NEW UHI course responds to climate change and transition to net zero demands

A new course developed by UHI Outer Hebrides, UHI North Highland and UHI West Highland aims to equip graduates with the skills and knowledge to enter the fast-growing and dynamic green economy industry.

Starting this September, the HNC Wildlife and Conservation Management course will focus on important activities such as ecology and ecosystems,, species and habitat monitoring, conservation, land management and sustainable wildlife management. Case studies on peatland restoration and marine conservation will be included, with whole units on these being developed for subsequent years.

Charlie Main, lecturer at UHI Outer Hebrides said, “I am so excited to see the launch of the new Wildlife and Conservation Management HNC. With widespread declines in biodiversity, our nature and environment are starting to struggle and so to be resilient to the climate crisis we must work to address this. This means we must look to Green Job creation and upskilling the local workforce to deal with the nature crisis. This new course is aiming to do just that."

Charlie has written a blog biodiversity loss and the importance of green job creation and training - Blog - Drivers of Biodiversity Loss (uhi.ac.uk) 

The HNC in Wildlife and Conservation Management is available to study full time or part time and students can study most of the course from anywhere in the UK with an internet connection.

As well as attending classes online, study trips in Scotland will provide an opportunity to gain unique insights into the current challenges facing conservation and wildlife managers.

Students will benefit with classes from a team with many years of experience in conservation, wildlife and management industries and are at the forefront of developing courses for the rural sector.

Stewart Blair, UHI North Highland Programme Leader said, “We have always worked closely with the rural sector and have designed this course to meet the needs of the land managers of the future.

Talking to employers, they have highlighted the necessary skills that they require from future employees. This course will enable land managers of the future to respond to the issues of climate change and help us get to the point of Net Zero. Sustainable environmental care and conservation will be a key element to that journey.“

For more information and to apply for this September, please visit: HNC Wildlife and Conservation Management (uhi.ac.uk) 

Notes to editors

• UHI Outer Hebrides is the trading name of Lews Castle College
• UHI Outer Hebrides is a partner of UHI, a diverse tertiary partnership serving our communities and connected to their needs. We offer flexible and supported learning from access level to PhD, as well as research opportunities rooted in place and purpose. The diversity and flexibility of our partnership is our greatest strength, allowing us to deliver more.
• UHI Outer Hebrides has learning centres and campuses throughout the Outer Hebrides including Stornoway, North Uist, Benbecula, Barra and Cnoc Soilleir in South Uist.
• UHI Outer Hebrides offers a range of senior phase, further education and higher education courses including Gaelic, Sustainable Development, Engineering, Art and Music.
• UHI Outer Hebrides is led by Hannah Ritchie-Muir, Principal and Chief Executive.
• Find out more about UHI Outer Hebrides by visiting outerhebrides.uhi.ac.uk
• UHI Outer Hebrides, UHI North Highland and UHI West Highland will merge in August 2023 to from UHI North, West and Hebrides, pending Scottish Government approval. By coming together, we will create a more sustainable organisation with combined capacity and resource to grow the curriculum, research, and innovation; develop existing and new partnerships to support employers address skills gaps and retain, attract, and nurture talent; and become more responsive to the social, cultural, and economic opportunities in our regions. Lydia Rohmer has been appointed Principal Designate of UHI North, West and Hebrides.