Across Scotland, we understand that it is important to prepare our young people for an ever-changing world. It is true - they will need to be agile, adaptable and equipped with the transferable skills needed to thrive in a global market.
However, in all the conversations about developing our young workforce, one critical element is often overlooked: we cannot equip young people for the future if we do not first invest meaningfully in the development of the educators guiding them.
We work with educators across Scotland every day, through initiatives such as the Youth and Philanthropy Initiative, Raising Aspirations in Science Education, Global Learning Partnerships and Excelerate (a community-connected learning approach), and we see first-hand the incredible dedication of teachers. But we have also seen the growing expectations put on them.
Teacher development
Teachers are frequently being asked to embed new policies and improvement priorities into the curriculum or incorporate new pedagogies into their practice, often without being given the tools, time or training to allow them to try.
There is constant discourse regarding the need for more teachers, but extraordinarily little around the training needs of the teachers that we have, particularly in relation to acclaimed policies such as Learning for Sustainability and Developing the Young Workforce. Surprisingly, given that we expect educators to be lifelong learners, education is one of the few professions where staff are regularly expected to deliver methods or approaches that they have not been formally trained in.
We would not accept this approach in healthcare, finance or engineering. Indeed, other sectors recognise that to stay competitive, they must continually invest in their people. The multinational professional services company PwC, for example, has committed US$3 billion (about £2.25 billion) over four years towards upskilling its workforce, equipping them with future-fit skills to lead in the digital economy. Education - the sector responsible for shaping every future industry - deserves no less.
Studies have shown that the most significant factor influencing student outcomes is the quality of the teacher. As long ago as 2007, research by McKinsey & Company found that students taught by high-performing teachers progressed at up to three times the rate of those taught by lower-performing teachers. If we want young people to develop a lifelong love of learning, we must create learning environments where the teaching profession itself models that mindset.
Creating space for educators
Our charity has seen how professional learning - such as project-based learning, oracy, overseas placements, externships and peer-to-peer coaching - can give educators the tools they need to realise the ambitions of Scotland’s education policies. We believe it is important to create space for educators to explore and fully engage with new teaching methods before bringing them into their classrooms to test them at their own pace.
When we invest in our educators, we empower them to transform the experiences of their young people. With the May 2026 Scottish Parliament election fast approaching, there is an opportunity to prioritise curriculum improvement - and attract much-needed talent to the sector - by investing in the people who make it happen every day. All political parties should unite behind a shared commitment to invest in high-quality professional learning for our educators.
Because, in the end, young people learn best from adults who are still learning, too.
Georgea Hughes is programmes director at Aberdeen-based charity The Wood Foundation
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