Ken Muir Awards 2025!
Inaugural ceremony celebrates 86 pupils for development beyond academic grades
PERTH, SCOTLAND - S5 and S6 pupils from across Scotland were honoured on 23 June at a ceremony marking a new chapter in Scottish education celebrating personal development and growth alongside academic achievement.
The recipients of the inaugural Ken Muir Awards, held at SSEN Transmission headquarters in Perth, had all successfully completed the Powering Futures Challenge Programme - a nationally-delivered course equivalent to a Higher, which supports senior-level pupils in becoming workplace ready.
While every pupil earned a formal qualification through the process, the Awards shone a light on less measurable, but deeply meaningful outcomes - how participants have grown in confidence, honed their ability to work in groups, learned to trust their intuition, and taken active steps towards shaping their post-school paths.
Professor Ken Muir - after whom the awards are named - presented them in person. As an independent adviser to the Scottish Government, Professor Muir has overseen the reform of Education Scotland and the replacement of the SQA, and he was a key contributor to the 2023 report It's Our Future - Independent Review of Qualifications and Assessment which called for a reforms to Scotland’s system of education to better prepare learners for the world of work.
Professor Muir said:
“We need a culture shift in Scotland’s education system. Of course, grades are important - but so is working hard, reflecting on progress, and growing as a person.
“These Awards are symbolic of this shift. They celebrate personal development, resilience, communication, and teamwork. These are all critical attributes that help young people thrive in life and in work.
“Innovation in education doesn’t come from the top down. It comes from those on the ground who genuinely want to see young people achieve in every sense of the word. Powering Futures is one such innovation, and it’s helping us reimagine what success looks like in Scottish schools.”
Now in its fourth year, the Powering Futures Schools Programme takes a real-life challenge that has been set by business and industry, and brings pupils together in teams to research the challenge, collaborate on a solution, and present that solution to a panel of industry judges. Through the process, pupils develop meta-skills that are valued by employers, whilst also connecting with businesses and industry leaders.
Jennifer Tempany, Co-Founder of Powering Futures, said: “The Powering Futures Schools Programme is equipping the next generation with the skills and mindset to thrive in the jobs of the future. These Awards highlight the often-overlooked achievements that sit beyond academic results, but which can inspire confidence and purpose in young people as they go into the world of work. We are proud to play our part in helping young people see their potential, and congratulate every recipient for their well-earned achievement.”
SSEN Transmission is a partner of Powering Futures, with the aims of the partnership being to inspire, support, and develop Scotland’s next generation of energy professionals.