Advisory / Counseling Services News

Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) Board Heads To Thurso

Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) will be holding its next public board meeting at the Pentland Hotel in Thurso on Tuesday May 15, 2007.   Chair for HIE Caithness and Sutherland Pat Buchanan will begin proceedings by welcoming the board to Caithness.  

Public Agencies Join To Assist New Residents Settle In To The Region

A range of new services for people who have recently moved into the Highlands from other countries has won support from the European Social Fund (ESF).   Highland Wellbeing Alliance, a partnership of public sector organisations in the area, has secured ESF funding worth £260,500 to back initiatives which will help the area's new residents with issues such as improving their English language skills, gaining employment and finding out how to access services and advice.  

HIE NETWORK UNVEILS SPENDING PLANS FOR NEXT THREE YEARS

Plans to invest almost £375 million over the next three years in economic and community development across the Highlands and Islands have just been published by the area's enterprise network.   The latest operating plan from Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) details the key strategic projects which the development agency will be backing between now and 2010, along with a set of eight 'primary measure' targets covering many smaller-scale initiatives.  

SGL TECHNIC TO CREATE UP TO 64 NEW JOBS IN MUIR OF ORD

Carbon Fibre Manufacturer Announces £22m Investment Over 3 Years SGL Technic Ltd, a subsidiary of German based SGL Group, today announced a £22m investment to expand its manufacturing facility in Muir of Ord, near Inverness creating up to 64 new jobs over the next 3 years and safeguarding the employment of the company's 85 staff.   The Wiesbaden headquartered company is a leader in the research, development and manufacture of products made from carbon, graphite and composite materials.  

Pultenytown Area Of Wick Still Has Highest Unemployment In The North

The Pulteneytown electoral ward has shown an increase over last month recording 64 males and 22 females registered as unemployed.   This compares to the previous month of December when the figures were 57 Males and 22 Females.  

WHY HI LINKS MAY LEAD TO HIGH BUSINESS GROWTH FOR LOCAL COMPANIES

Small businesses and entrepreneurs throughout Caithness and Sutherland are being urged to grasp a unique opportunity to help boost future company growth, by tapping into a ready-made resource based within UHI Millennium Institute that helps companies crystallise opportunities to move the business forward.   This free service - a ground-breaking university-based initiative called HI Links, is a three-year project funded by a SEEKIT grant from the Scottish Executive, Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) and UHI.  

HM Revenue & Customs - Business Support Team - Free Learning Events

Are you newly Self Employed or thinking of becoming Self Employed? Do you have a Self Employed tax return to complete? Are you a New Employer? Do you have an Employers Annual Return to complete? Do you want to know about the changes to the Construction Industry Scheme? If you can answer "YES" to any of the above questions & would like to learn more, you may be interested in attending one of HM Revenue & Customs free learning events.   The following events will take place in Thurso; 13th March 2007 AM/PM Paying Your Employees 14th March 2007 AM Becoming Self Employed PM Self Assessment for the Self Employed 15th March 2007 AM Employer's Annual Returns PM New Construction Industry Scheme To book a place in one of our sessions, please telephone 01355 275 207.  

Unemployment by Electoral Wards And Nationally

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Long-Term Unemployment By LEC Area - December 2006

LONG-TERM UNEMPLOYMENT BY LEC AREA For the purpose of this analysis, long-term unemployment (LTU) is defined as 'all those who have been unemployed and claiming benefit for over 6 months'.  The table below shows the number of people who are on long term unemployment benefit for December 2006 in each of the LEC areas.  

Chamber Of Commerce Demands Answer To Supremo For Dounreay Run Down Question

The Caithness & Sutherland Chamber of Commerce is urging the lead Agencies in the decommissioning of the Dounreay site and the economic regeneration of Caithness & North Sutherland to make clear without further delay their acceptance or otherwise of the proposal, put forward six months ago at a Meeting of the Dounreay Stakeholder Group, for the appointment of a 'supremo' to oversee and drive the process forward.   If the proposal has been rejected by the Agencies what are the objections to it and what plans do the Agencies have to take matters forward? Whilst acknowledging that the lead role is the responsibility of the Agencies concerned the Chamber considers it essential that any proposal/plan has public confidence and support.