Highland Workforce ‘Call to Action’ event drives collaboration

The Highlands and Islands are set to benefit from over £100 billion in investment, driven by renewable energy generation, transmission and distribution. 

This presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform the Highland economy. However, with a declining and aging population, the region faces a significant workforce challenge. 

To harness opportunities and ensure our workforce remains skilled and collaborative, the ‘Call to Action’ event was held recently (Wednesday, 26 November 2025) at Strathpeffer Pavilion brought together over 150 delegates, including strategic partners, employers, senior educators, and young people from schools and apprenticeship placements.

The event aimed to strengthen industry–education links, foster collaboration, and enhance future skills and career opportunities across the Highlands. Workforce North has been launched as a wider regional initiative that aligns to the My Highland Future workstream of the Council’s Highland Investment Plan.

Skills Development Scotland (SDS) and key partners including The Highland Council, Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) and the Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport are working closely with local businesses and inward investors to promote and support co-investment in talent attraction, development and retention to create long-term opportunities for communities across the Highlands and Islands. 

Education Committee Chair, Cllr John Finlayson said: "This event represents a major step forward in bringing education, employers, and strategic partners together to prepare Highland’s workforce for the future. By working collaboratively, we can create meaningful opportunities that strengthen our communities and economy.

“The event united around 80 local employers, school leaders, young people and key partners to address workforce challenges and explore solutions. Our goal is to foster collaboration, raise awareness of career pathways, and ensure school leavers understand the wide range of progressive and rewarding career opportunities available across Highland."

A main highlight of the day was the young people’s panel, which grounded discussions as they spoke with clarity and confidence about what they need from education and employers to develop the skills required to build careers right here in Highland. Their insights were a powerful reminder of why collaboration between education and industry truly matters.

There was a collective message, delivered by Connie MacLennan (a senior school pupil who recently completed a summer paid placement with The Highland Council) that captured attendees’ attention:

Connie, said: “We need to engage young people in ways that spark interest—don’t be boring.”

Event Objectives:

• Raise awareness of Workforce North ambitions and plans.
• Secure commitment to collaborative working to achieve shared goals.
• Gather feedback to inform future delivery.
• Promote The Highland Council’s support platforms for sign-up and engagement.

To complement this campaign, the Council has begun data gathering on school curriculum inputs to strengthen firsthand career learning. A curriculum map aligned with My Highland Future outcomes and the Career Education Standard has been issued to schools for self-evaluation. Surveys have also been distributed to school leaders, teaching staff, and young people to capture baseline data, identify good practice, and inform priority areas for action. Findings will be analysed and shared at the Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) lead network meeting.

The My Highland Future workstream is also working closely with the Education Service and the Council’s Community Benefits Team to align with My Highland Future objectives and social value commitments. This partnership ensures that funding received from industry through contractual social value obligations is strategically directed to support educational priorities across the region. By establishing a centrally coordinated model for managing events and distributing resources to schools.

This coordinated model strengthens the link between industry and education, maximising the impact of community benefit commitments and ensuring learners across all stages of education benefit from enriched experiences and resources. 

This model is reinforced by the Highland Employer Charter’s pillar ‘Employ Highland’, encouraging employers to support employment opportunities for Highland residents, providing career pathways and work experience opportunities in Highland.

The Highland Employer Charter sponsored this event in partnership with SDS.  The Highland Employer Charter project has been part-funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.