UHI Shetland
UHI Shetland is the most northerly partner of the University of the Highlands and Islands, providing tertiary education (access to PhD), commercial training, marine and aquaculture apprenticeships, and research services to students, industry, and government in Shetland, Scotland.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2021
- HeadquartersShetland, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What UHI Shetland does
UHI Shetland is a Scottish limited company (Company No. SC646337) and registered Scottish charity (No. SC050701) operating as the most northerly constituent partner of the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) partnership. Founded in August 2021 through the merger of Shetland College UHI, NAFC Marine Centre UHI, and Train Shetland, the institution serves as a single point of contact for tertiary education, commercial training, and research in Shetland, Scotland. It delivers academic programmes from access level through PhD, alongside vocational training, apprenticeships, and professional development for industry, with documented outcomes including the highest full-time FE course completion rate in Scotland (81.6% in 2015-16) and 5th-place Scottish ranking for student satisfaction (85% in the 2026 NSS).
The institution operates four revenue streams: tuition and course fees (HE and FE at all SCQF levels), commercial training services (vocational training and Modern Apprenticeships in aquaculture Levels 2-4, maritime/nautical training, ECDIS certification, and bespoke industry programmes), research and consultancy (marine sciences, fisheries, cultural and heritage research delivered through MASTS membership and funded projects such as EMFF-supported fish tagging), and commercial hire of marine facilities (Maritime Bridge Simulator, research vessels, marine hatchery). Delivery combines face-to-face instruction at campuses in Lerwick and Scalloway with online learning via the UHI Brightspace/Blackboard Learn+ virtual learning environment, plus workplace-based apprenticeship delivery at employer sites. Notable technical infrastructure includes a state-of-the-art Maritime Bridge Simulator for navigation training and a marine hatchery available for commercial hire.
UHI Shetland serves four primary customer segments: students/learners (Scotland-domiciled, rest-of-UK, and international, priced on a tiered model such as £5,820 for a full Masters degree for Scottish-domiciled students versus £8,010 for rest-of-UK in 2026-27), industry professionals (aquaculture employers Grieg Seafood Shetland, Cooke Aquaculture, Blueshell Mussels; maritime employers NorthLink Ferries and fishing vessel operators), research and consultancy clients (government agencies and industry bodies), and businesses/employers (Shetland Islands Council, local SMEs) seeking workforce development. Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, relying on local partnerships, school engagement (with 51+ secondary pupils regularly attending), social media presence across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Bluesky, and a media partnership with 60 North for student production experience.
UHI Shetland firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- UHI Shetland
- Legal name
- UHI Shetland
- Website
- https://shetland.uhi.ac.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2021
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- UHI Shetland is the most northerly partner of the University of the Highlands and Islands, providing tertiary education (access to PhD), commercial training, marine and aquaculture apprenticeships, and research services to students, industry, and government in Shetland, Scotland.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
UHI Shetland industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Higher Education
- NAICS
- Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Technical and Trade Schools (6115), Educational Support Services (611710)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Navigation, Seamanship & Offshore Operations (EDAOANAE)
Keywords
Where UHI Shetland is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Shetland
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
UHI Shetland business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Tuition and Course Fees: Revenue generated from tuition fees for higher education and further education courses at various levels from access through to postgraduate degrees
- Commercial Training Services: Professionally accredited training and development courses for industry, including vocational training and apprenticeships. Services include identifying training needs, tackling skills shortages, and supporting new or existing employees
- Research and Consultancy: Multidisciplinary research services and consultancy work, particularly in marine sciences, fisheries, cultural and heritage research
- Facility Hire: Revenue from commercial hire of marine facilities including vessels and marine hatchery
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Scotland-domiciled students (2026-27): Full Masters degree (180 credits) |
| Subscription | Annual | Scotland-domiciled students (2026-27): Per 20-credit module |
| Subscription | Annual | Scotland-domiciled students (2026-27): Postgraduate Diploma (120 credits) |
| Subscription | Annual | Scotland-domiciled students (2026-27): Postgraduate Certificate (60 credits) |
| Subscription | Annual | Rest of UK students (2026-27): Full Masters degree |
| Subscription | Annual | Rest of UK students (2026-27): Per 20-credit module |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels7 records
UHI Shetland product offering
Product offeringCore offering
UHI Shetland delivers tertiary education, commercial training, and research as the most northerly partner of the University of the Highlands and Islands. It provides academic courses from access level through PhD alongside professionally accredited vocational training in maritime, aquaculture, and business disciplines, including Modern Apprenticeships and short courses. The institution also offers marine science and cultural heritage research services and operates marine facilities (research vessels, hatchery, and a Maritime Bridge Simulator) for commercial hire.
Product overview
UHI Shetland is an educational institution and the most northerly partner of the University of the Highlands and Islands, providing tertiary education, commercial training, and research services. The institution operates as a unified offering combining academic courses (from access level through PhD), professional training programmes (including maritime/nautical training, aquaculture training, and business training), research services (particularly in marine sciences), and student support services. Key products include the Maritime Bridge Simulator for professional training, Commercial and Business Training programmes, aquaculture Modern Apprenticeships (Levels 2-4), nautical/maritime cadet programmes, MA Art and Social Practice (distance learning postgraduate programme), and marine science research services. The institution offers its courses through connected tertiary partnership providing face-to-face, remote, and online learning options.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Quantifiable outcome
- 81.6% course completion rate - highest in Scotland for full-time FE students in 2015-16
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use UHI Shetland
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
UHI Shetland technology and API
TechnologyAPI detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
UHI Shetland partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.
- University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI)flagshipUHI Shetland is the most northerly partner of the University of the Highlands and Islands, part of a diverse and flexible partnership serving communities across the Highlands and Islands region. The partnership provides a single point of contact for tertiary education, commercial training and research.
- Other UHI PartnerscoreNetwork of UHI academic partners including UHI Argyll, UHI Inverness, UHI Moray, UHI North West and Hebrides, UHI Orkney, UHI Perth, Highland Theological College, Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, and Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS)
- 60 North MediaminorPartnership with local media platform 60 North offering students opportunities for hands-on production experience in video and radio content creation
- Shetland Islands CouncilcorePartnership with Shetland Islands Council for delivery of secondary PGDE teaching programme in Business Studies, Home Economics, and Craft Design Technology. Council provides placement opportunities in local secondary schools.
- Greig Seafood ShetlandcoreAquaculture company employing Modern Apprentices through NAFC Marine Centre. Staff undergo aquaculture training and apprenticeships at levels II and III.
- Cooke AquaculturecoreAquaculture company on Unst employing staff who undertake Modern Apprenticeships in Aquaculture at Level III through NAFC Marine Centre
- NorthLink FerriescoreMaritime company partnering in Modern Apprenticeship in Nautical Studies and sponsor of cadet programme at NAFC Marine Centre
- Skills Development ScotlandcoreGovernment body funding Modern Apprenticeship programmes in aquaculture and other vocational areas delivered by NAFC Marine Centre
- Shetland Fisheries Local Action Group (FLAG)minorProvides EMFF funding for NAFC's fish tagging research project focusing on tagging young fish including plaice and lemon sole
- Marine Alliance for Science and Technology for Scotland (MASTS)minorConsortium of Scottish marine institutions. NAFC is a member through UHI and staff participate in various groups including visiting fellowships for researchers
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
UHI Shetland competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- UHI Perth: UHI partner offering further and higher education, apprenticeships, and commercial training in Scotland, comparable in academic portfolio and use of UHI's shared virtual learning environment.
- UHI Orkney: Another constituent partner of the University of the Highlands and Islands with a similar rural-island operating model, offering further and higher education courses plus vocational training to a remote island community in Orkney.
- UHI North, West and Hebrides: UHI partner formed by merging several Highland and Hebridean colleges, offering a similar mix of further education, higher education, and vocational training across remote, sparsely populated geographies.
- UHI Inverness: The largest academic partner within the UHI partnership, delivering a comparable tertiary education and commercial training portfolio from a Highland base; the most direct comparator within the same university structure.
- UHI Argyll: UHI partner operating a network of college campuses across Argyll, providing further/higher education and commercial training to a dispersed rural population, mirroring UHI Shetland's hub-and-spoke delivery model.
- Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS): Listed alongside UHI Shetland as a UHI partner; an Oban-based marine research and education institution with overlapping marine science, aquaculture, and maritime training expertise.
- UHI Moray: UHI partner delivering further and higher education plus vocational and commercial training in a similar rural-Scottish setting, with overlapping apprenticeship and industry-training activity.
- Highland Theological College: A specialist UHI partner delivering postgraduate theological education and research, sharing the same UHI degree-awarding and quality assurance framework as UHI Shetland.
Broad incumbents
- City of Glasgow College (Maritime Faculty): A large Scottish further education college with a maritime faculty delivering deck officer, engineering, and STCW-aligned training, representing a larger Scottish competitor to UHI Shetland's maritime portfolio.
- South Shields Marine School (South Tyneside College): One of the UK's largest dedicated maritime training providers, offering navigation, seamanship, and deck officer courses that overlap directly with NAFC Marine Centre's maritime cadet and ECDIS programmes.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
UHI Shetland social profiles
Digital presenceUHI Shetland compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
UHI Shetland financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
UHI Shetland leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
UHI Shetland funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
UHI Shetland M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about UHI Shetland
What does UHI Shetland do?
UHI Shetland delivers tertiary education, commercial training, and research as the most northerly partner of the University of the Highlands and Islands. It provides academic courses from access level through PhD alongside professionally accredited vocational training in maritime, aquaculture, and business disciplines, including Modern Apprenticeships and short courses. The institution also offers marine science and cultural heritage research services and operates marine facilities (research vessels, hatchery, and a Maritime Bridge Simulator) for commercial hire.
Is UHI Shetland a public or private company?
UHI Shetland is a private company. It is currently operating.
When was UHI Shetland founded?
UHI Shetland was founded in 2021. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is UHI Shetland based?
UHI Shetland is headquartered in Shetland, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does UHI Shetland make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Tuition and Course Fees are the primary driver. The others are commercial Training Services, research and Consultancy and facility Hire.
Who are UHI Shetland's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are UHI Perth, UHI Orkney, UHI North, West and Hebrides, UHI Inverness, UHI Argyll, Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS), UHI Moray and Highland Theological College. Broad incumbents are City of Glasgow College (Maritime Faculty) and South Shields Marine School (South Tyneside College).
Does UHI Shetland have an API?
No public API is recorded for UHI Shetland.
What industry is UHI Shetland in?
UHI Shetland's product category is Higher Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAOANAE, Navigation, Seamanship & Offshore Operations. Its NAICS code is 6113 and its SIC code is 8200.