Studying in Shetland: a fresh start

Shetland, like many places around the world, is set to emerge from Covid restrictions as a different place to the one at the start of 2020. And while that means challenges, it also means opportunities – to retool and level up a local economy that has been successful for much of the past 50 years, but is now in a position to adapt and innovate.

With changes afoot in new sectors like renewable energy or space, as well as the need to keep improving and innovating in its fishing, aquaculture and other industries, having a skilled and highly educated workforce on the islands will be more important than ever. Which is just one of the reasons for Shetland’s tertiary education offering to merge as the Shetland UHI ahead of the 2021/22 academic year.

“It will create an inspirational new hub, which will be simpler for people to understand, and more powerful in the way it will interact with the Shetland economy,” says Professor Jane Lewis, the Principal Designate for the merged college, which will remain under the umbrella of the University of the Highlands and Islands, which has 13 colleges and research centres around northern Scotland. “A lot of industries in Shetland are adjusting after a challenging time, but in many ways it’s an exciting time. The college will have a role to play both in delivering skills and training, and providing research support for new and growing industries such as space and renewable energy, as well as Shetland’s thriving creative sector and much more.”

The merged colleges won’t just save money by streamlining operations, but will mean that one college will offer a full range of educational offerings – from Skills for Work opportunities for local schools to PhDs in marine-based research at the NAFC or Shetland College courses such as a BA in Archaeology and Environmental Studies BA or an MA in Art and Social Practice. The appeal of studying in Shetland remains a closeness to the local economy and Shetland’s vibrant culture. “There’s such a strong link in Shetland between learning and what’s happening on the islands, whether that’s in health or social care, engineering for the fishing industry or working with local artists as part of the Centre for Island Creativity,” says Lewis.

For Dr Beth Mouat, Joint Head of the Marine Science and Technology Department at the NAFC Marine Centre, one hope is that more people will be able to do globally important research on Shetland. “We want to provide opportunities for more people to return or base themselves here to do PhDs and carry out the range of research Shetland will increasingly need,” she says.

Mouat is also the director of the Islands Strategy, a University of the Highlands and Islands initiative to increase island-based research, attract and retain talent, support local culture and build a skilled local workforce. She says there’s often a misconception that islands like Shetland are remote, and only concerned with small local issues. “Actually, islands tend to be innovative places,” she says, pointing to local pioneers in the aquaculture industry as a recent example. “But we’re also in a great position to look at globally important issues around subjects like renewable energy or marine sustainability. Often, it’s finding local solutions to global problems, but we want people to know that they can do world-class research in Shetland.”

But Shetland doesn’t only want to attract space scientists and future-forward engineers. One appeal, says Mouat, is the flexibility of studying on the islands, especially at a challenging time for the conventional campus university experience. “We have such a range and flexibility in ways to learn here,” she says. “A lot of the courses are suitable for people who are employed or work part-time, and there are so many ways that working and studying can go together here.”

One of those is vocational apprenticeships, and Train Shetland has enrolled around 80 apprenticeships for the next financial year – up from 55 in 2016. “We’ve steadily been growing the number of apprentices in Shetland,” says Kevin Briggs, who manages the programme. “We would have expected closer to a hundred without Covid, but there’s still been a lot of interest.”

The apprenticeships run the gamut from high school students to council team leaders and senior construction managers. Briggs, who works with more than 70 employers across the islands, says the most common apprenticeships are in social care, followed by engineering and business administration.

The merger, he says, will mean even more opportunities for collaboration, and reaching out to employers. “It sounds corny, but we’re collectively trying to support businesses to create the workforce of the future,” he says. “We want to be at the forefront of developments in Shetland, where there will be new opportunities in industries like the energy and space industry. We’re constantly asking what employers need, and trying to be agile in our response.”

For Jane Lewis, the new college hopes to chime with an exciting time for the islands. “Things are happening in Shetland that will make it a really interesting place to live and work over the next decade,” she says. “We want to be a big support for that. Getting the new college up and running will signal a new era.”

For more on studying in Shetland, see our Shetland study page or the Shetland UHI website.