Highland freeport ‘meta skills’ drive aims to equip pupils for jobs of tomorrow
Alli Vass, manager of The Powerhouse at Inverness and Cromarty Firth freeport.
A DRIVE to equip Highland with the "meta skills" needed to unlock high paying, long-term jobs created by the Inverness and Cromarty Firth Freeport is gathering pace. Meta skills refers to development of abilities to problem solve, adapt to new challenges and and collaborate alongside technical and theoretical knowledge. The freeport is spearheading a strategic partnership with a pioneering social enterprise to help grow a future-ready workforce for businesses across the north of Scotland.
The partnership with Powering Futures will support the organisation's work with secondary schools to prepare pupils for their future careers, ensuring businesses are in prime position to respond to the significant economic opportunities it's expected the freeport will deliver. The collaboration with Powering Futures is seen as a key step in equipping young people with meta skills seen as vital to the future growth ambitions of the region's businesses. Freeport bosses want to ensure that every young person in the area will be able to access the course.
Powering Futures is an SCQF level 6 programme that has been working with schools across Scotland for the past five years. The freeport hopes its endorsement of the programme will put Powering Futures on the radar of even more businesses, garnering increased support from those that are pioneering the area's green energy revolution.
Port of Nigg is part of the wider freeport set-up.
The development of freeport status is seen as a transformative opportunity for the Highlands to become an internationally recognised hub for the offshore wind and renewables industries. It's claimed the initiative is poised to attract over GBP3bn of inward investment and deliver more than 10,000 long-term, well-paid jobs.
Alli Vass, manager of The Powerhouse - the skills development arm of the freeport - said that a future-ready workforce was critical to delivering the ambition.
She added: "Academic skills and practical skills are important as young people prepare to take the first steps on their career journey, but the role of meta-skills cannot be underplayed. The ability to learn new skills, solve problems and adapt to new situations are critical, especially in our rapidly changing world and our drive towards net zero. "Our hope is that we can encourage more organisations in the north of Scotland to get involved with Powering Futures, ensuring that every secondary school pupil will be able to participate in the programme.
"The course will stand them in excellent stead for their future careers and to develop the type of skills that employers in this area will need as the green freeport takes shape, whether they are finding employment through entry-level positions, apprenticeships or as university graduates."
One of the major benefits of Powering Futures is to link employers with future talent, providing a bridge between schools and the workplace. The course is delivered over a period of 80 hours during which students learn how to develop critical thinking skills to solve real world problems. The groups then present their approach to a panel of judges made up of industry representatives.
Powering Futures was launched in 2020 and in that time has worked with more than 5000 pupils and engaged with in excess of 180 businesses. Almost 90 secondary schools across Scotland are currently participating in the programme with a further 70 registered for the next academic year - almost 50% of secondary schools in the country. David Reid, co-founder of Powering Futures said: "Businesses all over the country are telling us that they are concerned that the pupils in schools today are not being properly equipped for the jobs they will have to do tomorrow - in other words, we are producing square pegs without realising that we have round holes.
"Our job is to make sure that the future workforce here is ready, willing and able to make the most of [the freeport's] economic opportunities for themselves, their families and the Highlands." Pupils from across the Highlands and Moray have been participating in Powering Futures since the start of the year and recently took part in final presentations. One Ullapool High School pupil said afterwards: "I've learned about presentation skills and how to speak in front of a crowd of people, along with confidence and teamwork."
What is the freeport? The freeport aims to revolutionise the Highland economy, generating significant inward investment and stimulating major new manufacturing activity locally and elsewhere in Scotland and the UK.
It is expected to play a vital role in the country's transition from fossil fuels to clean, green energy, while creating new long-term and green employment opportunities. The company is backed by port owners Port of Cromarty Firth, Global Energy Group at Port of Nigg, Port of Inverness, and Haventus (Ardersier Energy Transition Facility), Highland Deephaven, Highland Council, University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) and Highlands and Islands Enterprise.
In total more than 30 regional, national and international businesses, public sector organisations and academic bodies are associated with the initiative.
The creation of the green freeport will maximise local and Scotland-wide benefits from a pipeline of renewable energy projects, placing the Highlands at the heart of the drive towards net zero and developing world leading capabilities in floating offshore wind and hydrogen production.