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Creating opportunities for young people in the Highlands and Islands

Participants from the NC in Creative Industries

Twelve workers located from Caithness to Argyll, with a wide range of creative ambitions, have embarked on a learning journey to achieve the National Certificate in Creative Industries. The study programme is the result of a partnership between Scottish Union Learning and Inverness College UHI, and is supported by Scottish Government, the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), and BECTU, the broadcasting and entertainment union.

The pilot programme aims to provide pathways into creative careers for young people, or a stepping stone to further study. A key objective is to provide access to learning for students living in the Highlands and Islands, through delivery of an online course, developed by Inverness College UHI, which will be supplemented by supported workshops.

Students on the NC Creative Industries course will work across a broad range of creative disciplines, studying twelve units over 18 months. These include writing, editing and publishing online, and working for yourself, in order to gain the skills to support their employment in locations remote from population centres.

Wendy Burton, Director of Scottish Union Learning, said:

"This initiative aims to provide opportunities for young people to develop the skills required to succeed in the growing creative sector in the Highlands and Islands, as recognised by trade unions, Scottish Government and regional development agencies. With the support of industry practitioners from the NUJ and BECTU, this pilot embodies the role of unions in helping workers improve their life chances through education. Scottish Union Learning is delighted to be working in partnership with Inverness College UHI, as we share an ambition to utilise emerging technologies to provide accessible learning tailored to the needs of learners."

Georgie Parker, Director of Business Development at Inverness College UHI, said:

"We are delighted to be working in partnership with Scottish Union Learning, to develop this National Certificate for online delivery and utilise the experience the NUJ and BECTU representatives can contribute. This is the latest in a range of courses to be made available using new technologies to improve the accessibility of our qualifications to communities across the Highlands and Islands and internationally."

Photo: John Paul Photography

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