our mission

Focus North brings together public, private and academic partners across the North Highlands of Scotland to drive the opportunities shaping our future.

delivering growth

Focus North drives transformational change across the north of mainland Scotland. We envision a sustainable region that supports a growing population with a healthy environment and a resilient, high-value economy. As the North Highlands welcomes unprecedented investment, we are uniquely positioned to accelerate growth and lead the transition to a low-carbon economy.

programme goals

Our Programme has been carefully crafted to respond to the immediate challenges and opportunities in North Highland. Our three core goals are to Inspire Our People, Prepare Our Region and Grow our Economy.

Inspiring our people means attracting people to view the North Highlands as a place to live, work and study, as well as supporting recruitment to the region. This cuts across everything we do, but one of our flagship initiatives is the Live North online portal, managed by our partner North Highland Chamber of Commerce. STEM education is also key to creating a pipeline of talent for our major growth industries. This means working closely with our partners UHI North, West and Hebrides to support education and apprenticeships, as well as attracting funding from industry.

To prepare our region for the jobs of the future, we must develop and drive a tailored skills strategy. Ours is already a highly-skilled workforce and we will focus our efforts on creating opportunities for the next generation and translating existing skills in oil and gas and nuclear into emerging sectors such as renewables, space, digital and conservation.

Growing our economy means more than just creating jobs; it’s about securing investment in crucial regional infrastructure. To compete on a level playing field and drive population growth, North Highland needs investment in roads, transport, housing, education and health. These are critical foundations in building a resilient and sustainable region.

Our Programme Goals are captured in our infographic below:

Download our master plan