Help For Highland Businesses To Create Jobs For The Unemployed

9th July 2012

With many people facing increasing challenges in finding jobs and career opportunities The Highland Council, in partnership with the European Social Fund, has taken positive steps to help by launching an Employment Grants Scheme that will encourage and support businesses in the creation of additional posts for unemployed people.

Targeted at small and medium sized businesses employing fewer than 250 people, a wage subsidy of up to 150 per week is available for 6 months to create additional and permanent posts. This increases to a year for any recruits aged between 16-19 years and covers young people in receipt of benefits, disabled people and those returning to the labour market.

Businesses in all sectors of industry located within The Highland Council area are eligible and may be private companies, co-operatives or social enterprises.

Chairman of The Highland Council's Planning, Environment and Development Committee, Councillor Thomas Prag said:"I know from my own friends and contacts that it's really tough for the smaller businesses just now, so they shy away from taking on new people - just when we need them to most. The same conditions mean we have people struggling to get into work. So this scheme is surely a classic 'win -win'.

By using the Council's own resources we have been able to lever in and maximise European funding to set up this grant scheme to encourage Highland businesses into taking on the people they need and create more jobs.

"Back in January of this year we launched our Youth Employment Action Plan and I am proud that we have prioritised this in the new council's programme for administration.

I really urge anyone who runs a business to pick up the phone or go on-line to check out this scheme - that extra person in a job is just what we all need.

The Employment grant is part of a wider recruitment project, Create and Employ, which is being supported by the Council. Create, delivered by Business Gateway, provides a free personalised advisory service which will address all employability and employment law matters to enable employers or potential employers to consider their capacity to employ, to prepare for recruitment and to find the right people to help them grow their business.

Further Information on Employ Grants is available from the Council's Employability Team on 01463 702912, e-mail: Employability[AT]highland.gov.uk or at www.highland.gov.uk/employgrants

Further information on 'Create' is available from the Business Gateway on 01463 713889

 

Related Businesses

 

Related Articles

19/6/2026 : Local Authority

 
Highland creatives help shape UK City of Culture 2029 bid

Cultural artists and creators from across the Highlands have gathered at Strathpeffer Pavilion to share their ideas and ambitions for the Inverness-Highland bid for UK City of Culture 2029.   The bid, which is being taken forward under the name Beò 2029 the Gaelic word for living brought together around 80 creative practitioners from across the region for a cultural conversation exploring what culture means in the Highlands, what stories the region wants to tell, and the legacy for the future.  

18/6/2026 : Local Authority

 
Great Glen Way route improvements now open

A new improved section of the Great Glen Way is now open, offering walkers, wheelers and visitors a safer and more scenic way to experience this popular trail.   The Highland Council has completed work on over 3km of the route, moving it away from the public road and onto a new off‑road path.  

14/6/2026 : Local Authority

How Caithness Can Strengthen Its Case for Major Capital Investment in an Era of Shrinking Budgets

Caithness has reached a moment where the old assumptions about public investment no longer hold.  For decades, the region could rely on a three‑pillar system: HIE to drive economic development, Scottish Enterprise and national programmes to support growth, and Highland Council to deliver the infrastructure that underpins daily life.  

14/6/2026 : Advisory / Counseling Services

When the Money Moves South: How HIE’s Shrinking Budget Has Hit Caithness and Why “Record Funding” Doesn’t Mean What It Used To

For decades, Highlands and Islands Enterprise was the economic backbone of the far north.  It wasn’t perfect, but it was one of the few institutions that understood the basic truth of life in Caithness: distance costs money, and if the state doesn’t step in, the market won’t.  

11/6/2026 : Local Authority

Highland Council's £20 Million Transformation Gamble – What Happens if the Savings Never Arrive?

For most people, council committee papers and audit reports are not the sort of documents that attract much attention.  They are full of technical language, financial terminology and governance structures that can make even the most determined reader give up after a few pages.  

8/6/2026 : Local Authority

Hop on Board: £2 Bus Fares Make Exploring the Highlands Easier Than Ever

£2 Bus Fare Scheme Drives Accessible and Sustainable Travel Across the Highlands With the school holidays approaching, The Highland Council is encouraging residents and visitors to make the most of the £2 single fare cap on its in-house bus services.   The initiative is helping to make public transport more accessible and affordable, particularly for families looking for low-cost ways to travel during the summer months.  

7/6/2026 : Local Authority

Apprenticeship pathways to build a future Highland workforce

Highland Council's education committee members have praised the apprenticeship programmes offering more young people the chance to learn skills and equip them for the world of work.   Foundation Apprenticeships (FAs) and Modern Apprenticeships (MAs) in Highland are growing strongly, with participation now well above national averages.  

6/6/2026 : Local Authority

The slow unravelling of a promise: why the £100 million Thurso schools project may already be drifting into delay

The announcement of a six‑week consultation on the future of Thurso High School should have been a moment of clarity — a sign that after years of discussion, Highland Council was finally ready to move from aspiration to action.  Instead, it has exposed a deeper truth about the state of capital investment in the Highlands - The numbers no longer add up.  

5/6/2026 : Local Authority

New ‘Better Off Calculator’ to support Highland residents and improve financial outcomes

The cost of living continues to place significant pressure on household finances, which affects the affordability of essential goods and services, particularly home energy, food and fuel.   As these pressures persist, access to high‑quality advice, and clear information about the financial help and support available to residents across Highland is more important than ever.  

4/6/2026 : Local Authority

Highland Council agrees to consult on major investment in Thurso schools

Highland Council’s Education Committee has (3 June 2026) agreed to launch a statutory consultation on proposals to transform education provision in Thurso.   The decision marks an important step in shaping future investment in Thurso’s schools, giving pupils, parents, staff and the wider community the opportunity to help influence how modern, high quality education provision is developed for the town.