The first roof beams have been lifted into place at Dounreay's newest shielded radioactive waste store. Seventy six beams, weighing a total of 1,400 tonnes, the equivalent of 116 double decker buses, are needed to complete the mammoth roof structure which will have a total weight of 3,300 tonnes.
The ballot for Pentland tenants to decide if they want to transfer to Cairn Housing Association has opened with participants able to easily vote by post, phone, text message or online. The transfer will only go ahead if a majority of tenants vote YES before the ballot closes on 2nd November.
A new report launched (Wednesday 29th September 2021), commissioned by Caithness Chamber of Commerce on behalf of the Caithness & North Sutherland Regeneration Partnership, demonstrates the economic benefits that Space Hub Sutherland will bring to the North Highland and Moray areas. Space Hub Sutherland - a new satellite launch site - will bring huge employment and tourism benefits to the Scottish Highlands.
The Banking Protocol is a rapid response scheme that will enable credit union staff to alert police when they suspect a customer is being scammed. Police will attend the branch within the timeframe of an emergency response, enabling them to provide an effective customer intervention, secure evidence to enable them to investigate the potential scam and sometimes catch fraudsters in the act.
Community representatives from across Scotland are taking part in an online programme to help shape the future of local tourism destination management. The three-month online Communities Leading in Tourism course, which starts on Tuesday 28 September 2021, is designed to boost tourism sector expertise and destination leadership skills.
Six new decommissioning operative trainees have started work at Dounreay, as part of a structured programme to develop skills required to safely decommission the site. DSRL is collaborating with Nuvia, Morson and GDES who have all recruited trainees.
Come along to this drop-in information session to find out about the Volunteer Friendly Quality Assurance Award. A brief presentation will be followed by Q&A session where you can ask about the benefits of this award for your group.
Nine businesses from the Highlands will start the latest edition of the Pathfinder Accelerator programme today (9 September 2021), which aims to put them on the fast track to success. Developed by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), the established support programme nurtures growth in life science and technology and helps bring new business ideas to market quicker.
A Lewis man who recently moved to Shetland has been awarded funding from Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) to help make kite energy a reality. Rod Read set up his company, Windswept and Interesting Ltd in 2012 when he started developing kite turbines.
Orkney Cheese Company Limited is investing in a £925,000 refurbishment project, which is set to increase production, create jobs and help the company reach new markets over the next three years. Significant improvements will be made at the Hatston Industrial Estate based facility in Kirkwall.
The current phase of engineering works to strengthen the 1.9km viaduct that supports the railway track began in April 2021, with the aim of returning the funicular to service early next year. However, despite strong progress made in tough conditions, HIE has concluded that the planned timescale now needs to extend into the second half of 2022.
There are currently several opportunities, across a broad range of disciplines for Graduates, from HNC to Post Graduate, to apply for within Businesses and Social Enterprises across Caithness and Sutherland. To register an interest please forward the following information tohilary.budge@hient.co.ukby mid-day 17th September 2021: Full Name Educational Institute Award Attained and Subject Year of Graduation(e.g., 2020) Any additional subject/graduate position interests E-Mail Address Legally permitted towork in the UK (Yes / No) Available to work from Caithness or Sutherland (Yes / No) The details provided will be forwarded to the Businesses and Social Enterprises that have current vacancies and they will arrange to contact the Graduates direct.
Innovation in the face of adversity earned Scotland's largest nuclear site a shot at Scotland's top event award. About 100 or so workers normally attend Dounreay's annual showcase event, when staff are recognised for reaching levels of excellence in their work to decommission the plant.
Another 22 young business leaders from around the Highlands and Islands have become the latest to take part in a year-long programme aimed at developing the next generation of entrepreneurs. The IMPACT30 programme is open to people aged 35 and under who are in key decision-making roles in young, ambitious businesses.
Dounreay Site Restoration Limited (DSRL) has awarded two contracts worth a combined GBP11.2 million (USD15.9 million) to USA-based engineering group Jacobs for decommissioning work at the Dounreay site in Scotland. Under the contracts, Jacobs will upgrade the ventilation system at the Prototype Fast Reactor (PFR) and develop the decommissioning strategy for the fast reactor fuel reprocessing plant in the Fuel Cycle Area.
Pentland Housing Association tenants are to be formally consulted on a proposed transfer to Cairn Housing Association, which will bring new investment to homes and a locked-in affordable rent guarantee, from a new combined Cairn and Pentland team in Caithness. Detailed information leaflets are being posted out and members of staff from Pentland and Cairn are aiming to personally visit every household to try and speak to residents and answer any questions they might have.
For the 5th year running HIE has joined forces with SE and SOSE to fund the RLP, which is aimed at business managers and employees from rural businesses (both private/social enterprises), who have a desire to develop their leadership skills and grow their business. In previous years farmers and land-based consultancies have dominated the cohorts, HIE are keen to promote the opportunity to rural businesses across the sectoral mix we have in our rural economy.
The shaft and silo project ‘advanced transition' work is getting underway at Dounreay. Radioactive waste was historically consigned to the 65 metre deep shaft and the silo, an underground waste storage vault, over several decades starting in the late 1950s.
The history of credit unions in USA has been one of growth over many years. The public in many states seem to have moved in greater numbers and saved even more with their local credit union.
Plans for Caithness to become the host site for a prototype generator for one of the world's most efficient, cleanest and lowest carbon forms of energy have taken a step forward. A bid to host the Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (STEP) prototype fusion power plant was submitted by the Caithness and North Sutherland Regeneration Partnership (CNSRP) in March.