Job Vacancies with Business Gateway (Part 2)

Business Gateway Regional Development Officer (Moray) 

Permanent position Location - Elgin 

"We are seeking an experienced business adviser to join the team in our successful Moray Business Gateway office in Elgin. The successful candidate will work with business start-up clients and existing businesses to help them develop their potential,. 

Applicants should have proven experience in a business advice role, knowledge of the local economy and business sectors. A good understanding of the pressures facing business and the success factors for growth is essential. A business advice qualification and experience in delivering training is an advantage. Strong interpersonal skills are vital.."

For more information, follow this link

Job Vacancies with Business Gateway (Part 1)

Business Gateway Information Officer (Graduate Opportunity)

12 month Fixed Contract

"Highland Opportunity Ltd is the Enterprise Trust for the Highlands providing a range of business support and economic growth services. We are contracted by the local authorities to deliver the Business Gateway service in Highland and Moray and currently have an exciting opportunity to offer a graduate with the right aptitude, energy and enthusiasm.

You will be based in the busy Business Gateway Office in Inverness and respond to business client enquiries as well as managing information on behalf of the Highland and Moray Business Gateway team.

You will have excellent communication and IT skills, strong research and organisation skills and possess a degree in a business, economics or a related discipline."

For more info, follow this link

Job Vacancy with Highland Opportunity

Highland Opportunity is looking for a Business Services Officer, as Maternity Cover, based in our Castle Street office in Inverness,

For more info, follow this link:

HCA/NADFAS Grant - Call for Entries

Our good friends at Hi-Arts have brought this to our attention:

"The Heritage Crafts Association (HCA) and the National Association of Decorative and Fine Art Societies (NADFAS) are delighted to be working in partnership for the first time to offer The HCA NADFAS Grant 2012. 

One of HCA’s key aims is to ensure that heritage crafts skills of the highest standard are passed from one generation to the next. Support of our national heritage has been one of the cornerstones of NADFAS since its inception in 1968. This grant will specifically support traditional crafts that contribute to our living heritage e.g. basketry, weaving, wood working, shoe making, metal working and so on. 

The grant primarily looks to offer help for the training of apprentices. However NADFAS and HCA are well aware that apprenticeships are not the only route to learn a craft skill and other training routes are included..."

For more information, follow the link

Collaboration Prize - deadline for entries 31 July 2012

 Co-operative Development Scotland has launched a £30,000 Collaboration Prize. It aims to encourage businesses to consider collaboration and pitch their idea for a new consortium co-operative.

Up to three winning ideas for collaborative projects will be selected to receive a cash prize of £5,000 and up to 10 days of consultancy support, to scope out the initial concept.

The funding can be used for a variety of different purposes, including:
• Buying products or services together to achieve volume discounts and cost savings
• Facilitating access to new markets - marketing and selling together
• Sharing resources such as premises or capital equipment
• Tendering to bid for higher value contracts
• Providing mutual support and advice among members

To help businesses find out more and complete their application, in partnership with Co-operative Development Scotland, we will be delivering an explanatory workshop.

Venue:   Business Gateway Inverness
Date:     Tuesday 12th July 2012
Time:    0930h for 1000h

Full details here: link

Race For Life - " The Hollies" Done Good

Here's a message from Alithea Watson:

 "On behalf of the “Hollies” I just wanted to say a huge ‘THANK YOU’ for the help and support you gave us when we took part in the ‘Race for Life’ on Sunday 6th May. 

The Hollies started out as a team of four - Marie, Alithea, Lesley & Ilona - with what we thought was a realistic fundraising target of £400. After just 24 hours we had smashed through the £400 target!! With an additional four members joining the team – Michelle, Amy, Selina & Lindsay – we realised we had to reassess our fundraising target and decided to raise it to £800. To our delight the money kept pouring in via our ‘JustGiving’ link and once again we were about to surpass our target which left us with the dilemma - what to do next?? 

After great discussion (bugger it lets just go for it) we decided to raise the bar to £1,000!!!! Desperate times calls for desperate measures, so armed with the good old paper sponsor sheet I headed for my usual mode of transport home, the Inverness to Kyle train. The whistle blew and the doors closed and there was no escape for my fellow travellers or staff!! For four days I unashamedly ‘mugged’ everyone I knew and raised the magnificent sum of £150. I would personally like to thank each and every one of them for supporting me and the Hollies (and for not banning me from travelling on the train!!) The £1,000 target came and went and to say we were astounded would be an understatement – what to do next?? 

With only 3 days to ‘the Race’ we decided - sod it lets raise the bar a bit further (high blood pressure and no nails left) we raised it to £1,400 (gulp!!) Would we do it??? Were we raising the expectations of the Charity??? WE DID IT……………… AND IN STYLE!! WE HAVE RAISED £1,735 TO DATE AND ARE INDEBTED TO YOU ALL FOR HELPING US ‘SMASH’ EVERY TARGET WE SET!..."

The total is now £1874!!!

Well Done,  the Hollies (and, apparently, Alithea didn't hitch a lift.)

For pictures and updates, Follow this link: 

"Marketing Your Social Enterprise", Lairg

The Social Enterprise Academy (SEA)is running a 2-day Workshop in Lairg on "Marketing Your Social Enterprise"

From SEA: "MYSE is for anyone interested in developing a new social enterprise idea whether this is a start up social enterprise, a new trading arm for your organisation, or a new product or service."

For details, follow this Link

Business Gateway Workshops

We are now taking bookings for the following courses, which will be held at the Brora Community Learning Centre. 

19th – 20th June 2012 : 2 Day Business Start Up 

Join our two day workshop where you will learn how to develop your ideas into a practical and effective plan to launch your business. Key elements include: Getting the marketing right for your business; Developing a realistic, working business plan; Deciding what finance you need and learning how to use financial information. 

12th July 2012: Record Keeping 

This is a 1 Day Workshop. This workshop will explain how to manage your finances and continue to plan your business including what records you are required to keep to comply with the law. How to develop an action plan to introduce and/or improve financial record keeping system and improve your business financial management 

13th July 2012: Marketing & Selling 

This is a 1 Day Workshop aimed to help you create a realistic marketing plan designed to improve your marketing efforts and ultimately lead to more sales. 

To book your place on these FREE Workshops or to find out about Business Gateway Courses in your area, please contact Lesley Allan on 01463 713889 or lesley.allan@highland-opportunity.com

Eco-Innovation Event

Enterprise Europe Network are hosting an Eco-Innovation event in Edinburgh on the 31st May 2012.

"The Eco Innovation Programme bridges the gap between research and the market. It helps good ideas for innovative products, services and processes that protect the environment become fully-fledged commercial prospects, ready for use by business and industry. In doing so the initiative not only helps the EU meet its environmental objectives but also boosts economic growth."

This FREE event will be of interest to businesses, academics and other interested parties seeking EU funding in the areas of:

• Materials recycling and recycling processes 
• Sustainable building products 
• Food and drink sector 
• Water efficiency, treatment and distribution 
• Greening business

For more info: http://www.enterprise-europe-scotland.com/sct/events/register.asp?eventid=1259

Adopt An Intern

The "Adopt an Intern" Initiative  - which matches unemployed graduates to businesses looking to recruit them  - has been launched in Highland by the Centre for Scottish Public Policy in partnership with the Highland Council.

For more information, follow this link

Race For Life: The Highland Opportunity Team

The good ladies of Highland Opportunity are entering the Race for Life; running/walking/ambling 5km in aid of Cancer Research UK. 

Marie, Michelle, Lesley, Ilona and (gulp) Alithea, who call themselves "The Hollies" (geddit?) will be starting out on in Bught Park, Inverness on the 6th May at 1pm  - and Alithea will be finishing sometime in early June.   As this is the longest walk that Alithea has undertaken in many years, we are also having a side bet on when she stops for her first cigarette/bacon roll/pint of Tennents.

This is a great cause to support and you can donate through the Hollies "Just Giving" Page

Kyle of Sutherland Business Network

If you have  - or are planning to start - a business in the Kyle of Sutherland, you should be part of the Kyle of Sutherland Business Network.

The Network will be launched on 25th April in Bonar Bridge Community Hall at 5.30pm.  For more information, contact Community Development Officer, Lynsey Burns

Mandy Haggith on Mike Ellis, Woodsman

There's a great article on the Northings Blog about Helmsdale's Mike Ellis, traditional woodsman:

"MOST of the crafts people I have interviewed are keen to be thought of as artists, so it is interesting to meet someone who views being seen as ‘arty farty’ as ‘a danger.’ Mike Ellis works as a woodsman, and though some of the things he makes may be beautiful, they are not, in his view, works of art.

IN Mike’s workshop, its walls lined with an extraordinary collection of tools, there is a gate, hand-made from greenwood, its shape coming from the natural bends of oak and ash branches held together with beech pegs. Such an object has both the value of scarcity and is refreshing to modern eyes, so used to the geometric precision of industrial products. I could easily be persuaded to call it art, but it’s not at all clear Mike would be pleased if I did....."

Read the rest of the article here

Create: Introduction to Creative Thinking

The lovely people at Inverness College's Create programme have anounced a new workshop to be held on 23 May 2012.

"Introduction to Creative Thinking and Idea Generation is a free one day course offered by CREATE, Inverness College’s enterprise centre. The workshop will introduce you to: the concepts of creativity and innovation; more effective brainstorming; and provide tools to help you find and develop new ideas for your business."

For more info, follow this link

Farewell to Mark

Last Thursday saw the retiral party for Mark Strudwick CBE, outgoing Chief Exec of PSYBT.

At a packed event in Sloan's, Glasgow,  Mark's career with PSYBT was celebrated by staff, volunteers, clients and other friends.  We all had a great time and, personally, it was an opportunity to thank Mark for his work as a true friend of the Highlands; supporting not only our clients but also me and, latterly, Alithea Watson in our roles as PSYBT Regional Managers.

We all wish Mark the very best - and we're sure that a pipe and slippers won't play a significant part in his retirement...

Part of the Highland contribution to Mark's considerable hoard of leaving gifts was a specially-composed tune from PSYBT client, Graeme MacKay

All photo's © Malcolm Cochrane Photography