Improving construction and hospitality training

Betty Rhodick, Lochgilphead

Sir,

UHI Argyll is in the process of asking local industry experts how the college can support training to help develop two of the area’s key growth sectors - hospitality and construction.

We want to find out how our curriculum could better match the needs of these industries and find innovative ways of delivering training in the dispersed geography of Argyll and Bute.

The survey is part of a wider project that has received £269,856 in total from the UK Government through the UK Community Renewal Fund.

The fund is administered locally by Argyll and Bute Council, as lead authority.

Market research company Ashbrook will undertake the work on behalf of the college, starting immediately and completing the work by the end of June. Ashbrook will identify participants from national databases.

Local employers should contact David Brooks - david@ashbrookresearch.co.uk if they are keen to take part.

Questionnaires will be carried out online and by phone. Ashbrook will invite some respondents to take part in more in-depth interviews.

I would urge employers to get involved in this research. We really want to hear your views, including the challenging ones. We want to help reduce the gap between the skills employers need, and the skills that future employees can offer.

Post-Covid, the focus is on helping the local economy recover, and both public and private sectors are working together to achieve this. UHI Argyll will play its part by training and maintaining a skilled workforce for the area. This project demonstrates our willingness to listen and adapt to meet industry needs.

We are delighted to be working with Ashbrook on this project, and grateful for support from UKCRF and Argyll and Bute Council.

As a busy college, it would have been impossible to do this vital piece of work in such a short space of time without the funding from UKCRF.

Contact commercial development officer Julie Millar - julie.millar@uhi.ac.uk; or Lauren McDonald, strategic projects co-ordinator - lauren.mcdonald@uhi.ac.uk for more information. the margins. Our local authorities are absolutely key to this.