Wind farm gives £50,000 for Caithness and Sutherland apprenticeship scheme
The developers of the West of Orkney Windfarm have donated £50,000 to support a new apprenticeship programme in Caithness and north Sutherland.
The money will go to FutureSkills, a grant scheme designed to tackle skills shortages and boost investment in new opportunities for businesses and young people in the far north.
The initiative is being led by the Caithness Business Fund and will offer eligible businesses an opportunity to access grant support of up to £24,500, over a maximum period of three years, towards employment and associated training costs of an apprentice.
It was established in March this year with initial funding from NRS Dounreay and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.
The announcement was made as members of the West of Orkney Windfarm team visited Caithness for meetings with Scrabster Harbour Trust, Caithness Chamber of Commerce, Wick John O’Groats Airport and JGC Engineering and Technical Services.
The wind farm will consist of up to 125 turbines, located around 25km off the north Sutherland coast. The turbines will have a maximum blade tip height of 360m and the proposals include cable landfalls on the Caithness coast.
Stuart McAuley, project director for West of Orkney Windfarm, said: “The West of Orkney Windfarm has an ambition to deliver a world-leading energy project which will create long-term social and economic benefits for businesses and communities in the north of Scotland.
“This will include employment opportunities through the construction phase and for many years of operation, and we would like as many of these jobs as possible to go to local firms. It is terrific to see local businesses already embracing this exciting new world.
“This donation is an investment in this future and will help upskill young workers so they can participate in Scotland’s offshore wind energy industry – which will become a major force in the years ahead.”
West of Orkney Windfarm has backed a number of other initiatives in Caithness, Sutherland and Orkney.
Details of FutureSkills can be found on the Caithness Business Fund website.
Trudy Morris, executive director of the Caithness Business Fund and chief executive of Caithness Chamber of Commerce, managing agent of the fund, said: “Caithness Chamber has been engaged with the West of Orkney Windfarm for a number of years now and we are delighted they are able to support this excellent apprenticeship scheme.
“It’s open to businesses that can demonstrate a strong commitment to hosting a modern apprenticeship and targets SMEs [small and medium-sized enterprises] with the aim of facilitating new apprenticeship opportunities to stimulate business growth and overcome potential financial barriers.
“I would encourage local firms to apply.”
