Next Steps by Powering Futures
TRANSPORT TO EMPLOYMENT
Help young people see where their strengths could take them.
A fully funded careers experience for S4–S6 pupils across the SEStran region, from the team behind the Powering Futures SCQF Level 6 Challenge.
Building on a successful Next Steps pilot with more than 2,000 learners last year.
Through three ready-to-deliver sessions, young people discover what they’re good at, see what’s possible and take a more confident next step. The first two open up the whole world of careers. The third puts a transport lens over that exploration, showing just how many different opportunities can exist within one sector.
Ready to deliver. Flexible for your school.
All resources are provided. You decide how and when to use them, with a class, targeted group, whole year group or larger assembly.
Young people who want to explore transport further can then attend our Reverse Careers Fair in West Edinburgh in January 2027, alongside a parent or guardian, and meet the people behind the jobs.
Fully Funded
S4–S6
25
FULLY FUNDED SCHOOL PLACES
25 Sept
REGISTRATION DEADLINE
Delivered by Powering Futures in partnership with SEStran. Fully funded by Transport Scotland.
THE EXPERIENCE
Explore.
Discover.
Connect.
Discover what you’re good at. See what’s possible. Take a confident next step.
Your World of Opportunities
Start with the bit everyone wants to know about. Money.
Young people explore wages vs salary, starting pay, the UK average salary and what earning the “big bucks” really looks like.
Next, they use Next Steps to explore what they’re good at, what interests them and careers across the whole world of work. They can ask questions, follow their curiosity and discover opportunities they may never have considered.
Your Future in Transport
The third session puts a transport lens over that exploration.
Transport is much bigger than buses, trains, airports and mechanics.
From engineering, aviation and logistics to technology, finance, sustainability, marketing and project management, young people discover just how many different careers can sit within one sector.
Meet the people behind the jobs
Young people who want to explore transport further can attend our Reverse Careers Fair in West Edinburgh in January 2027, alongside a parent or guardian.
What makes it reverse?
At a traditional careers fair, young people often arrive without knowing who to speak to and wander between stands.
We do the preparation first.
Young people have already explored the sector, identified what interests them and thought about what they want to ask. They then meet the employers and people doing those jobs for focused, useful conversations.
Three lessons. One real-world opportunity.
FOR SCHOOLS
Big Opportunity.
Small ask.
01
Three ready-to-use classroom sessions
All lesson content and resources are provided.
02
Flexible delivery
Use them with a class, targeted group, whole year group or as part of a larger session.
03
Easy for staff to facilitate
Suitable for PSE, Guidance, year-group leads or another appropriate member of staff.
04
Built to fit around your school
You decide how and when the sessions are delivered.
We’ve built the experience. You choose how it works best in your school.
Use Transport to Employment with a whole S4, S5 or S6 year group or with a targeted group of young people.
It can sit within PSE, Guidance, careers activity or other senior-phase provision.
Powering Futures provides the lesson resources, Next Steps tools, teacher guidance and support.
TIMELINE OF EVENTS
September
School registration
October & November
Next Steps training
November & December
Classroom Next Steps lessons
December
Pupil registration for Reverse Careers Fair
January
Reverse Careers Fair
Evening event
25 fully funded places
Register by 25 September 2026
Available across City of Edinburgh, Clackmannanshire, East Lothian, Falkirk, Fife, Midlothian, Scottish Borders and West Lothian.
PROVEN APPROACH
From the team behind the
Powering Futures Challenge.
Schools across Scotland already know Powering Futures through our SCQF Level 6 Challenge Programme, bringing real businesses, real challenges and workplace skills into the classroom.
Last year, we tested this sector-focused Next Steps and reverse career approach in the energy sector.
Young people explored careers first. Those who wanted to know more then met people working across the energy sector, alongside their parents and guardians at the reverse career evening.
787
S4–S6 pupils
84%
Average satisfaction
90%
Rated it 4 or 5 stars
4
Schools took part
10
Businesses · 20 representatives
100%
Of companies keen to return
Now we’re bringing that approach to transport.
Show young people where a career in transport could take them.
FOR TRANSPORT EMPLOYERS
Young people often see only a small part of the transport sector.
Help us show them what is really possible.
01
Share a career story
Bring a career to life.
Give us around 20 minutes with one or two people from your organisation.
is all we need
We ask the questions and turn their experience into career content young people can explore before the event.
02
Join the Reverse Careers Fair
Meet future talent.
Bring two people from your organisation to West Edinburgh in January.
Ideally, someone who can say:
“This is what I actually do.”
“This is what we look for when we recruit.”
Just useful conversations with young people and parents or guardians who want to know more.
Help young people discover careers they may never have considered - and help build the workforce your sector will need next.
Help young people discover careers they may never have considered and help build the workforce your sector will need next.
More employers
Coming soon
Participating employers
FOR SCHOOLS
How does Next Steps use AI?
Next Steps uses AI to help young people explore careers, ask questions and investigate different possibilities.
Pupils do not need to create an account or provide personal details to use it.
Their questions are processed through the secure Next Steps platform, with safeguarding checks built in. Powering Futures does not store pupil messages as persistent chat transcripts.
AI helps open up the conversation.
It doesn’t decide what a young person should do next.
Participating schools receive guidance on using Next Steps safely and appropriately.
Could your school
be one of them?
25 SCHOOL PLACES
Registering your interest takes just a few minutes. We’ll then contact you to confirm your school’s place and send you everything you need to get started.