A class of 23 trainee transmission linesmen from the Highlands and Moray are taking to the road after graduating with flying colours from a 10 week programme of intensive study at Inverness College UHI.
The group of 17 to 24 year olds will now spend time at training centres run by SSE in Perth and Balfour Beatty in Derby, where they will gain specialised skills for work on the north of Scotland's electricity network.
Last year Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission (SHE Transmission) and Inverness College UHI joined forces to pilot a new training programme for unemployed young people seeking to enter the electricity industry. The success of the award-winning initiative resulted in its continuation for a second year and attracted support from industry giant Balfour Beatty, one of SHE Transmission’s major contractors.
Keith Hay of SHE Transmission, who was heavily involved in getting the programme started last year, said: "The commitment of this year’s students has been excellent and the overall standard exceptionally high. The group has stuck together and tackled everything that’s been asked of them with enthusiasm. The challenges our operational engineers have faced during the course of this winter show how much that attitude matters in our business.
"The programme is developing well and already starting to deliver the next generation of skilled transmission linesmen that are needed to deliver projects and maintain assets across the north of Scotland. If this innovative partnership can keep delivering results for SHE Transmission, for Balfour Beatty and for the trainees themselves then it can only have a bright future."
One of the trainees, Taylor Moore, 18, from Inverness added: "After finishing school, I wasn’t keen on four years of attending lectures at university. I wanted to find something more varied, with the chance to do some ‘hands on’ work as well as learning new skills.
"One of the trainees who took part in last year’s course recommended it to me and it’s been great so far. No two days have been the same and now I’m looking forward to the opportunity to travel away from home for the first time."
Diane Rawlinson, principal and chief executive at Inverness College UHI, said: "I’d like to congratulate the trainees for successfully completing the challenging 10 week transmission construction programme at the College. I’d also like to thank all the tutors who have helped create this fantastic training programme which is now in its second year.
"The renewable energy and power generation sectors are constantly advancing, therefore I’m confident all our graduates have an exciting career ahead of them. I wish them all great success for their next stage of training in Derby and Perth and for the future."