THE latest cohort of UHI Inverness students to graduate from the CECA Scotland Academy have stepped into immediate job interviews to enter the civil engineering sector.
Finlay Andrew, Blake Coull, Riley Davis, Allan MacDougall, Cillian Maciver, Leon Macleod, CJ MacPhee, Ryan Mitchell, Aaron Innes, Eoghan McKinlay, and Calvin Pate all received graduation certificates from Mark Bramley, board member of CECA Scotland, during a presentation at Balloch campus to mark completion of their course.
Mark told the students, “Today is about you, you have now graduated and we as an organisation have engaged with our members to offer you interviews later this morning, and there is a significant likelihood that you will be offered employment. There are huge opportunities for a really progressive career in civil engineering, and I am excited for you for the future, and I wish you all the best.”
The students then participated in an on-campus network session with representatives from civil engineering firms in the first stage of a recruitment process which guarantees job interviews for all completing students. By the end of the event, some of the students received firm job offers from employers, while others were invited to follow-up interviews.
During his presentation Mark, a commercial director of Capstone Construction in Inverness and former chair of CECA Scotland, spoke of the billions of pounds being invested every year in a ‘huge pipeline of work’ on water, rail, road, sea and flood defences and energy and renewables projects across Scotland.
CECA represents 110 members who carry out 80% of all civil engineering activity in Scotland, which is worth £4.5 billion a year, and its academy is one of its ongoing initiatives to meet the workforce needs of an industry with a growing skills gap.
CECA Scotland worked with UHI Inverness and Fife College to introduce the course within the SQA qualification framework. The Scottish Funding Council supported the initiative, and the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) has provided funding to support the students with health and safety requirements for the industry. The academy is now delivered at six colleges across Scotland.
Nationally, 72% of the students who have completed the CECA Scotland Academy up to August 2025 in Scottish colleges – including UHI Inverness – have moved on to positive destinations, which includes employment in civil engineering and construction.
Further to this, 45 students from five different cohorts have now completed the 18-week course at UHI Inverness since 2023.
The latest graduation was attended by students, staff, family members, members of CECA Scotland and representatives from civil engineering firms Murform, Pat Munro, Capstone Construction, Balfour Beatty, BEAR Scotland, Morrisons, R J McLeod, TSL Contractors, and Story Scotland.
William Macleod, depute curriculum lead for construction technology at UHI Inverness, opened the event by thanking the teaching and support staff. He highlighted the contributions from the industry during this recent programme, including arranged visits by Strabag to observe work on SSE’s tunnel project at Coire Glas, as well as visits to Pat Munro’s site in Elgin and the Balfour Beatty A9 project at Dalmagarry. Global Infrastructure also hosted a session on campus which featured a VR excavator simulator and a remote-control digger circuit.
Carrie Higgins, tertiary education leader at UHI Inverness, added, “This programme is absolutely an exemplar of what it means to be an organisation like ours, working hand-in-hand with partners on an industry-designed, industry-supported programme that gives students the opportunity to have a learning experience, get a qualification and go straight into employment.”
The students began studying for the NPA Construction Operations qualification last September. They learned a range of practical skills at the Balloch campus, which was supported with classroom learning at the Inverness Campus.
Billy Baxter, customer engagement manager at CITB Scotland, said, “CITB is proud to support the CECA Scotland Academy, which is a powerful example of how targeted funding and strong collaboration between industry and education can deliver real outcomes. This programme is helping to address skills shortages in civil engineering by giving learners the practical skills, confidence and direct routes into employment that employers need. Seeing students move from graduation straight into interviews and job offers shows the return on investment for industry, for learners and for Scotland’s infrastructure sector. We look forward to continuing our work with CECA Scotland and UHI Inverness to grow the future workforce.”
