Director's Blog

Saturday 22nd January 2011

Following each of my excursions off the Islands I often get emails asking just how easy it is to travel to and from Shetland. So here is some info for all those of you out there who are tempted to come and visit us but just don't know how to go about it!

Shetland's 100 scattered islands lie at a crossroads of the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean and, although one of the remotest parts of Britain, are easily accessible. Daily flights and ferries operate throughout the year and provide convenient connections from and to the British mainland and beyond.

Flights arrive at Sumburgh airport at the southern tip of the islands – a spectacular backdrop when landing – and are operated by Flybe/Loganair from Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow, connecting with the national and international network. Between May (21st) and August (20th) the company also operate flights twice weekly to Bergen. Bus, taxi and car-hire facilities are available at Sumburgh to transport you from here, on good roads, through the picturesque villages and fertile countryside of the south mainland and on to Lerwick (25 miles) or further afield.

Lying 957km north of London, 360km west of Bergen, Norway and 1123km from Reykjavik in Iceland, Shetland is a popular and convenient stop for the cruise ships, yachts and commercial shipping that ply the northern seas for both business and pleasure.

Ferries arrive at Lerwick, the island capital, from Aberdeen daily and are operated by NorthLink Ferries Ltd. The service caters for passengers, cars, freight and livestock and MV Hjaltland and MV Hrossey sail on the route between Lerwick and Aberdeen and also call regularly into Kirkwall in Orkney. The state-of-the-art ferries provide a very high standard of comfort and meet the latest safety requirements. Passengers have a choice of dining areas, bars, comfortable lounges and two or four berth cabins (all en-suite). They can also take in the latest movies in the on-board cinema.

So there you go...its not that difficult...and believe me, its worth the effort!

Friday 21st January 2011

Thursday 20th January 2011

The Highlands and Islands could soon have its own university after the UHI Millennium Institute cleared a major hurdle to it achieving its aim of becoming a university. Following a Board meeting last week the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) will be formally advising the Scottish Government that it has assessed UHI as fully meeting the quality and standards that university title carries with it. It follows a rigorous review by a QAA scrutiny panel drawn from the higher education sector, and means a final decision could be reached within weeks. 

Welcoming the decision, Michael Russell, Cabinet Secretary of Education and Lifelong Learning, said:

“I very much welcome the news that the QAA has assessed UHI as meeting the quality and standards that university title carries in Scotland. This is a tremendous achievement for UHI and is a key step in achieving its long held ambition of university title. The opportunities that university level learning has to offer the Highlands and Islands are considerable not only in terms of its economic future but also in terms of the social and cultural benefits this can bring.  UHI is already playing an important role in enabling people across the region to access higher education without having to leave the area. I recognise that this positive assessment by QAA is the result of an enormous amount of work from staff across the UHI network who must be delighted to have their efforts recognised in this way.” 

The Scottish Government held a public consultation earlier this year after UHI’s initial application to the Privy Council in May 2010. The results of that consultation are now being considered by Ministers who will make a recommendation before the final decision is made by the Privy Council early next year. 

James Fraser, the UHI principal, said:

“It would be an understatement to say we are delighted, but we must contain our celebrations until a final decision is made by the Privy Council. To be considered worthy of university title by the QAA is a marvellous achievement and I must pay tribute to our staff, both past and present, and to our supporters who have brought us to this stage. We very much hope that the people of the Highlands and Islands will have something wonderful to celebrate in the new year when they finally have a university of their own.”  

Thursday 20th January 2011

Happy New year!!!

The Festive season seems so long ago now as we have really had to hit the ground running. The month of January sees us in the final stages of preparing our funding request which will be submitted to the Shetland Islands Council for consideration and...hopefully...approval.

Like everyone else in the public sector we have been significantly affected by the current economic climate and the need to save money wherever possible. Luckily we as a management team were aware that this situation was coming and so have planned our budgets accordingly to ensure that we are able to make the necessary savings needed but not lose the momentum we have gained over the last 2 or so years and come out the other side of this economic downturn stronger than when we entered it. No easy feat...but it can be done.

For the last 2 days I have been in Inverness attending the UHI "An Comann" event (An Comann is gaelic for "the gathering"). This happens twice a year and is a chance for the Principals/Directors of all the Academic Partners which make up UHI to come together for strategic planning purposes. Again, due to the economic situation this An Comann was particularly important as we collectively wrestled with the challenges of funding cuts and efficiency gains across the whole of UHI. The event was very productive and much progress was made.

The proposal for "joint management arrangements" between The NAFC Marine Centre and Shetland College is still being considered and with the current economic situation is possibly even more important than it was before. The Board of Management of Shetland College meet later this afternoon to make the final decision as to whether they feel this is the best option for The College.

Its very easy to focus on the negative and to allow the current economic downturn to cast a cloud over absolutely everything...but The NAFC Marine Centre was created 20 years ago to support the local fishing and marine industries of Shetland...and if there was ever a time they needed our support, it is now...and that is exactly what we intend to do.

As I write this the sun is shining and reflecting on the sea outside my office window. Fishermen are well used to having to ride out storms at sea and the key thing in that situation is to keep a positive attitude and to remember that the storm may appear dark and violent but it WILL come to an end..the sunshine will return...good advice for us all to remember.