in their discussions.
Our aim is to build their confidence and resilience in knowing who they are and what skills and strengths make them who they are. We also relate skills and strengths to the workplace giving an early look at how these help people make career choices and how skills and strengths enable people to do their jobs. This work will lay the foundations for further development in secondary and tertiary education. We believe that working with young people in this way will build everlasting skills and strengths that will enable and empower them to make better and more appropriate decisions.
The total programme package includes:
- Curriculo Planning and reporting document containing: Objectives Learning Intentions and Experiences and Outcomes
- Teacher/Coach lesson outline, this includes: Activities, resources and assessment and evaluation
- Personal Skills Log Book: in both a downloadable/ soft copy format and print off format.
- Parents Guide: An introductory communication for parents/guardians.
2. Secondary Schools:
These resources build on the foundations laid in the Curriculo Primary Programme – An Introduction to Skills for Work.
This programme is around 40 hours of learning arranged into lessons. The lessons focus on building capability around the 4 themes of Career Management Skills and encourage a closer working relationship with local businesses.
The 4 themes are:
- SELF : Understanding what makes them who they are and how that can affect their behaviour in different situations and/ or environments
- STRENGTHS : Understanding what natural capabilities they have and how best to demonstrate and articulate them.
- HORIZONS : Understanding ambition and reality
- NETWORKS : What is a network and how can it be utilised professionally to support an individual’s personal development and career planning
This is a flexible programme of sequential lessons that can be administered alongside other relevant materials and enterprise activities.
By the end of the programme all participants will have a general understanding of career management skills, the importance of developing these capabilities and how to utilise them within education and in early relationship building with employers.
3. Curriculo Industry Engagement Programme
The programme is a combination of on-line learning, classroom coaching sessions and an assignment. Following completion of this course, each participant will receive an Institute of Leadership & Management Development Award which can be used with employers, at interview, to demonstrate skills for work.
This programme is delivered by industry experts, making it a unique offering in this market place. Using the experience of the Curriculo team, each participant will develop a set of competencies or capabilities which will better equip them for work – regardless of the industry.
The core programme includes the following 4 modules:
- Understanding my skills and strengths
- Preparing to meet employers
- Increasing your marketability
- Marketing myself at Interview
Each course will consist of 20 – 24 participants who can start learning through our site the minute they receive their log in details from us.
Supporting images, videos, audio, case studies
Testimonials
When asked would you recommend this programme to your colleagues and why the following responses’ were received:
P7 Teachers said :
“Yes definitely. I feel this was really relevant to their age and stage in P7 as they move on with their transition. It really allowed some of my not so confident pupils to explore and discuss their own personal skills. I think it is excellent for raising their self esteem. I would definitely use this again.”
“Yes, children were all focused on the task and enjoyed the competition aspect of the work.”
“I would certainly recommend the programme because of its practical nature and progression through the recruitment process. I’d like to use it again but would like more time.”
Head Teacher said:
“As Head Teacher I would highly recommend the programme as a complete package that promotes effective learning, teaching and assessment. It’s a progressive programme that teachers found easy to implement, pupils thoroughly enjoyed and parents fully engaged in. It not only promotes a better
understanding of career management skills but all lessons are structured in such a way that they enable all pupils to become more confident, successful, responsible and effective across all other aspects of their learning. All lessons are engaging, active and cooperative and ensure consistent progress of all pupils is achieved.”
Faculty Head for Business Studies and Enterprise said:
“Absolutely. Pupils need to develop skills for work and life in order to be able to complete in competitive markets. This course contains building blocks to allow them to start working on skills development.”
When Pupils were asked if they enjoyed it, nearly 80% said they either enjoyed or really enjoyed it
When asked what did you learn pupils commented:
” … I’ve got more skills than I thought I had … quick thinking and creativity …”
“I’m more confident”
“I learned about the new skills I have, skills I’d use in the workplace and during an interview… I learned about body language and having a positive attitude.”
” … I just felt fluent.”
“I learned that I had a lot more skills than I thought I had…”
“… that other people have different skills … we’ve got to learn to work with their skills and your own.”
Pilot Evaluation
Curriculo Scottish Enterprising Schools Evaluation Report
Contact Information
Curriculo Solutions Ltd is:
Registered in Scotland SC 450395
VAT: 193147106
email: karen.glen@curriculosolutions.com
hello@curriculosolutions.com
Address: 6 Lancaster Crescent Lane, Glasgow, G12 0RS
m: 07766 566909
t: @curriculosolns
