University of the Highlands and Islands receives £2.3m to transform education in the Outer Hebrides
The Outer Hebrides Campus Redevelopment project, supported with funding from the Islands Growth Deal, aims to enhance the facilities and resources available to students and staff at the site. It will also ‘bring the campus to the community’ through the development of mobile facilities and equipment which can be transported to venues across the Outer Hebrides.
The initiative has been designed to provide more opportunities to local learners, meet the needs of businesses and industries and attract greater numbers of students to the Outer Hebrides. Plans include:
Transforming the Technology and Innovation Centre
Creating a hub where students can socialise and collaborate
Establishing a Newton Room to provide learning experiences for school pupils in science, technology, engineering and maths subjects
Developing mobile facilities and equipment to enhance UHI North, West and Hebrides’ outreach offering in the Outer Hebrides.
The new campus facilities have been designed by Fraser Architecture LLP and will be brought to life by team lead by O’Mac Construction. It is hoped that the work will be completed in 2024.
UHI Outer Hebrides, UHI North Highland and UHI West Highland merged on 1st August to form UHI North, West and Hebrides, which will celebrate its launch in September.
UHI North, West and Hebrides Principal Lydia Rohmer said: “We are all very excited to see work get underway on this vital project. This initiative will help to realise the full potential of the Outer Hebrides as a prosperous and well-educated community which provides equitable opportunities for our young people seeking a future-facing career in STEM industries, delivering educational pathways leading to high value jobs, and supporting island-based employers with work-ready graduates.”
Scottish Government Wellbeing Economy Secretary Neil Gray said: “I welcome the beginning of work to improve facilities for students and staff in the Outer Hebrides.
This project will attract more learners, support good, fair jobs and help meet demand for workers from island businesses as we build a wellbeing economy for all. That is why the Scottish Government has supported this project through the Islands Growth Deal and Islands Programme funding.”
Cllr Paul Steele, Leader of Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, said: “I am delighted to see this project moving ahead as one of the first to get underway as part of the Islands Growth Deal. This exciting project will bring real benefits to students and business in the islands. Congratulations to all those who have worked to get us to this stage.”
Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) has awarded £250,000 for the project.
Kathleen Stewart, Head of Enterprise Support at HIE’s Outer Hebrides team, said: “This project will transform the further and higher education curriculum and training offering for people in the islands. It will increase the attractiveness of the campus for traditional, on-campus students and through the integration and development of new technologies, which will enable a greater degree of outreach to remote learners. Improvement to existing facilities and the creation of new ones including those that support the STEM sector are important for retaining a young population on the islands and attracting more students to live and study in the Outer Hebrides.”
The redevelopment will be one of the first projects to get underway as part of the Islands Growth Deal, a ten-year package of investment which aims to drive economic growth and create sustainable jobs across Shetland, Orkney and the Outer Hebrides. The project is being by the Scottish Government, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar and the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI).
UHI is leading and supporting a number of Islands Deal projects which will help to deliver high-quality education and research, attract inward investment and support employment.