A new school in Inverness which will equip young people with the skills to work in forestry, is nearing completion.
The new Scottish School of Forestry (SSF) building at Balloch on the outskirts of Inverness will be finished in May next year, ready for the start of the 2015/16 academic year next September.
The current school, which stands adjacent to the new site, has been there for 40 years and has longstanding links with the business community.
However the new building, which will be made from natural materials, was required to modernise facilities in line with the fast growing forestry sector.
But in addition to forestry, the land-based engineering and renewables sectors are increasingly providing integrated job opportunities for young forestry graduates.
Buildings themselves are increasingly being constructed from timber and the school’s arboriculture course, which involves learning about how trees and plants grow and respond to cultural practices, is also important for understanding the practical considerations of where to build.
With renewables, forestry management skills are in high demand as erecting structures like wind turbines, for example, means that nearby trees have to be managed and replanted to make these developments as sustainable as possible.
David Watson, head of technology at the forestry school, said: “It will be a state of the art facility. The students will all have cleaner areas to work in, improved classrooms and updated equipment, whereas now they are working in portable cabins. We will also have access to laboratory facilities and new equipment which is used for testing specimens.
“Not a lot of people realise just how much potential there is in forestry. The market has grown. There are now a lot of companies looking to formalise apprenticeships and recruitment opportunities.
“There is also an opportunity to integrate forestry with renewables with the work in many areas around turbines.”
Mr Watson said that the student intake is also likely to increase by between 10% and 15% for the start of next year’s term.
The Scottish School of Forestry is run by Inverness College UHI and like their new building at Inverness Campus, it is also being developed by Miller Construction.