THE City of Edinburgh Council has scooped a top national award for its construction skills pathways work.
The local authority was awarded the David Kennedy Excellent People Award at the annual COSLA Awards. The award recognises those who are at the heart of local government excellence.
The council’s construction skills pathways project was recognised for its work in building brighter futures for young people. The project is focused on improving outcomes for learners by getting more school leavers into jobs within the construction industry.
The construction skills work is raising the attainment of Edinburgh school leavers, with the national benchmarks for school attainment improving across most measures. The number of National Progression Awards achieved by City of Edinburgh school leavers has increased from 900 in 2023 to 1,944 in 2025.
This is achieved through partnership working with Edinburgh College, which has expanded its construction courses into school-based sites across Edinburgh – with delivery supported by Kier Construction and Balfour Beatty.
Courses focus on traditional skills, including a National 5 qualification in stonemasonry, matched to local skills shortages. Supported by funding from community benefits and in partnership with Historic Environment Scotland and Scottish Traditional Building Forum, the organisations work alongside teachers to deliver the course. In addition, a partnership with local firm, Compass Roofing, supports delivery of a National 5 roofing qualification.
Councillor James Dalgleish, education, children, and families convener at the City of Edinburgh Council, said, “This award is a fantastic acknowledgement of the innovative and proactive approach we as a Council are taking to improve outcomes for young people in Edinburgh. We want to narrow the gap between the most and least disadvantaged learners in Edinburgh, and our construction pathways work is one of the ways we are doing this.
“The attainment outcomes speak for themselves, with over double the number of National Progression Awards achieved by Edinburgh young people since 2023. This work is helping even more learners to see the relevance of their learning in relation to real-world career opportunities and supporting them to map out their journey beyond school.”
