A PIONEERING project in the Borders to help school pupils experience the workplace has hit the small screen.

Developing Young Workforce (DYW) Borders celebrated their second birthday by releasing a series of videos to showcase the impact they've made.

Business owners, teachers and pupils have all taken part in the filming.

Callum Weston, a sixth year pupil at Earlston High, discussed his experiences of the DYW programme.

He said: "One of the sessions I attended was welcoming and a really fun way to learn about career option from people other than teachers at school.”

The programme, which is a Scottish Government initiative that aims to bridge the gap between industry and education, has led to over 15,000 pupils attending one or more of the 130 events which DYW Borders have been involved in.

While the numbers are impressive, it is the response from the those involved that better demonstrates the positive impact of the programme.

Pauline Grigor is a parent of a pupil at Galashiels Academy. She said: “DYW Borders has been a huge help to me and my son, who has a rare medical condition.

"We worked together with the programme team to pull together a bespoke work experience plan for my son.

"This has had an amazing impact on his confidence. So much so that he has even started a part-time job. I don’t think he’d ever have managed this prior to the work experience arranged by DYW Borders.”

Educational professionals have also been quick to voice support for the programme.

Bruce Aitchison, Deputy Head Teacher at Hawick High School, said: “DYW Border is a great way for us to educate our young people on their future career options.”

The series of videos were released on January 9 - exactly two years after the initiative arrived in the Borders.

Reflecting on the success over the last two years, DYW manager Sara Ward added: “Year two for DYW Borders has been a remarkable success, really building on the solid foundations of year one.

"We have engaged with more young people, established strong working relations with more businesses and strengthened our links with those in education.

"The entire team of staff and volunteers are proud to have achieved so much across the region as part of this national programme, and we look forward to doing even more in 2019.”

The videos are available to view at www.dywborders.co.uk and on the DYW Borders Facebook page.