2017-2018 figures showed that students made up as much as 10 per cent of the Oban populati on, so it is fair to say that Oban is already a University Town. A significant proporti on of these students were registered with the University of the Highlands and Islands, studying at Argyll College UHI or SAMS UHI. Additi onally, Ballet West off er degree courses accredited by The Open University, and there are students based at the hospital, in surgeries, at SAMS and other organisati ons in and around Oban who are registered at other universiti es. It is also important to consider the hundreds of pupils in their final years at Oban High School, who may become the next generati on of employees for the region. Conservati ve esti mates suggest that there are likely 1,000 students in Oban already once all of these are factored in. The ‘Oban: A University Town’ project was launched in spring 2018 by a partnership of 10 established organisati ons. The project is focused on developing the disti ncti ve assets of the town and business needs/employment opportuniti es in the area. It aims to provide an outstanding experience for students and staff in terms of teaching, practi cal work, enterprise, leisure and culture acti viti es and community engagement. The project currently explores how to develop the training opportuniti es and academic off ers available, so that they match the economic prioriti es and employer needs in the area. We are also reviewing the infrastructure requirements including accommodati on and transport; the social and cultural scene in Oban; and of course, working to ensure that the local community and businesses are engaged in the initi ati ve. It is well documented that we face serious challenges throughout Argyll and Bute regarding populati on numbers and demographics, in parti cular we are short of skilled working-age people. By creati ng a University Town in Oban, we are working to counter this shift and encourage more young people to stay here aft er school, or to move to the region and, importantly, to stay and develop a career here when their studies are complete.