Qualifications Scotland chief executive completes landmark Highlands and Islands tour

The visit sends a clear signal that Qualifications Scotland is committed to building genuine partnerships with educators and communities in every part of Scotland, including its remote and rural areas.

In Shetland, Nick met with Samantha Flaws, Director of Children’s Services at Shetland Islands Council, and joined a roundtable with local head teachers and school coordinators. He also visited Shetland College (UHI) and engaged with cultural organisations including Shetland Museum and Archives and Shetland Arts, exploring the distinctive community school model that underpins education across the islands.

While in Orkney, Nick met with Wendy Bowen, Head of Children's Services at Orkney Islands Council, and held discussions with secondary school leaders. He also visited Orkney Brewery to see apprenticeship programmes in action — reflecting Qualifications Scotland's commitment to ensuring its qualifications are relevant to employers and the wider economy, not just to schools and colleges.

In Stornoway, Nick met with Donald Macleod, Chief Officer for Education and Children’s Services at Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, and with Stephen Graham, Head Teacher of eSgoil — the online learning provider based in Stornoway that helps rural and isolated schools across Scotland maintain curriculum breadth for their students. He also met with Bòrd na Gàidhlig and colleagues from UHI North, West and Hebrides. The visit came in the year marking the 40th anniversary of Gaelic-medium education in the Western Isles, which began with just four pupils in Brèascleit in 1986 and now serves 759 Gaelic-medium learners.

In Inverness, Nick visited Inverness Royal Academy and met with Day1, a youth-focused charity working to help young people in the Highlands reach their full potential. He also visited the UHI Inverness Campus and attended a dinner and roundtable hosted by the Inverness Chamber of Commerce, bringing together business leaders from the region's key sectors including energy, construction and tourism.

Nick Page, Chief Executive of Qualifications Scotland, said: "This past week has been genuinely energising. From Shetland to Inverness, I have met educators, employers, young people and community leaders who care deeply about qualifications and about the futures of the learners they serve. What has come through clearly is that communities across the Highlands and Islands have developed innovative, resilient approaches to learning — from eSgoil's national digital model to the close partnerships between schools, colleges and employers on the islands. Qualifications Scotland must be an organisation that listens carefully, learns from that experience and builds qualifications that work for every learner, wherever they live."

Samantha Flaws, Director of Children’s Services at Shetland Islands Council, said: “It’s really important that people making decisions about the qualifications we deliver, like Nick, come to the islands – not just to have these discussions, but to see first-hand the connections between industry, education and our wider community, and to understand the culture of Shetland.”

Wendy Bowen, Head of Children's Services at Orkney Islands Council, said: “It was really important for Nick and his team to visit Orkney and see first-hand the unique context for education and learning here. It was encouraging to have the opportunity to discuss how qualifications can support learning in its broadest sense, and Nick genuinely listened and responded to the points we raised.”

Donald Macleod, Chief Officer for Education and Children’s Services, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, said: “It’s been a really positive engagement. Visits like this are important in helping us understand the local context and the vision for what partners are trying to achieve for learners.”

Stephen Graham, Head Teacher of eSgoil, said: “We really valued the opportunity to speak to Nick about the scope, scale and impact of the work we are doing. We look forward to continuing to work in partnership with Qualifications Scotland to support improved outcomes for children and young people across Scotland.”

Corrin Henderson, Chief Executive of Day1, said: “We welcomed Nick to our social enterprise business, Inverness Kart Raceway, to see and hear first-hand about the work we’re doing supporting young people from across the Highlands, helping them develop the confidence and employability skills that help them take the next steps in their learning and development.”

The visit reflects the ambitions set out in Qualifications Scotland's Business Plan, which commits the organisation to being open, collaborative and forward-thinking, and to ensuring that the voices of learners and educators from all parts of Scotland shape the future of qualifications. Qualifications Scotland is reforming its qualifications offer to ensure it is relevant, inclusive and fit for purpose — rebalancing assessments in National Courses, streamlining progression pathways, and strengthening links between qualifications and the skills needs of Scotland's diverse regional economies.

Central to this work is the new School Partnership Team, which will build stronger relationships with schools, colleges, employers and training providers across the whole country, using innovative engagement methods to ensure every voice is heard.