Workforce North Milestones
The Highlands and Islands is entering a period of major economic change, with significant investment anticipated over the coming years, particularly in renewables generation and transmission infrastructure. Alongside this opportunity, the region faces workforce challenges linked to demographic change, future skills demand and labour supply.
Workforce North developed as a partnership‑led response to these shared challenges. Employers, inward investors and public‑sector partners came together to strengthen collaboration, support investment in skills and talent, and take a more coordinated, place‑based approach to workforce planning across the region. Early partners included Skills Development Scotland, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, the University of the Highlands and Islands, Highland Council and the Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport.
Convention of the Highlands and Islands (Autumn 2024)
A key early milestone was a decision by the Convention of the Highlands and Islands in autumn 2024. This reflected both the scale of anticipated investment across the region and the need for a coordinated regional response to workforce demand.
The decision helped align partners around a shared ambition to support workforce growth, attraction and retention in line with long‑term economic opportunities.
Preparing for regional engagement (early 2025)
In advance of wider engagement, partners published a briefing paper - The Highlands and Islands Workforce Summit: Strengthening the Regional Workforce - outlining the scale of investment opportunity and the workforce challenges facing the region.
This work helped establish a common evidence base and informed subsequent discussions with employers and partners.
Milestone events and launches
4 April 2025 - Highlands and Islands Workforce Summit, Inverness
Hosted by Skills Development Scotland with regional partners, the Summit brought together employers, inward investors and public‑sector decision‑makers to discuss future workforce demand and capacity across the Highlands and Islands. Discussions explored the skills, people and systems required to support major investment and helped shape early priorities for collaborative action.
A paper was prepared in advance of the Summit and shared with delegates:
The Highlands and Islands Workforce Summit: Strengthening the Regional Workforce
Feedback from the Summit and subsequent partner engagement informed a second paper which includes an action plan. Please see a link to the latest version, August 2025 - version 2.0.
Workforce North: A shared mission to grow and expand our workforce
Read more
Find out more about the Workforce North summit held in Inverness in April.
28 October 2025 - Workforce North launch, Inverness
Workforce North was formally launched at an event hosted by SSEN Transmission in Inverness. The launch marked agreement of an initial action plan for the Highland Council area and announced the establishment of the Workforce North Co‑investment Fund, supported by seed funding from Skills Development Scotland to help leverage wider employer and private‑sector investment.
26 November 2025 - Workforce North: A Call to Action, Strathpeffer
Co‑hosted by the Highland Council and Skills Development Scotland, Workforce North: A Call to Action brought together employers, educators and partners to consider how a place‑based, system‑wide approach could support workforce growth linked to major investment. The event focused on collaboration across sectors and locations, with an emphasis on ensuring communities can benefit from future economic activity.
4 December 2025 - Moray Pathways Energy Summit
The Moray Pathways Energy Summit brought together employers and public‑sector partners to discuss preparation for large‑scale offshore wind investment and associated supply‑chain activity in Moray. Discussions included future skills needs, workforce pathways and employer collaboration.
Developing local delivery (late 2025)
By the end of 2025, an operational roadmap for the Highland local authority area had been agreed, setting out priorities and actions to support coordinated workforce planning and delivery. Work is also underway with partners to shape further local authority roadmaps, with additional updates to follow as this work progresses.
Partners also continued to build the evidence base to support ongoing activity, drawing on employer insight, engagement and analysis.
For the latest updates, partner information, roadmaps and reports, visit the main Workforce North hub.