Climate Week – Stories for change

Wind power is key to Scotland’s future energy supply, and the country needs a growing number of skills wind energy engineers.  

North East Scotland College is supporting the next generation of energy sector professionals through its Engineering Construction Industry Training Wind Turbine Technician Scholarship programme. Scholarships make training opportunities more accessible for aspiring engineers and remove barriers faced by some prospective students.  

While it is expected graduates will be employed in the wind energy sector, their qualifications also equip them to work in engineering technical roles across various sectors. The scholarship can additionally serve as a springboard for graduates to progress to higher education, such as HND or degree programs, or to supervisory positions within their workplaces. 

By providing technical training and financial support through the ECITB Energy Transfer Technician Scholarship, North East Scotland College is playing a vital role in nurturing the next generation of energy sector professionals. 

The above case study was compiled by Jasmine Taylor, a student intern at the Scottish Funding Council  

BE-ST is an SFC funded innovation centre with a mission to accelerate the built environment’s just transition to zero carbon emissions. 

BE-ST’s Transforming Timber programme looks at how the renewable resources provided by Scotland’s forests can be made into commercial structural engineering products for the construction industry, with lower carbon intensity than commonly used construction methods and products. 

An early output of Transforming Timber was the construction of the UK’s first two-storey, two-bedroom homegrown mass timber duplex – the construction, named SNRG, is now housed at BE-ST’s Innovation Campus. NearHome is another output of Transforming Timber. Delivered during the Covid-19 lockdown, the NearHome project looked at how to retrofit public spaces into sustainable office alternatives, reflecting the changing working patterns of a post-Covid Scotland. The project also established an open-source toolkit which could be used to retrofit existing spaces to create work hubs. 

A consortium of researchers are now collating data on the potential strength grading of each species of tree and assessing the use of homegrown co-products such as wood fibre insulation. This three-year project could help to reduce the UK’s reliance on imported construction materials, as well as providing low-carbon alternatives to concrete and steel. 

By proving the business case for more homegrown timber and continuing to support and grow Scotland’s capabilities in and capacity for mass timber, BE-ST is a significant force for a greener future. 

The nature and climate crises go hand in hand, and the deterioration of nature is both caused by and exacerbates the climate emergency.  

Robert Gordon University has rewilded 10% of its campus in partnership with the Scottish Wildlife Trust. The rewilding project aims to enhance local biodiversity, creating a more sustainable environment and supporting nature recovery.  

The project began by identifying areas on campus where maintenance routines could be adjusted to encourage natural growth of grass and flowers. Now RGU has created wildlife corridors across its estate to allow insects and animals to cross campus undisturbed, essential for supporting biodiversity. Estates teams have seen an upsurge in interest in the rewilded area from staff and students and engagement from communities across the university.  

Not only does rewilding support improved biodiversity, but having access to nature also has proven mental health benefits. RGU’s rewilded areas make nature closer and more accessible to staff and students, improving their wellbeing. 

The above case study was compiled by Jasmine Taylor, a student intern at the Scottish Funding Council