Aspiration is one of those buzzwords used constantly in education. It is particularly popular when we talk about young people who face challenges in their educational journey. Those from deprived backgrounds, we say, need to “aspire” to a successful career.

Also, we often hear - and this is slightly more loaded - that those struggling with school should “aspire” to a vocational path. And finally, my personal favourite: every child in Scotland should “aspire” to attend the best and most prestigious universities in the country.

Now, I make no secret of the fact that I happen to think that final example is ridiculous, and I have talked many times in this very slot about how not enough is being done to ensure that the great opportunities colleges can offer are promoted.

But the main point still stands. Aspiration is crucial. So where does it comes from? How do we spark aspiration in young people who, more often than not, have no real experience of workplaces and employment?

For other children, this is easy. They have role models in their life, family members or other people who have found success on a specific route. They are also brought up with a firm understanding of what is expected of them in terms of educational outcome, and therefore have a path set out in front of them. I was one of those - not going to university was never an option, and all I had to do was settle on what course to sign up for.

This can, of course, go wrong. How many people discover later on in life that the career they have pursued for years - and that they may well have been successful in - isn’t what they truly want? Finding the right path is hard. Sadly, not every young person has the luxury of someone setting out a path for them. So what can we do for those young people who don’t? Especially considering the time and finance constraints of both college and school?

Broader context

Careers advice, in my experience, even if delivered early and effectively, will not spark aspiration - it reacts to existing preferences and interests, and rarely creates new ones.

Work experience, on which there is an increasing focus, is one way, of course. But without help, what are the chances that the work experience that a young person secures is meaningful and inspirational?

College and school staff often talk about learner experiences in a broader context, however - and this, to me, is key.

Experiences can include anything from careers fairs, introducing young people to a variety of professional pathways, to talks from inspirational employers in the area. But, actually, I believe the most promising experiences are those involving role models.

They shouldn’t be millionaire entrepreneurs. Or at least that shouldn’t be the focus. When meeting role models, young people need to feel a kinship and they need to feel that what the role model has achieved can be achieved by them in time.

This is why, in my humble view, colleges should make the most of those extraordinary young people who have competed at WorldSkills and EuroSkills - many of them still students and apprentices.

It isn’t always the big, glamorous large-scale event that leaves the biggest impression on a young person and their aspiration for life. More often than not, it is the smaller, personal encounters. And every college and school can afford those.

@JBelgutay