Annual Report 2024/25 now Published
The Shetland Partnership Annual Report for 2024/25 has now been published and is available to view or download online.
The latest annual report highlights how Shetland’s communities are faring compared with the rest of Scotland.
The report reveals that Shetland’s participation rate (the percentage of 16-19 year olds who are in education, employment, training and personal development) remains the highest in Scotland at 97.5% for 2025 (compared to the national average of 93.3%). Other positive trends reveal that more than nine out of ten people in Shetland feel part of their community, and 82% are engaged in some form of sport or physical activity.
However, some indicators show a worsening trend, though these are often mirrored throughout Scotland. An example is the proportion of Children in Primary 1 who are not a healthy weight which increased to 17.9% in 2023/24, compared with an increase to 15.7% in Scotland overall. Another area showing a worsening trend is the Fragility Index (the ratio of older people [65 and over] to the working age population aged 16 to 64), which increased to 114.3 for 2022/23, from 113.2 in 2021/22.
The annual report is published to share information with communities and partner agencies on what has been achieved through Shetland’s Community Planning Partnership. Our case study pages give insight into activities carried out to improve outcomes for Shetland communities. Highlights include Shetland Youth Voice, CPR Training in Shetland, and Traineeships in Catering and Cleaning. These all demonstrate how collaborative working is improving outcomes across the four priority areas of Participation, People, Place and Money.
Also covered are Delivery Plan progress updates for the four Improvement Projects, and details on progress with Shetland’s Islands with Small Populations Second Locality Plan.
Chair of the Shetland Partnership, Council Leader Emma Macdonald said:
“The Shetland Partnership Annual Report is an important piece of work for the Partnership.
The Partnership has a shared vision and key priorities that we all work towards, as we aim for Shetland to be a place where everyone can thrive and where communities are involved in planning and delivering solutions to challenges.
Not only does this report provide our community with updates on the Partnership and how Shetland is currently faring, but it gives Partners a chance to take stock and reflect on what we have achieved and where more needs to be done.
Updates on our Delivery Plan give insight into the positive direction of these projects and the impact this is now having on services and service delivery. Projects such as Compassionate Shetland show the potential for wide reaching community impact.
Each year’s report showcases the breadth of work taking place across Shetland. This year is no different, with our case studies again showcasing a great range of impactful work. It is important that this good work be recognised.”
The full report can be accessed on the Shetland Partnership Website.