Secondary schools and employers across the Highlands are joining forces through a new programme designed to connect what young people learn in the classroom with the careers available on their doorstep.
Industry Connect Highland has launched for the 2026/27 academic year, bringing schools together with businesses and organisations to develop learning experiences linked directly to the world of work.
The programme has been developed through My Highland Future and Workforce North, with its initial focus on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.
Employers from the engineering, infrastructure and construction sectors will work with teachers to show pupils how subjects studied at school translate into real jobs and career opportunities.
Rather than simply telling young people which careers exist, the programme is intended to bring industry experience directly into their education.
Activities could include classroom sessions, industry challenges, workshops, demonstrations, site visits and career events.
Employers will also provide teachers and pupils with insight into the technical, employability and transferable skills being sought within their industries.
The programme officially launched this week with schools, Developing the Young Workforce partners and employers meeting for a planning and co design event to shape activities for the year ahead.
Highland Council Education Committee Chair Councillor John Finlayson said:
“Industry Connect Highland will bring schools, employers and young people together to create meaningful learning experiences that connect education with future careers.
“By sharing real-world experience, industry expertise and insight into career pathways, employers can help pupils make informed choices, develop key skills and raise aspirations, helping to build the workforce needed to support the Highland economy and communities for years to come.”
One of the ambitions is to improve awareness among young people of the careers already available across the Highlands, alongside apprenticeships and further and higher education routes into those industries.
It also comes at a significant time for the Highland economy, with major infrastructure and investment projects expected to increase demand for skilled workers across the region.
Building stronger relationships between employers and schools could therefore serve two purposes, helping pupils understand the opportunities available without necessarily leaving the Highlands while giving businesses an earlier connection with their potential future workforce.
Industry Connect Highland is intended to establish longer term partnerships rather than a series of isolated careers events, with schools and employers working together throughout the academic year.
The initiative sits alongside the wider Workforce North programme, which is also offering financial support to employers seeking to recruit, train and develop workers.
A £2 million Workforce North Co Investment Fund is currently open for applications, with Highland Council contributing an additional £1.2 million to support businesses through the programme.
For young people considering what comes after school, Industry Connect Highland is ultimately trying to make the connection between a lesson in the classroom and a career in the Highlands considerably easier to see.
Find out more and apply at: Workforce North Co-Investment Fund
