Developing the Young Workforce Inverness & Central Highland

31/08/2026

🎓 Ready to start your career in the Highlands and Islands?

Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) has four Graduate Placement opportunities available, offering recent graduates the chance to gain valuable experience while working on projects helping shape the future of our region.

There are two opportunities based in Inverness – Graduate Inward Investment Officer and Graduate Marketing & Communications Officer – alongside Graduate Development Officer roles in Kirkwall and Stornoway. From energy transition and space to business and community development, these roles offer the chance to be part of projects that could make a real difference across the Highlands and Islands.

💬As Lara Bowern, Senior Development Manager – Inward Investment at HIE, puts it… “Joining now means becoming part of some genuinely transformational projects that could have a significant impact for years to come.”

👉 Find out more and apply - https://www.hie.co.uk/about-us/vacancies/

📢 Know a graduate who might be a great fit? Share this post with them!

21/08/2026

OUR DINGWALL SHOP IS AFTER AN APPRENTICE BUTCHER

No experience needed — just a good attitude and willingness to learn.

You’ll get award-winning training, learn real butchery skills and work towards a recognised qualification.

Learn a trade. Build a career.

Call in and ask for Mark or message us for a chat.

20/08/2026

20/08/2026

19/08/2026

📣 Could you be the trusted adult who helps shape a young person’s future?

Mentoring can make a lasting difference to a young person’s confidence, aspirations and outlook - and it can be hugely rewarding for the person giving their time too. That’s why we’re calling on people across the Highlands to step forward and become an MCR Pathways athways mentor.

Mia Keith, Communities & Social Impact Coordinator at Morrison Construction and a member of the DYW Inverness & Central Highland Advisory Board, has seen the impact first-hand through mentoring a young person at Culloden Academy. For Mia, the experience has not only helped her mentee look ahead with greater confidence but has strengthened her own listening and communication skills too.

“The idea of being able to offer encouragement and support to someone else felt really meaningful.”

🤝 Now there’s an exciting new opportunity for employers across Ross-shire and Sutherland.

As part of a new Workforce North pilot, MCR Pathways is looking for mentors to support young people at Dingwall Academy, Alness Academy, Invergordon Academy, Tain Royal Academy and Golspie High School.

Whether you’re an employer encouraging your team to get involved, or an individual who would like to give your time, you can help a young person realise their potential and take their next steps with greater confidence.

It takes commitment, but as Mia says…“The reward is great for the time and effort you put in – for the young person, yourself and your business.”

👉 Find out more and become a mentor - https://mcrpathways.org/news/workforce-north-pilot/

Read more on our website here - https://www.dywich.co.uk/2026/08/why-supporting-employee-mentoring-is-good-for-young-people-and-good-for-business/

19/08/2026

🎉 WELCOME BACK! 🎉

A new academic year is here. We're excited to jump back into our schools to support with our amazing young people and dedicated teachers.

We’re also looking forward to working on our programs with our local employers to help serve their business and sector needs and develop our future workforce.

Together, we're gearing up to lots of exciting opportunities and events that will shape the future workforce.

🌟Are you a business still to sign up to one of our schools? – now’s your chance to make a real impact! Reach out to us today at [email protected]

👀 Stay in the loop! Don’t forget to bookmark our ‘What’s On – Get Involved!’ platform. Keep an eye on it for the latest updates and opportunities to engage here - https://padlet.com/debbiekhadi/dyw-inverness-central-highland-what-s-on-get-involved-fre0polcb75tgnpy

Let’s make this year one to remember! 🚀

12/08/2026

🚧 Start your career in construction, engineering and infrastructure!

Thinking about a career in civil engineering or quantity surveying? United Infrastructure Ltd is offering three Graduate Apprenticeship opportunities in Alness, giving you the chance to gain valuable hands-on experience while working towards a recognised qualification.

🔹 Apprentice Quantity Surveyor – join the commercial team and gain experience across major overhead line and civil engineering projects, from planning and procurement through to project delivery and final accounts.

🔹 2 x Graduate Apprentice Civil Engineers – get involved in access road construction and civil engineering projects, learning from experienced professionals while developing the skills to progress into roles such as Civil Engineer, Site Engineer, Works Supervisor or Site Manager.

These roles are a great opportunity to earn while you learn, build real-world experience and start developing a long-term career in the construction, infrastructure and energy sectors.

📍 Based in Alness
🎓 Work towards a recognised qualification
🛠️ Gain practical, on-the-job experience
🚀 Build a career with a leading infrastructure contractor

If you’re a young person considering your next step and these career paths sound like they could be for you, find out more and apply via the DYW Inverness & Central Highland jobs page.

👉 https://www.dywich.co.uk/jobs/

07/08/2026

Great to hear these thoughtful words of advice and motivation from the residents of Eilean Dubh Care Home, Fortrose.

07/08/2026

💬 "It's about tenacity. Don't give up."

To round off our video series, property expert and presenter, Phil Spencer shares his advice for young people starting out and anyone hoping to build a career in property, media or beyond.

Asked by Inverness Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive Colin Marr what advice he'd give someone leaving school today, Phil says…

⭐ Be resilient – there will be setbacks.
⭐ Make the most of your contacts and the people around you.
⭐ Say yes to opportunities, including work experience.
⭐ Be engaged, helpful and present – sometimes it's those first small opportunities that open the biggest doors.

It's a timely reminder that careers are built over time. They grow through perseverance, a willingness to learn and saying yes to opportunities, even if they're not exactly where you imagined you'd begin.

🎥 Watch the second part of this ‘In Conversation’ to hear Phil's advice in full.

💙 As we've celebrated 10 years of this week, we hope these stories have inspired young people across the Highlands to believe in themselves, embrace every opportunity and remember that there is no single route to success.

07/08/2026

🤩It’s been a great week on the road - yesterday Tesco in Dingwall and today we are at the 'Victorian Market' in Inverness from 10am - 2pm.

❓If you still have questions, worries or just want to sound out some thoughts about next steps, come along to our Results Roadshow, delivered in partnership with UHI Inverness and My World of Work, for free advice on education, careers, apprenticeships and employment.

Your future isn’t defined by one set of results. There really is .