Proposals to deliver the Scottish Government's report on "Developing Scotland's Young Workforce" in the Highlands have been welcomed by Members of The Highland Council’s Education, Children and Adult Services Committee this week. Members were informed that an implementation strategy for Highland’s young people will need to take into account: · industry engagement in developing general education Curriculum for Excellence; · specific vocational pathways leading to industry recognised qualifications; · college systems focussed on employability; · apprenticeship opportunities and advanced qualifications through work based learning; and · a systematic approach to business sector engagement.
Highland Council Members have agreed the terms of reference for a review of the Facilities Management model which is being rolled out in schools across the Highlands. In 2010 the Council previously agreed to take forward the Facilities Management model, the benefits of which were expected to: · create of a universal support function to assist Head Teachers with property and grounds management; · create a standardised operating model under specialist line management arrangements; · create standardised job descriptions ensuring a consistent approach to facilities management across all schools; and · is affordable within the Council's current budget allocation.
The Money Advice Service is highlighting the new rules that will make obtaining a mortgage much harder than in the past. Much stricter rules and enforcement will mean borrowers having to prove they can afford repayments and take into account running costs of the new home and possibly be able to afford increases in repayments should interest rates rise.
DINGWALL, Dingwall & Highland Marts, (January, 14th) sold 1,997 sheep of all classes. Lambs (988) averaged £61.96 and sold to £82 gross for Suffolk cross ewe lambs from Bogallan, North Kessock.
The next Caithness District Partnership meets on Friday 30 January in Thurso and issues to be discussed will include updates on Caithness General Hospital and the Children's Care Partnership. The Highland Council’s Director of Care and Learning, Bill Alexander, will also deliver a presentation on District Partnerships, Community Development and Community Planning and the NHS Director of Adult Social Care, Joanna Macdonald, along with Deborah Jones, the NHS Chief Operating Officer, will provide an update on Adult Social Care initiatives.
More than a million unemployed people are falling through cracks in national work schemes that are failing to reach some of the most vulnerable jobseekers, councils warn today. Latest employment figures released in December show that the number of unemployed people not claiming Jobseeker's Allowance has passed one million for the first time.
Two Highland Council roads and 12 schools remain closed or affected today (Monday 12 January) following the severe weather. Newhall Bridge B9163 on the Black Isle is closed until further notice, due to structural damage.
Ewan Taylor-Gibson, broadband and TV expert at uSwitch.com, says:"TalkTalk's move shows it's deadly serious about making its TV proposition a success. How it plans to integrate Blinkbox with YouView remains to be seen - although its highly likely TalkTalk customers will still have to pay as they go for the Blinkbox content on offer.
New figures from Police Scotland have today (12 January 2015) revealed that there has been a 55% decrease in the number of people caught drink-driving over the festive period. The new lower drink drive limit of 22 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath came into force on 5 December 2014, bringing Scotland into line with much of the rest of Europe.
DUE to storm damage, two schools, may not be open on Monday. Brora Primary School and Canisbay Primary School have both suffered some roof damage.
The A9 is currently closed at Tomatin owing to a two vehicle road traffic collision. North and south bound traffic are advised to divert through the village of Tomatin.
The £800,000 competition aims to develop innovative solutions through private-public sector collaboration to recover phosphorus and other nutrients and chemicals from water for beneficial use. The competition is the first by a public agency in Scotland to use the Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI), a process which connects public sector challenges with innovative ideas from small companies, microbusinesses and spinouts across all sectors.
Techno-geeks and trend conscious phone users in the town of Wick and its surrounding areas will no longer have to rely on the internet or have to travel to Inverness to suss out which of the latest smartphones suits them best. That's because following an extensive refresh the Tesco superstore in Wick has seen a Tesco Phone Shop added to the many services it offers.
Multi-agency partners are continuing to monitor and respond to incidents regarding the severe weather which has affected the Highlands and Islands since Thursday evening. Conditions have improved a little over most of the area.
Strategic and local multi-agency tactical meetings are continuing to take place to assess and manage the impact of the severe weather. The storm force winds and snow have caused considerable disruption and severely hampered repairs to power networks and clearing of roads across the area.
Following the reports of both amber and yellow weather warnings for high wind speeds across the Highlands and Islands, a multi-agency partnership known as the Highlands and Islands Local Resilience Partnership (HILRP) was established to monitor the effects of the severe weather conditions across the region. Last night (Thursday 09 January 2015), wind speeds of around 100mph, caused disruption to transport and services across the area.
- Tumbling price has caused the market to move into a steep contango, meaning investors are willing to pay a premium to receive oil at a later date. - Traders with storage facilities set to cash-in by storing oil at sea and locking-in higher future prices, providing profits for shareholders.
Further to what was reported in the John O' Groat Journal on 9th of January 2015. My name is Raymond Taylor.
Highland Council school closure report - update. The following schools are closed until further notice in The Highland Council area.
THE Highland Council has been working with partners in other agencies to plan for the impact of the severe storms overnight and throughout today. Senior staff have been taking part in regional and local multi-agency meetings to ensure appropriate arrangements are in place and staff across the council have been working extremely hard to deal with the impacts of the weather and provide service continuity.
