Working together to benefit the Highlands and Islands

27th October 2014

The Highlands and Islands Convention was welcomed to the Merkinch Community Centre in Inverness today (Monday) by Councillor Drew Hendry, Leader of the Highland Council, who stressed the importance of ensuring a highly skilled workforce that would contribute to the continuing economic growth of the Highlands and Islands. He also highlighted the need for partners to be working together to deliver good quality services to local communities and to sustain and enable those communities in the Highlands and Islands to flourish.

One of the issues being discussed today is the Skills Investment Plan for the Highlands and Islands which seeks to help position the Highlands and Islands as a region with outstanding skills.

Commenting on the plan Councillor Drew Hendry said "The Highlands and Islands have a real opportunity for continuing economic growth, but to maximise these opportunities we need to develop a co-ordinated approach to skills development, I am therefore very pleased that this morning we will be discussing the Skills Investment plan for the Highlands and Islands, Developing and retaining a highly skilled working age population is critical for the economic growth of the Highlands and Islands".

Another important issue for the Highland and Islands is Tourism which makes a significant contribution to economic growth in the Highlands and Islands and in welcoming the Convention to Inverness.

Councillor David Alston, Depute Leader of the Highland Council said "Tourism is of key importance for us and I am therefore very pleased that we will have the opportunity to discuss this subject today. We have a stunning and unique environment in the Highlands and Islands together with very significant tourist destinations and key events that draw people both nationally and internationally to the region."