Learning and skills

Many of Scotland’s most popular natural sites are receiving a staffing boost this summer, with Scottish Government funding of £900,000 to support better visitor management and help safeguard the environment for visitors and local communities.

The NatureScot Better Places funding will go directly to 24 countryside, coast and island projects across Scotland, enabling an additional 62 staff to be employed this summer across Scotland.

People in Stranraer are being invited to have their say on a £5m funding bid to kickstart a radical transformation of the town’s economy, community services and local infrastructure. A draft Place Plan for Stranraer has been published which will shape the development of Stranraer over the next 10 years, and it’s now out for formal consultation. 

The Northern Alliance is a Regional Improvement Collaborative between eight local authorities (Orkney, Western Isles, Highland, Moray, Aberdeenshire, Aberdeen City and Argyll & Bute and Shetland) working alongside Education Scotland’s Northern Team of Attainment Advisors and Curriculum Specialists.

The Natural & Cultural Heritage Fund (NCHF) has been hailed a success for supporting 13 major new projects showcasing the outstanding local scenery, wildlife, and culture of the Highlands & Islands.

A new regenerative farming event will be held in Scotland this summer. GO Falkland, hosted on the Falkland Estate in Fife, will bring together speakers from across agriculture, agroforestry, soil biology and food provision, to create a one-day discussion forum for farming businesses and others interested in a profitable, sustainable approach to food production and soil health.

Culture Secretary Angus Robertson has confirmed £9.5 million funding for Scotland’s flagship Youth Music Initiative (YMI) this year. This includes £500,000 which has been ringfenced to deliver on the commitment to expand the YMI model into other art forms.

YMI funding enables schools and other organisations to provide quality music-making activities for children and young people, which range from after-school drum bands to courses in sound production.