CASE STUDY

Mearns Academy Assessment Centre

S6 pupils from Mearns Academy gained their first experience of an assessment centre during an off-site day hosted at Norwood Hall Hotel.

Date

25th Sep 2025

Employer

TechnipFMC, Wood, Norwood Hall Hotel

School(s)

Mearns Academy

Industry

Cross-sector

Overview

The external assessment centre for Mearns Academy's S6 cohort aimed to build on pupils' experience of writing job applications, preparing CVs and participating in mock interviews.

The format of the day comprised four exercises in the morning - a mixture of problem solving and ethical debates - followed by panel presentations in the afternoon. These activities were created by Skills Development Scotland, a fellow school partner.

Pupils were split into groups for each activity, with teachers and employers acting as the overall assessors for the day. The programme design allowed pupils to engage in problem solving tasks, debates and presentations that mirror real-world assessment centre practices.

Results and effectiveness

All of the tasks were completed to a high standard; pupils engaged well with the process and the employer assessors were impressed with their efforts.

Many of the young people highlighted concrete skills and lessons they will carry forward from the day.

Additional benefits

Participating in an external assessment centre provided pupils with early exposure to another key component of today's recruitment processes.

Initial feedback suggests that it helped them to develop their confidence, as well as their teamworking, communication and employability skills.

Teacher

Mearns Academy

“The assessment centre, which exceeded my expectations, provided pupils with a realistic, challenging and valuable experience. They developed meta-skills across self-management, social intelligence, and innovation. Pupils left with stronger confidence, awareness and readiness for future assessments and employment, showing a clear and lasting impact.”