HIGHLANDS AND ISLANDS
M
ost people reading this magazine will be working in lowland areas, and almost certainly somewhere on the mainland. How does life differ for those providing electrical, heating or renewables services in the more remote parts of the Highlands or on Scotland’s islands? Macleod Construction, based in Lochgilphead in Argyll, provides construction, refurbishment and maintenance services, including plumbing and electrical work, to clients scattered throughout Argyll: north to Oban, east to Dunoon and south to the Mull of Kintyre – and on neighbouring islands including Islay, Coll and Tiree. Services manager Jonathan Macleod explains that the company was founded by his father and uncle, Kenny and Murdo, in 1975. After a spell working in Glasgow, Jonathan returned to the business in 2010 to set up a plumbing and electrical division, which has since expanded to employ 20 people, within an overall workforce of about 220. Just getting people to where they will be working can be difficult in an area with few main roads. Those working on the islands can sometimes be stranded by cancelled ferries, adding costs for overnight accommodation and delaying work at the site in question, with knockon effects elsewhere. If the weather is really bad it can delay construction projects on some sites for weeks or even months. But a more fundamental challenge is recruitment. “The number of skilled, trained, competent people in the area is very limited,” says Jonathan Macleod. “It’s taken a long time to build up to the number that we have now.” However, the company has had some success in finding people who are happy to bring up children in what is a beautiful rural area. “It can be a good life here,” he says. “There’s little in the way of anti-social hours, and no overtime. You get a good quality of life outside work.” 8
Remote realities
Working in the Highlands and Islands offers contractors a lifestyle and scenery few places can compete with. Yet there are also some practical difficulties that need to be overcome By David Adams
Connections
8_9_Con_Scot_Highlands.cc.indd 8
05/04/2017 14:53
