Highland companies get young brain gain

ENTREPRENEURS of tomorrow are being given vital work experience in a £2.4 million project which will also see firms benefit from fresh academic minds.

Over the next three years 350 university students, graduates and post-graduates are to be placed in small and medium- sized companies and social enterprises across the Highlands and Islands, particularly in remote and rural areas .

They will focus on innovative projects the business otherwise would not be able to progress.

The Talent Scotland graduate placement programme, run by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), has also received 769,000 from the European Regional Development Fund.

Keith Brown, minister for skills and lifelong learning, said: "The creation of more direct links between business and universities will stimulate further innovation and enhance business performance across the area. This programme offers a valuable opportunity for young people leaving university to gain a foothold in small and medium- sized businesses in some of our most rural and fragile communities."

William Roe, HIE's chairman, said survey figures indicate the region has a lower number of graduates in the workforce than the Scottish average.

"We want more young people to see the range of opportunities that exist in the region and to stay here or return after they have finished their study to work.

"Encouraging innovative think-ing in business directly affects productivity, competitiveness and growth."

Undergraduates will take part in an eight-week summer placement project and graduates take part in a six- to 12-month paid posting.

In a third part of the initiative graduates will be placed in businesses to help transfer knowledge from the university and the company in placements which would last from ten to 40 weeks.