My Highland Future priorities and ongoing improvement commitments

19th November 2025

At today's Education Committee (Wednesday 19 November 2025), Members were briefed on My Highland Future priorities and ongoing commitments.

Next steps will focus on consolidating feedback from phase one and the Highland Workforce ‘Call to Action’ event on 25 November 2025, which will inform planning for phase two.

This phase will expand into schools, raising awareness of local career opportunities among young people, teachers, parents, and community partnerships that support our young learners. Data gathered from leadership surveys on firsthand career learning will be analysed, with key findings shared at the Developing Young Workforce (DYW) lead network events later this month and will guide future actions.

Education Committee Chair, Cllr John Finlayson said: "It’s been both exciting and informative for Members to hear about the significant progress of My Highland Future, which demonstrates the Council’s commitment to preparing our future workforce from early years through to post-school transitions. This dynamic, multifaceted project introduces innovative approaches to developing young people, creating opportunities for future employees and employers alike, while supporting the Highland Investment Plan’s wider goals to tackle depopulation and strengthen the Highland economy.

"Foundation Apprenticeships in Highland schools continue to grow, with enrolments rising to around 10% across frameworks. Modern Apprenticeship uptake is also increasing, supported by additional Skills Development Scotland (SDS) credits and strategic planning to create clear pathways from school into council led opportunities. Recent initiatives include expanding in-school delivery of Construction Foundation Apprenticeships (FA’s) and mapping Modern Apprenticeships (MA’s) frameworks to workforce needs, to strengthen career routes for our young people.

Cllr Finlayson added: “Next steps on community benefits include creating a menu of educational inputs for schools, which will be shared with employers during contractual negotiations to enhance career learning opportunities in line with industry commitments and educational priorities."

The Highland Council is also working with further education partners to create accelerated pathways into degree courses directly from school, alongside upskilling and retraining routes. In 2024/25, twenty S6 pupils successfully completed an HNC at UHI Inverness whilst attending school, with half progressing to degree courses and others moving into employment or further study. Enrolments for the current session have already increased, reflecting growing demand for these opportunities.

Further development discussions are planned with all UHI partners to explore the potential to increase access to accelerated degree pathways. Alignment to undergraduate and graduate apprenticeships progression routes within UHI will also be considered to help retain young people to study in the Highlands.