UHI Shetland

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.

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

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

• Higher education
• Maritime training
• Aquaculture training
• Vocational education
• Marine research

Headquarters

HQ city

Shetland

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. 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
2. 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
3. Research and Consultancy: Multidisciplinary research services and consultancy work, particularly in marine sciences, fisheries, cultural and heritage research
4. Facility Hire: Revenue from commercial hire of marine facilities including vessels and marine hatchery

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core 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

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerUHI 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 PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork 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 MediaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with local media platform 60 North offering students opportunities for hands-on production experience in video and radio content creation
• Shetland Islands CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership 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 ShetlandcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAquaculture company employing Modern Apprentices through NAFC Marine Centre. Staff undergo aquaculture training and apprenticeships at levels II and III.
• Cooke AquaculturecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAquaculture company on Unst employing staff who undertake Modern Apprenticeships in Aquaculture at Level III through NAFC Marine Centre
• NorthLink FerriescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMaritime company partnering in Modern Apprenticeship in Nautical Studies and sponsor of cadet programme at NAFC Marine Centre
• Skills Development ScotlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment body funding Modern Apprenticeship programmes in aquaculture and other vocational areas delivered by NAFC Marine Centre
• Shetland Fisheries Local Action Group (FLAG)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides 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)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsortium 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

Direct 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

• Xtwitter.com/uhishetland
• Facebookfacebook.com/uhishetland
• Instagraminstagram.com/uhishetland
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/uhi-shetland

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about UHI Shetland