SOME 500 individuals are projected to be trained each year at UHI Inverness’ new Sustainable Construction Centre, the learning institute has revealed to Project Scotland as it continues its bold data-led approach to tackling the Highlands’ skills shortage.
UHI Inverness is already the largest provider of apprenticeships in the region, with over 750 modern apprentices and 200 graduate apprentices currently in training, as well as a further 300+ plumbing and electrical apprentices on behalf of other training providers.
“We are a demand-led institution, and we analyse that demand very, very carefully,” Chris O’Neil, principal and chief executive of UHI Inverness told Project Scotland. “We’ve got businesses telling us what they need – we analyse what they tell us alongside data, and we then work to deliver to them because that’s our function and role.”
RSE (Ross-shire Engineering), which works across the UK including on major contracts with the likes of Scottish Water, recently described its partnership with UHI Inverness as being ‘invaluable’.
The learning institute opened an additional three joinery workshops at its campus to combat the region’s shortage of the trade, and it has also worked with CECA Scotland to create a bespoke civil engineering course which is now taught across Scotland, as well as the launch of an apprenticeship in building standards in partnership with ESP. Now looking to go a step further, UHI recently completed the lease of a 12,000 sq.ft building on Inverness’ Harbour Road.
The former equipment hire unit will be transformed into a centre geared towards creating the workforce required to achieve the Highlands and Scotland’s net zero ambitions – as well as strengthening UHI Inverness’ pull as a destination for construction students from across the country.
With a focus on sustainable construction skills and technologies, the facility will be open to apprentices, degree students, and companies wishing to upskill their workforce. Structured courses will be delivered on topics such as building design, the use of energy-efficient materials, retrofit, and insulation – with planned collaborations with UHI Inverness’ core construction offerings.
SSEN has backed the centre with £352,000 in grant funding, enabling the highest quality of fit-out, equipment, and the additional creation of a dedicated IT facility.
Admitting the investment in the facility remains a big one, and has resulted in ‘difficult decisions’ around the portioning of resources and commitments elsewhere, Chris believes a focus on construction is the correct route for UHI Inverness to take in terms of its commitment to serving the needs and demands of the Highlands, and also meeting its ‘obligation’ of ensuring youngsters in the region have access to the upcoming opportunities in the area – such as the Cromarty Firth Green Freeport and need for 24,000 new houses over the next decade.
“We know we need a new and evolved approach to the teaching of construction,” Chris added. “I was talking to a senior professional at a construction company relatively recently, and they said ‘we don’t need just bricklayers anymore; we need something more – we need them to understand what sits behind the design, technology, and architecture of that building’. That’s what the Sustainable Construction Centre has been developed to address – the capacity of what’s currently needed.”
Key to this will be what UHI Inverness refers to as ‘diagonal progression’, where various disciplines are encouraged to work together – as they would on a live project – to find solutions to real world problems.
This means learners graduate with an understanding of disciplines outside of their own speciality, with many also pivoting and taking a different route, through UHI Inverness’ flexibility, with Chris saying there’s been examples of those starting out as foundation apprentices graduating with civil engineering degrees having been exposed to the disciplines at some point in their learning journey.
“I think education and training have got to be interconnected,” Chris added. “There isn’t a silent solution to any of the problems we’re facing, and we’ve got to find ways for clever people to collaborate and come up with the appropriate response.
“The Sustainable Construction Centre is future-proofed and supported through our research and understanding into the needs of the sector. So, it becomes a place where people can come – and I don’t use the word lightly – but play with the concept of sustainable construction; there’ll be problems and issues that the students themselves start to solve. Students need to have the space to think – to play, to develop, to fail, and then question and understand that failing – and those will be the best employees; individuals who know how to reflect and say ‘no, this’ll work better because I’ve understood it in a previous context’.”
Work is ongoing on the creation of the Sustainable Construction Centre, with it due to open later this year. In the meantime, Chris said he’s keen to work with any Project Scotland readers.
“If anyone wants to visit us or meet our students, apprentices, or staff to talk or to offer placements, site visits, or any sort of support it would always be welcome. I think one of the things I’m really pleased about is we’ve blurred the distinction between the professional world and the world of learning – and I think that’s really important.
“What we want is industry to understand that they can help the student or apprentice transition a world of learning and training into the real world seamlessly – and if any Project Scotland readers want to come along and visit, and have anything to do with supporting those students, what they’ll find is they’re part and parcel of ensuring that the emerging workforce is an even better workforce.”
