News Archive

Future of Land-based Education Directed by New Report

Scottish colleges offering land-based education and training must engage more effectively with industry, schools and the wider community to ensure the sector's growing employment needs are met, according to a new report, published today (06.08.15).   Greater engagement would make colleges more aware of employers' demands for robust skills training to ensure learners are equipped with the abilities they value, says the National Strategy for Land-based Education and Training.  

From Caithness to the World

A ceremonial turf cutting ceremony marked the official start of building work on the new archive that will store nuclear records from across the UK.   David Flear, chairman of the Dounreay Stakeholder Group, dug into the ground at the Wick site where the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority's Nuclear Archive will start to take shape over the next 12 months.  

Duke of Rothesay Tours Dunnet Bay Distillery

Today, Friday 31st July 2015, The Duke of Rothesay took a tour of Dunnet Bay Distillery, the thriving Caithness distillery, where husband and wife team, Martin and Claire Murray, handcraft Rock Rose Gin.   This acclaimed gin features botanicals that are hand foraged from local cliffs and forests to create a gin with a unique and award-winning flavour profile.  

Dounreay announces new managing director designate

DSRL have announced the new managing director designate, Phil Craig.   With more than 20 years' experience in the nuclear industry, Phil’s career has focused on supporting the UK nuclear decommissioning, defence and existing power generation sectors.  

New research facility takes shape

An advanced nuclear materials research facility is being built at Culham.   Construction of the new Material Research Facility (MRF) is progressing to schedule and is due to be completed this autumn, in time for opening in December 2015.  

Naval Reactor Test Establishment At Vulcan in Caithness has been officially shut down

The test nuclear reactor at the Naval Reactor Test Establishment in Caithness has been officially shut down having safely completed its work.   The Shore Test Facility (STF) reactor was closed down last night.  

Students get 'Ready Steady' for work

Twelve students successfully completed the Ready Steady Work course held in early July.   The four day course sponsored by DSRL and North Highland College was offered to all senior secondary schools in Wick, Thurso and Farr.  

Grant outraged at lack of empathy with north energy prices

Highlands and Islands Labour MSP, Rhoda Grant, is outraged at a response from Minister of State, Andrea Leadsom MP, in which she not only gives little detail on progress being made on the Lewis interconnector but she also appears unwilling to look at national pricing for electricity network charges.   Mrs Grant and her colleague, David Stewart MSP, had written to Amber Rudd MP, the new Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, last month about the Western Isles link and asked her to address the matter of the 2p surcharge on electricity which Highlands and Islands customers are charged for their network.  

Watch out for telephone ‘disconnection scam' warns Highland Council Trading Standards

Highland Council Trading Standards have issued a warning of a new twist on previous cold call telephone scams, which has been termed as the ‘disconnection scam'.  This recent type of scam can affect both businesses and consumers.  

Leader calls for pause on closure of the Inverness Police Control Room to emergency calls

LEADER of The Highland Council, Margaret Davidson has called for a pause on the decision to close the Inverness Control Room to emergency calls in December this year, pending the outcome of the national review.   Cllr Davidson attended a meeting with Police Scotland yesterday, where she was briefed on the plans to relocate the Inverness Area Control Room and Service Centre functions from Inverness to Central belt control rooms.