First Minister John Swinney says the new Fife College campus could play a 'significant' part in future of the local defence industry, as options for Exxon Mobil workers are still being explored.
Commenting on the energy giant's departure from Mossmorran and new opportunities with local employers, Mr Swinney stressed that the college will be central to Fife’s long‑term industrial future.
ExxonMobil’s withdrawal from the Mossmorran site has raised critical questions about the future of one of Scotland’s key energy sites, with hundreds of jobs at risk.
On November 24, representatives from Fife Council, the UK and Scottish Governments, as well as business leaders and unions, met with Rosyth-based Babcock International, which said it was willing to explore hiring some of the ExxonMobil workforce.
Speaking to The Times, Mr Swinney said: "Scottish Enterprise, acting on behalf of ministers, are involved in discussions about new business ventures.
"As I reported to Parliament, we've had a significant number of business propositions coming to us about Grangemouth. We are now taking an approach that there is the potential for some of those ventures to be taken forward at Mossmorran.
"And we will be working to establish partnerships and connections with Babcock as part of that process."
Fife College now boasts state-of-the-art facilities in Dunfermline to run courses in engineering, energy and construction, which Mr Swinney says could facilitate the local defence industry.
He said that a crucial part of colleges' strengths is that they "must respond to the labour market requirements of individual localities, and there's going to be a lot of trade skills required [in Fife]".
"Of course, this college could play a significant part in all of that."
Share