Collaborating with Scotgrad
OCTO is collaborating with Highlands and Islands Enterprise via their Scotgrad scheme. This means financial and mentoring support to recruit a recent graduate for a year of employment. This scheme has many benefits, for one the wage is subsidised. This allows smaller social enterprises and companies to compete with larger organisations in the realm of recruitment. As H.I.E states, hiring recent graduates “introduces fresh talent, skills and knowledge into businesses, focusing on growth through innovation”.
Our Scotgrad staff member is Fidra. She has a degree in Sustainable Development from the University of Edinburgh.
Scotgrad Training 2019
A compulsory part of the Scotgrad program is to take part in their residential training course. Therefore, at the start of the February, Fidra traveled 250 miles to the small village of Cromarty. Their she joined 12 fellow Scotgrad participants from a range of companies and social enterprises across north Scotland.
The training was delivered by skillfluence. The dynamic and engaging workshops covered many topics from idea generation to pitching skills. These skills are key for improving efficacy within the role and maximising impact.
As Fidra states “the training was a great opportunity to refined my skills and gave me tools to be more effective in leading projects. My favorite aspect was meeting my peers and hearing all about their exciting and varied jobs.”
Scotgrad Training 2019 Impact
Since her return to Orkney, Fidra has led a group workshops using the tools from the training with the OCTO team. For example, the LEAN canvas which is useful for simplifying complex company operations and building strategy. A highly valuable exercise for getting us all on one page.
