Highland Youth Migration Addressed in Landmark £1.6m Project
Innovative Campus to Boost Skills, Sustainability, and NC500 Tourism Infrastructure
A groundbreaking £1.6 million development in Tain is set to combat youth migration and drive rural regeneration in the Highlands. The Gro For You Community Innovation Campus, which broke ground on February 28th, aims to reverse depopulation trends and enhance local employment opportunities.
Spearheaded by For You Training and Gro For Good, the project will provide apprenticeships for 240 young people, generate 24 full-time jobs, and welcome an estimated 26,000 visitors annually when Phase One is fully operational in 2026. The campus will integrate sustainability, community learning, and wellbeing initiatives while addressing the tourism infrastructure gap along the North Coast 500 (NC500) route.
A Catalyst for Change in the Highlands
The Highlands have faced significant youth migration, with school enrolment at Tain Royal Academy dropping by 50% over the past decade. This new initiative seeks to retain young talent by offering accessible training and skills development opportunities, ensuring that the region’s economic future is safeguarded.
Co-founder and CEO of Gro For You, Sarah MacKenzie, highlighted the transformative nature of the project:
“We are seeing firsthand the challenges faced by young people and believe that a transformational innovation campus will be of great benefit to our local community and future generations. By providing accessible training, transferable skills, and essential community facilities, we are empowering local people to take control of their own future.”
Co-founder Richard Jones echoed this sentiment, noting that national strategies often fail to fully accommodate the unique needs of the Highlands. “We hope this model can be replicated to help other Highland communities tackle similar challenges,” he said.
Enhancing NC500 Tourism Facilities
The campus will also serve as a vital infrastructure hub for NC500 tourists, with dedicated welfare and waste disposal facilities for 560 motorhomes, EV charging points, tourist information, and a community cafe. This development will help ease the strain on existing local services while ensuring visitors have access to essential amenities.
Scottish MSP Maree Todd, who attended the groundbreaking ceremony, praised the project as a “game-changer” for young people in the region.
“Depopulation is one of the greatest challenges facing the Highlands, and the lack of opportunities for our young people is a key factor. The Gro For You Innovation Campus will allow them to develop skills, pursue training, and build meaningful careers without leaving their community,” she said.
More About the Project
Tain has a population of 1,086, but only 656 are of working age. The proposal seeks to generate multiple job opportunities and to train people for employment in existing and new industries. It also provides much-needed visitor infrastructure, with motorhome and coach parking, community information, EV parking spaces, bike spaces, waste disposal, and bin stores, as well as indoor and outdoor dining spaces.
The Campus is situated on arable farmland leased by arrangement from The Glenmorangie Company, project supporters. The site is positioned next to the A9 and North entrance to Tain. The campus will host a number of geodesic domes for research, interpretation, and aquaponic growing areas. It will also have a Training Centre with office space, a training kitchen, and a cafe.
The Campus will specialize in training for Food Technologies, Hospitality, Business, and Employability.
Outdoor areas will include sensory gardens and play areas, rainwater harvesting systems, wildflower meadows, a wet wildlife garden, a rewilding zone, an outdoor kitchen and Curlew Stretch Tent, herb, fruit, and vegetable gardens providing produce for the cafe and restaurant, biodiversity edges, and outdoor planting beds.
The Training Centre is heated and powered by underfloor heating and Solar PV panels.
In Phase 2, funding will be sought for an events and conference dome with a mezzanine, overlooking the Dornoch Firth, with a seating capacity for 150.
A Model for Sustainable Development
Sustainability is at the heart of the campus design, featuring solar PV energy sources, heat pumps, rainwater harvesting systems, and biodiversity zones. The learning environment will include indoor and outdoor educational spaces, a sensory garden, and a Hospitality Training Centre. Gro For Good will also introduce aquaponic food production technology, creating a zero-waste system that produces both fish and crops.
For You Training, a key partner in the initiative, is already a leading provider of Foundation Apprenticeships in the Highlands, delivering 178 apprenticeships in 2024 with a 91% success rate.
Local apprentice Agnes Hooper expressed excitement about the project’s potential:
“I feel that the campus will greatly benefit both the current and future generations. It will provide a sustainable, community-centred space for all ages to enjoy, while also increasing investment opportunities within Tain.”
With the Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport project set to boost local renewable energy opportunities, and NC500 tourism growing in popularity, the Gro For You Community Innovation Campus is poised to become a model for sustainable regeneration in rural Scotland.
By combining skills training, sustainable development, and enhanced tourist infrastructure, this initiative promises to future-proof Tain and inspire similar projects across the Highlands.
