Senior pupils from four Ross-shire schools are swapping their classrooms for a rubbish dump this week as part of an environmental challenge organised by Careers Scotland.

Teams of four fifth and sixth year students from Alness Academy, Gairloch High School, Invergordon Academy and Ullapool High School will gather at the Cromarty Centre on Thursday (4 Sept) for a two-day exercise designed to enhance team working skills and citizenship.

Their task is to produce a feasibility study on an imaginary proposal to set up a waste-to-energy incinerator on the Black Isle at Nigg.

The pupils will start off with a field trip to a landfill site at Aviemore, returning to Cromarty on Thursday afternoon for a series of presentations from expert speakers from the worlds of education, waste disposal and environmental protection.

Based on the evidence they gather from these presentations, follow-up interviews and other research, each school team will then spend Friday morning working on their feasibility study, weighing up environmental and economic considerations to arrive at a final recommendation.

The event has been organised by Iain Eisner and Kelly Macleod of Careers Scotland and designed both to fire the pupils' imaginations and test their problem-solving skills.

"The students will be expected to work hard, but we very much want this to be an enjoyable and rewarding experience," said Mr Eisner.

"As well as offering an insight into environmental issues and potential career options, they will learn skills which are valuable in a wide range of occupations, including techniques of communication, negotiation, management and team working.

"There are no right or wrong answers.  The team which presents the best-constructed case and will be the one that impresses the judges and wins the challenge."

The judging panel will be chaired by Green MSP Robin Harper.  Other members include Catriona Eagle, director, Careers Scotland, Highlands and Islands, and Frances Boynton, project officer with the Moray Firth Partnership.

Careers Scotland is part of Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise.