Advisory / Counseling Services News
Dounreay�s parent body organisation � the consortium of international companies that owns and manages DSRL � is getting a new name. From October 28, the Babcock Dounreay Partnership will be known as the Cavendish Dounreay Partnership.
13 February 2014 The Business Support Roadshows will begin at 4pm with short presentations from each organisation attending detailing how they can support your business. This will be followed by workshops addressing key business issues.
Energy/ Business Services: Staff from HIE have been back in Aberdeen this week as part of our ongoing discussions with oil & gas sector businesses. As previously reported there are several promising leads, based on the increasing awareness of the north as a strategic and cost-effective location from which do business.
Week Commencing 23rd September 2013 Energy/ Business Services: Next week sees a meeting in Aberdeen of the Scottish Government/ Energy North Oil & Gas Task Force for the Highlands & Islands, which has been established under the chairmanship of Fergus Ewing MSP, the Scottish Government Energy Minister. Several representatives from Caithness/ North Sutherland will attend the event as the north continues to attract attention from the oil & gas industry, both for its infrastructure and its supply chain companies.
Energy/ Business Services: The Scottish Renewables Marine Conference took place in Inverness this week. The event�s key announcement was the news of Scottish Government consent for Meygen Ltd to develop its proposed tidal stream site in the Inner Sound of the Pentland Firth.
A new Fund has been launched to assist small businesses with their business growth and development and promote the economic growth of Caithness and North Sutherland. Caithness Business Fund was created after discussions between Caithness Chamber of Commerce and Baillie Wind Farm Ltd who had a vision to see a wider area of Caithness and North Sutherland benefit from local wind farms.
The second of two successful sets of free sessions to help businesses develop their websites to attract a wider market are coming up in Inverness and Forres. The e-commerce sessions, developed as part of the Smart Exporter programme through Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), are being held in Eden Court on Monday (23 September) and in Horizon Scotland in Forres on 30 September.
A new collaborative centre, designed to host research and education and attract investment and jobs to the Highlands and Islands, is being discussed by two of the region�s foremost organisations. Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) and the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) are proposing to build shared premises at Inverness Campus, the 215-acre site which HIE is developing as a location for business, learning and community activities in the east of the city.
Week Commencing 2nd September 2013 Energy/ Business Services: Productive discussions this week with a potential inward investor in the energy sector. It was particularly encouraging to be able to demonstrate the joined-up approach we take to economic opportunity, with colleagues from HIE, Dounreay, Highland Council, North Highland College, HIAL, ports and businesses all involved in supporting roles.
Twenty-one ambitious students who have been bringing fresh knowledge and ideas to companies across the Highlands and Islands gathered in Inverness on Friday 30th August 2013 to present their summer placement project findings to a panel of business experts in a dragons' den style competition. The winner of finals day was Robert Anderson, of Shetland who is studying at Glasgow University.
Week Commencing 26th Aaugust 2013 Energy/ Business Services: Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission Ltd (part of the SSE Group) is developing proposals for a new 132kilovolt overhead line between the proposed new Thurso South substation at Geiselittle and a new substation at Phillips Mains near Mey. It has recently published a consultation document on the proposals, which can be viewed at http://www.sse.com/GillsBayRadial/ProjectInformation Two consultation events will be held in Caithness: at Mey Hall on Thursday 5th September 11am-2.30pm and 5pm-7.30pm; and in Caithness Horizons, Thurso on Friday 6th September from 3pm-7.30pm A group of local businesses � including Wick Harbour Authority and Scrabster Harbour Trust - travelled to Lowestoft this week to look in detail at the offshore wind operations base already established there.
Energy/ Business Services: Members of the Partnership met this week with representatives of Global Energy Group and the Nigg Skills Academy as we continue to develop proposals to ensure that our area workforce is prepared to take advantage of future employment opportunities. Whilst the Caithness Chamber of Commerce-led �Make The Right Connections� programme has been helping to support diversification efforts in a range of sectors, there are a number of very useful lessons from the Nigg model that will help inform decisions by partners.
Dounreay's huge collection of historic documents will be among the first items to be stored in the new archive to be built in Caithness. The National Nuclear Archive is due to be open for business by 2016, said NDA's director for Dounreay, Nigel Lowe.
Energy/ Business Services: Scrabster Harbour�s new pier continues to attract business from the energy sector. Following usage of the pier by large oil support vessels the most recent use was by Orkney renewables company Scotrenewables Tidal Power Ltd, whose prototype tidal device was taken out of the water at Scrabster for scheduled operations and maintenance work.
A new multi-million pound redevelopment at mainland Scotland's most northerly port, Scrabster Harbour, is already reaping the benefits, only two months after coming into operation. Scotrenewables Tidal Power Ltd, based in Orkney, has chosen Scrabster as the location for their most recent operations and maintenance work on their prototype tidal turbine, the SR250.
Following the news from BT that through its commercial rollout fibre broadband is now available in Inverness, Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) says it expects the first exchanges of a multi million pound publicly funded next generation broadband project to go live by April 2014. The community and economic development agency signed a contract with BT in March which, alongside the telecoms company�s commercial rollout, will bring fibre broadband services to around 84% of the region�s homes.
Week commencing 15th July 2013 Energy/ Business Services: This week�s Press & Journal picks up on the ongoing work to develop radar systems that are capable of picking up and identifying aircraft movements and movements from offshore wind turbine blades. The technology was tested recently in Scotland with apparently encouraging results.
Twenty eight ambitious students, bringing fresh thinking and innovative ideas to businesses across the Highlands and Islands, are gathering to brush up on their skills for the world of work at a residential training course this week Monday 15 - Thursday 18 July. The students, who come from across Scotland to work for up to twelve weeks with local businesses, are part of the TalentScotland Summer Placement Programme managed by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE).
Week commencing 8th July 2013 Energy/ Business Services: A seminar this week highlighted the opportunities for the Highlands and Islands in the oil & gas industry, as outlined by noted petroleum economist Professor Alex Kemp in his keynote presentation. I was able to help discuss particular actions that will help realise some of these significant opportunities in our area.
Week Commencing 1st July 2013 Energy/ Business Services: CNSRP partners identified support for Wick Harbour Authority�s efforts to attract new business from offshore renewables as a priority, and we have been working with WHA to help deliver the first phase of this work. So it is particularly pleasing this week to see the first fruits of this joint effort, as both NDA and HIE have approved funding towards the establishment of a heavy-lift pad and associated dredging works on the commercial quay at Wick.