Edinburgh Council Wins COSLA Award for Transforming Construction Skills Education

The Council has received the David Kennedy Excellent People Award at the annual COSLA Awards, in recognition of its Construction Skills Pathways initiative. The award was presented during COSLA’s Annual Conference and Exhibition on Thursday 13 November.

This special award recognises the exceptional people who are at the heart of local government excellence. As a finalist nominated in one of the five overall categories, the Council were selected for their outstanding impact while rising to the challenges of day-to-day service delivery.

The Council’s Construction Skills pathways project was recognised for its work in building brighter futures for young people. The project is focused on improving outcomes for learners by getting more school leavers into jobs within the construction industry. Not only does this improve attainment through relevant and engaging courses but responds to labour market needs.

The Construction Skills work is raising the attainment of Edinburgh school leavers, with the national benchmarks for school attainment improving 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.

This is achieved through partnership working with Edinburgh College who have expanded their construction courses into school-based sites across Edinburgh, with delivery supported by Kier Construction and Balfour Beatty.

Courses focus on traditional skills, 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 delivery of a National 5 roofing qualification.

Councillor James Dalgleish, Education, Children and Families Convener said:

“This award is a fantastic acknowledgement of the innovative and proactive approach we as a Council are taking to improve outcomes for young people in Edinburgh. We want to narrow the gap between the most and least disadvantaged learners in Edinburgh, and our construction pathways work is one of the ways we are doing this. The attainment outcomes speak for themselves, with over double the number of National Progression Awards achieved by Edinburgh young people since 2023. This work is helping even more learners to see the relevance of their learning in relation to real-world career opportunities and supporting them to map out their journey beyond school.”

More information about the COSLA Excellence Awards and finalists can be found here: Celebrating Local Excellence: 15 Scottish Projects Shortlisted for 2025 COSLA Awards | COSLA

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