THE success of Charlie Blair being chosen as Fife's Student of the Year in a major national event is another significant landmark in the creation of 'Employability' at Lochgelly High School.

When LHS teacher Ray Fernie started out on this project, with the support of rector Carol Ann Penrose, four years ago, he could not have believed how the initiative would develop.

Indeed, LHS has led the way in a project which has been rolled out across Fife and is also being utilised nationally.

It all came about when Ray and former LHS pupil and Fife business leader, John Penman, were talking about how young people coming to the end of their education were applying for jobs.

Ray found out pretty quickly that there were problems with the way that application letters were being compiled and in the quality of information being supplied. But that was only the start.

It meant a complete re-think on the way ahead and how students should be prepared for the workplace and it led to the school going out to the local business community and asking them to come aboard and join in a partnership under the term Employability.

Since then this partnership has grown stronger and stronger and the business community has been a huge element in making things work.

Their link with the school staff has been an outstanding reason for the success of Employability and hundreds of pupils have been able to tap into the information to be able to set out on the right career or job for them.

Charlie Blair strongly praised the school staff and the advice she received during her work placement and how the advice helped steer her towards wanting to become a primary school teacher and taking the university track for that as many before her have done .

Others, however, have been given the lead to become Modern Apprentices and gone directly into industry.

There are a host of LHS Employability success stories and Charlie's is yet another but it is being repeated all over the country which is a magnificent testament to the school's role in all this.