City of Edinburgh Council shortlisted for Construction Skills partnership work

The council is one of 15 finalists selected from hundreds of applications across five categories in the annual awards, which celebrate local government success.

With a focus on improving outcomes for learners, the council’s Construction Skills project aims to get more school leavers into jobs within the construction industry to respond to labour market needs, and to improve attainment through relevant courses and programmes. This is achieved through partnership working with Edinburgh College which has expanded its construction courses into school-based sites across Edinburgh, with delivery supported by Kier Construction and Balfour Beatty.

This also includes the creation of traditional skills courses, including a National 5 qualification in stonemasonry, matched to local skills shortages. Supported by funding from community benefits and in partnership with Historic Environment Scotland and Scottish Traditional Building Forum, these organisations work alongside teachers to deliver the course. In addition, a partnership with local firm Compass Roofing supports the delivery of a National 5 roofing qualification.

Through this innovative partnership approach, the attainment of school leavers in the national benchmarks for school attainment have improved across most measures. The number of National Progression Awards achieved by City of Edinburgh School Leavers has increased from 900 in 2023 to 1944 in 2025.

The council team joined other finalists to present their projects in person to a panel of judges last week, led by COSLA President Shona Morrison.

Overall winners will be announced at an awards ceremony at COSLA’s Annual Conference and Exhibition, which will take place on Thursday 13 November 2025 at the Fairmont Hotel, St Andrews.

Councillor James Dalgleish, education, children and families convener, said: “We are committed to offering the highest quality education that meets the needs of all our learners and narrowing the gap between the most and least disadvantaged learners in Edinburgh. One of the ways we are addressing this is through our innovative construction skills work which offers learners the opportunity to experience a varied, dynamic, and engaging school day, where they see the relevance of their learning in relation to real-world career opportunities.

“I am incredibly proud of our partnership working, particularly in our roofing, construction and stonemasonry pathways, which is not only helping senior phase learners to develop workplace-ready skills but enabling them to gain qualifications and to make informed choices about life beyond school.”