Latest news with #ETZ
Press and Journal
26-05-2025
- Business
- Press and Journal
Developers reveal timeline of St Fittick's Park and Doonies Farm takeover as ETZ plans ramp up
Developers have plotted out exactly how they will transform Torry's St Fittick's Park and the former Doonie's Farm into a bustling industrial renewables hub. Work will take place to transform the Aberdeen park into an Energy Transition Zone (ETZ), much to the dismay of campaigners who recently lost a last-ditch legal challenge to protect the space. Just last week, activists failed to convince the Court of Session to overturn the council's ruling approving the development in principle. And the team behind the ETZ have now lodged further plans with the council to spell out the stages of the planned transformation. The work includes realigning the East Tullos Burn, landscaping projects and gradually paving over Doonies. Ultimately, the ETZ is hoped to transform the region's fortunes – securing a boom in employment by attracting major renewable energy firms to the north-east. But before all that, consent is needed for the sites. And we can now reveal how the mammoth project is poised to take shape. The first phase of the project focuses on realigning the East Tullos Burn. This will go hand in hand with landscaping works within and around the burn's corridor, if approved by Aberdeen City Council. Vegetation of the surrounding area will also be worked on in the hopes of improving the habitat and wetland species will be planted. There will also be measures taken to enhance water quality in the area. A new sports pitch will also replace the existing one at East Tullos playing fields. Following on, there will be more work to improve the surrounding area. Trees and further grassland will be planted on and off-site at Tullos Woods, while new play equipment will be created at the park. Footpaths within St Fittick's Park will be improved, making it easier for people to reach the ETZ site. Small 'parklets' will be formed in the surrounding neighbourhood too. And the Coast Road will also be realigned to give access to new development plots, in a major scheme. The construction of industrial buildings for the ETZ Zone will then begin. Two buildings will be built on the outskirts of the wooded area of the park, as will supporting car parks and refuse storage. The existing Nigg sewage plant will be retained with the ETZ buildings in place around the area. New greenery will then be planted in the surrounding areas of the building's grounds. As part of the works, bosses have pledged to help with repairs to historic St Fittick's Church. The Doonies Farm site will be transformed into a hydrogen campus with testing and demonstration facilities, years after the animals there were relocated. A new Links Road is to be built to connect the Coast Road to Peterseat Drive to allow access to the sites. Once these steps have been taken, the construction of the buildings required for the site will begin. Further greenery measures will also be introduced following the erection of the buildings. These could include green roofs, native species of trees, and hedgerows. But now developers will need their detailed vision for the ETZ to be approved by the local authority before any work can launch. You can see the St Fittick's Park and ETZ plans for yourself on the council's website. Exclusive: The 7 old Altens oil industry buildings being brought back to life in multi-million-pound ETZ spending spree New £9m ETZ building to generate dozens of Aberdeen jobs Aberdeen safety firm moves to new ETZ headquarters after seven-figure investment
The Herald Scotland
30-04-2025
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Young Scots have everything to play for in the green energy sector
Find a Fixer puts school pupils in the driving seat of real-world problems, often faced within the green energy sector. Created in partnership by Energy Transition Zone Ltd (ETZ) and Skills Development Scotland (SDS), Find a Fixer aims to broaden pupils' perceptions on what it means to work in a low-carbon energy job. The game presents players with scenarios from a range of industries, challenging them to take on the role of project manager and work out who is the best expert to solve each problem. Scenarios include exporting hydrogen fuel, opening new carbon capturing sites and designing new parts for wind turbines. The game highlights career paths for all skillsets – from engineers and business analysts to designers, town planners and wellbeing officers – demonstrating the breadth of career opportunities within the sector. The new mini-game is part of Classroom Clash, a careers-based gaming platform used in schools to stimulate career conversations. Classroom Clash was created as part of SDS's My World of Work Live programme and has thousands of players each month. Linda Innes, manager of the SDS My World of Work Live team, said: 'Find a Fixer is a welcome addition to the My World of Work Live programme. Introducing career opportunities through gamification is a brilliant way to get pupils thinking about their future in a new way. We know this is going to be a popular game with pupils – and their careers advisers!' Lauren Braidwood, senior skills manager at ETZ, added: 'We are delighted to have partnered with SDS to make this game a reality and help demystify energy sector jobs for young people. There's a whole world of exciting energy careers out there, and this fun new tool will help inspire our next generation of energy workers.' The new game was developed by software development company Animmersion, who helped to create Classroom Clash. Educators across Scotland can bring the world of work to life for their pupils by playing the online games on My World of Work, Scotland's career information and advice website. After playing the new Classroom Clash game, pupils can celebrate their success by uploading their results to their achievements library on the site. Launched in June 2024, the 'My Achievements' tool enables pupils to capture and reflect on their achievements and identify their skills, which can help them build confidence, develop their strengths and stay motivated as they work towards their goals. Achievements for young people come in all shapes and sizes and they can add anything they're proud of, from learning about interesting jobs whilst playing a Classroom Clash game, to organising a charity bake sale, passing an exam, or climbing a Munro – there's so much for young people to celebrate, from all learning and education settings. Along with uploading their achievements, pupils can also start building their own personal learner profile on My World of Work. The digital space supports young people to understand and articulate their achievements, skills, and learning. Developed by SDS and Education Scotland, the learner profile is the national, free digital solution to profiling achievements, used in schools across the country. The solutions were co-designed with hundreds of learners and educators across Scotland, with innovative ideas from young people influencing and shaping the final product. Learner profiles are also owned by the individual user and transition with them through their learner journey, from primary school through to adulthood, helping them reflect on their successes when applying for college, university, apprenticeships or jobs. To make it easier to use all the features and tools on My World of Work, the website now offers a translation tool. It can be instantly translated into 16 different languages, including Chinese, Arabic, and Polish, helping young people, parents and carers who use English as an additional language to access the information and support they need. Explore learner profiles and achievements and more career tools for people of all ages at ------------------------------------ Investment energises careers in Highlands and Islands region A MULTI-BILLION pound investment in the Highlands and Islands was the subject of a summit bringing together key players in the region's economy earlier this month. Inverness played host to the Highlands and Islands Workforce Summit to examine how the region can build a resilient and skilled workforce capable of capitalising on a range of investment opportunities across a number of key and growth sectors. Hosted by Skills Development Scotland (SDS) alongside partners including Highland Council, Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) and employer body Prosper, the summit explored co-investment strategies for upskilling and retraining, attracting talent, bridging skills gaps, and strengthening collaboration between the public and private sectors. (Image: apprentice Alasdair Gillies works for Inverness-based renewable energy systems firm Proterra Energy) Frank Mitchell, Chair of SDS, said: 'The Highlands and Islands is on the cusp of a transformative opportunity due to record levels of industry investment in the next decade. However, to ensure this investment delivers lasting benefit for our communities and businesses, we need to significantly increase the availability of workers with the right skills in the region. 'This summit is bringing businesses together to agree actions to grow the workforce that will enhance the short and long-term prosperity, productivity and wellbeing of the region.' Research from HIE and the Highlands and Islands Regional Economic Partnership is currently being finalised for publication in the coming weeks. Preliminary findings suggest that investment in sectors including offshore renewables, port infrastructure, pumped hydro storage and transmission upgrades could be worth tens of billions of pounds over the next 10 to 15 years. More than 60 key figures from across the region attended the summit and heard from speakers including Allie Walker, Director of HR at SSEN Transmission. She said: 'We're investing £20billion to upgrade the transmission network across the north of Scotland by 2030 to deliver an electricity grid that unlocks Scotland's potential to be a clean energy powerhouse. 'A key element of that programme of work is investing in our people, ensuring we have the right skills within our teams to deliver an ambitious and transformative project for Scotland. 'This summit is a welcome opportunity to work with others in making sure the region and its people benefit from this in the years to come.' The summit examined how co-investment could help address challenges facing the regional economy by attracting new people to the region and upskilling the existing workforce. Martin Johnson, director of strategy and regional economy with Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) said: 'Scotland's economy stands to benefit massively from an unprecedented wave of opportunity that is centred on new developments across the Highlands and Islands. 'Over the coming years, it will be more important than ever that government, public bodies and private investors work together effectively to maximise the region's potential. 'By taking a collaborative approach, we aim to ensure positive impacts are delivered for all parts of the Highlands and Islands, and workforce skills will be vital to underpin success.' Partners involved in delivering the summit will be presenting proposals at the Spring 2025 meeting of the Convention of the Highlands and Islands.
