Rural and Islands Merger Project

Building a Better Future Together

The governing bodies of Lews Castle College UHI, North Highland College UHI and West Highland College UHI are exploring an exciting new strategic partnership through merger.

Through this partnership, it is proposed to create a new single college of scale within the University of the Highlands and Islands that builds on the excellence and expertise of the current three colleges, providing outstanding, sustainable tertiary education, skills, research and innovation for the rural Highlands in Lochaber, Lochalsh, Wester Ross, Sutherland, Caithness and Easter Ross, and the island communities of Skye, the Inner Hebrides, and the Outer Hebrides.

As we develop our full proposals, we are inviting comments to inform our discussions and plans for the future of tertiary education, training and research for the people of rural and coastal West and North Highlands, the island communities of Skye, the Inner Hebrides, and the Outer Hebrides.

Your views and feedback will help influence and shape the development of our full merger proposal and business case. This will be subject to a separate public consultation process later in 2022. Subject to the outcomes of these consultations, agreement by each college board, and the Scottish Government., the target vesting date for the new college could be in early 2023.

We look forward to hearing from you.