Community is key, say Caithness and Sutherland young people

8th November 2015

A new survey into the attitudes and aspirations of young people indicates those taking part from Caithness and Sutherland are strongly connected and proud of their local community.

The perceptions of 234 of the area's young people highlight a number of positive findings. This includes data suggesting more than half of those taking part wish to stay locally - significantly above the regional average.

More than three in four are also proud of their community and young people think it is a good place to bring up a family. Higher than average rates of community involvement and engagement exist than the regional average with 38 per cent of Caithness and Sutherland young people taking part in community volunteering activities.

The proportion of those committed to leaving the area (22 per cent) is also much lower than regionally (39 per cent) - and the research indicates young people feel safe and consider those who remain there lucky to be able to do so. Compared to the regional average, young people in Caithness and Sutherland are more optimistic about life in the Highlands and Islands in the future.

The report commissioned by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) investigated the views of 15 to 30 year olds. It was carried out due to concerns about young people moving away from the region and sought their attitudes and aspirations on a range of subjects. These included educational and employment opportunities, housing, transport, digital connectivity, arts, culture and leisure as well as community views.

Other highlights indicate young people in Caithness and Sutherland rank access to further/higher education above the Highlands and Islands average in making the region a more attractive place to live, work and study.

Awareness of UHI is also higher than average and the new Inverness Campus came out favourably in terms of contributing to career aspirations and education-business research links.

Opportunities for career progression and creating a good range of employment opportunities are seen by Caithness and Sutherlands young people as the most important priorities in making the region a desirable place to live, work and study.

The creative industries sector which includes fashion, film, music and the arts also attracted significant interest by those interviewed.

Roy Kirk, HIE area manager for Caithness and Sutherland, said: "A strong sense of community is a vital cornerstone in the social and economic development of any area. It is therefore encouraging that so many young people in Caithness and Sutherland value this as a key element in the area's attractiveness.

It was recently announced that 10,000 homes and businesses in Caithness now have access to next generation broadband with many more planned in the near future. In Sutherland, services are already available in Dornoch, Embo, Golspie and Brora.

This increase in broadband connectivity provides a major boost for young people who value good access to digital services. The improvement of the digital infrastructure also makes a difference to the viability and growth of businesses and number of new business starts. In turn, this offers greater potential for a more diverse jobs market to emerge.

The Young people in Caithness and Sutherland: Attitudes and aspirations report is available from the HIE website at http://bit.ly/1PeA8fj