As part of a new partnership with UKHospitality announced (15 October 2026), major employers will provide paid employment as well as work experience and training opportunities for 18 to 24 year olds who are not in education, work or training. Britain’s leading hospitality businesses including Whitbread, McDonald’s and Nando’s, commit to hiring 100,000 young people not in education, employment or training through a major partnership with UKHospitality.
Innovation Minister Alyn Smith has confirmed £10 million investment to develop two Defence Technical Excellence Colleges (DTECs) for Scotland. Plans are underway to allocate sites in the east and west of the country to support the development of skills for well-paid careers in areas such as defence engineering, advanced manufacturing and maritime technology.
Fake weight loss medicines worth approximately £2 million were seized last night in a raid executed by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and West Midlands Police. On October 14, over 12,000 fake retatrutide and tirzepatide pens were seized along with packaging for around 30,000 more products.
The interruption of military-grade satellite communications used by Ukraine has exposed a weakness in Western defence planning. Modern armies increasingly depend on commercial satellite networks, but what happens when the company operating them, or the government controlling access, decides that the service must be restricted? The recent disruption involving Starlink and its military counterpart, Starshield, has brought that question into sharp focus.
In a speech 15/10/26, the Prime Minister will invite Scotland's First Minister to work with him on the common good of pushing more power out of both Westminster and Holyrood, unlocking jobs and opportunity in every region. In a speech today, the Prime Minister will invite Scotland’s First Minister to work with him on the common good of pushing more power out of both Westminster and Holyrood, unlocking jobs and opportunity in every region.
Calder Hall, the world’s first nuclear power station, marks 70 years. Decommissioning of the facility progresses, creating space for Sellafield’s future mission.
UK and Germany deepen defence-industrial cooperation at Lancaster House talks, building on the Trinity House Agreement and Kensington Treaty. UK and Germany strengthened defence-industrial cooperation at the latest talks at Lancaster House.
A college + university like no other With 19 campuses and centres across the North and West Highlands, Skye, and Outer Hebrides, we cover a geographic area larger than Wales, comprising 40% of Scotland’s coastline. Our campuses and centres are located within historic towns and villages, set amongst the shorelines, mountains, and moors, with local staff working across our region to support our students and communities. Position: We are seeking a Work Based Assessor in Aquaculture, to be based at any of our NWH campuses.
The UK economy grew by 0.1% in August 2026, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), providing a modest boost after stronger growth in July. The result was better than economists had expected, although it does not necessarily signal a sustained improvement in the economy.
Britain’s construction industry is losing ground, with output falling for a fourth consecutive month in August and private housebuilding suffering another sharp decline. The latest figures raise fresh concerns about the country’s ability to build the homes and infrastructure it needs, while sustaining jobs across the building industry.
This week, four criminals who were part of a 'courier fraud' network that scammed victims out of almost £250,000 have been sentenced. They cold called people, claiming to work for their bank, and said there had been fraudulent activity on their bank accounts.
Britain's ambition to become a major producer of offshore wind power has run into a series of costly and complicated problems at Dogger Bank, one of the world's largest offshore wind developments in the North Sea. Although Dogger Bank lies off the Yorkshire coast, its progress matters well beyond England.
The UK Government wants carbon capture and storage to do more than reduce emissions. It sees the emerging industry as an opportunity to rebuild Britain's industrial base, protect skilled jobs and attract investment to communities that have experienced decades of decline.
The voluntary wage rate increases across the UK, with almost half a million workers expected to benefit. But the change highlights the continuing gap between employers who pay a wage based on living costs and those who meet only the legal minimum.
Heavy losses in Asian stock markets have raised fresh concerns about global investor confidence, but London’s FTSE 100 has so far proved more resilient. The question is whether Britain can escape the wider sell-off if pressure on technology shares, inflation and borrowing costs continues to build.
Rising war-risk premiums are adding millions of dollars to the cost of sending ships through one of the world's most important energy routes. The latest attacks could make it even harder to keep oil and other goods moving.
New headquarters in Derby will employ up to 450 staff and open up apprenticeships for up to 600 young people. new HQ in Derby marks latest step to bring railway back into public control and put passengers before profit.
At this time of year there is always an increase in roofing scams. Citizens Advice have reported this week that one in 10 of all the scams it recorded over the past year were related to roofing, making it the most common type of scam brought to them.
UK to provide £17m in funding towards repairs to the Chornobyl nuclear power plant damaged by Russian drone strike last year. UK joins G7 partners in an international funding package that will back Ukraine’s nuclear safety in the face of continued Russian aggression.
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has confirmed that legal challenges to its £9.1 billion car finance compensation scheme will be heard by the Upper Tribunal between 16 and 26 February 2027. The delay means motorists will have to wait longer to discover whether they are entitled to compensation and how much they might receive.
One of America's biggest banks has been penalised for failing to identify and report suspicious financial activity. But British banks have also faced substantial fines for weaknesses in their anti-money-laundering systems.
Scapa Flow Museum has announced the official launch of ‘Voices from Scapa Flow’, an ambitious new audio project revealing what life was really like for the residents, service personnel and workers stationed at one of the world’s greatest natural harbours during the First and Second World Wars. The project is a Highlands and Islands Digital Heritage Network initiative, delivered in partnership with The Space, a not-for-profit digital agency for the arts, heritage and culture sector, and Museums and Heritage Highland.
The FCA has conducted a major operation to disrupt a suspected organised criminal group for engaging in insider dealing and money laundering. On 13 October, 3 individuals were arrested following a joint operation by the FCA and the National Crime Agency (NCA).
If you live in rural Britain, you don’t need an economist to tell you that the energy market is in free-fall. You see it every time you pass a petrol station forecourt, and you certainly feel it when you check the tank out the back of your house.
The banks have closed branches across the Highlands and customers have adapted. With Highland Council facing serious financial pressures, is it time to rethink permanent offices and take council services directly to the people who need them? There was a time when going to the bank meant visiting a branch.
The war between Russia and Ukraine is opening up another front, and it is one that could have implications far beyond the battlefield. Both countries are now attacking digital infrastructure, including the data centres that help keep modern economies functioning.
Britain is preparing to spend tens of billions of pounds strengthening its electricity networks. But as battery storage becomes more widespread and communities develop their own energy systems, should we be asking whether every planned upgrade will still be necessary?.
The Highland Council’s Environmental Health team is advising members of the public to exercise caution following the identification of blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) at Loch Migdale, Sutherland. The situation is being investigated by Highland Council’s Environmental Health team in partnership with NHS Highland Public Health Department and wider colleagues.
This one-bedroom flat is situated in the sought-after Bignold Court. It is in need of renovation, after being empty for a duration of time, and is looking for a buyer to restore it to its former glory.
Morven Fancey, Head of housing, skills and population with Highland and Islands Enerprise looks a Childcare. Investing in childcare is an investment in people, in communities and in the long-term success of the Highlands and Islands and the region’s contribution to Scotland’s economy.
Trading Standards regularly issues warning about scams. Now they have provided a very useful advice list.
The Scottish Government has appointed another trade and investment envoy, this time to the United Arab Emirates. Ronnie Graham, managing partner of Winston Taylor's Dubai office, has been appointed to promote Scotland's interests in the UAE and help Scottish companies build relationships in the market.
Britain is being encouraged to become better prepared for emergencies, with households advised to keep supplies of food and water that could see them through several days. That sounds sensible enough.
RG SetSquare has a requirement for multiple HGV Drivers required for an ongoing assignment with our client. 6 month contract.
An exciting opportunity has arisen to join QS, supporting UHI North, West & Hebrides with examinations. QS are looking to recruit a Depute Chief Invigilator to be responsible for supporting the Chief Invigilator (CI) with the organisation and supervision of invigilation for National Qualifications, in accordance with QS policy and procedures.
An exciting opportunity has arisen to join QS, supporting UHI North, West & Hebrides with examinations. QS are looking to recruit an Invigilator to undertake the duties of invigilation for National Qualifications, in accordance with QS policy and procedures.
Bacon has suddenly become a rather more complicated item on the shopping list. Should we worry about nitrates and nitrites? Is nitrate-free bacon healthier? And if supermarkets are now selling bacon without added nitrites, is it worth paying extra for it?.
Women going through the menopause are being offered an ever-growing range of supplements promising to help with hot flushes, poor sleep, mood changes, brain fog, tiredness and a host of other symptoms. But new research raises an uncomfortable question: are some women paying hundreds of pounds a year for products that offer little more than a much cheaper ordinary multivitamin? The answer is not that all menopause supplements are useless.
The Highland Council has agreed to submit proposals for two Short Term Let Control Areas (STLCAs) to Scottish Ministers following extensive public consultation and consideration by local area committees. At today’s special meeting of the Economy and Infrastructure Committee (28 September), Members approved the submission of proposals for: An Inverness City Short Term Let Control Area, covering Inverness and surrounding areas; and A Highland Rural Short Term Let Control Area, covering Aird and Loch Ness, Inverness South, Wester Ross, Strathpeffer and Lochalsh, Lochaber, Skye and Raasay, and Sutherland.
There are times when a story from thousands of miles away makes you look at your own garden slightly differently. Reports from the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Oleshky describe residents facing such severe shortages of food that some have reportedly been eating plants growing in their gardens that most of us would simply call weeds.
Five place based residencies across Caithness and Sutherland. The Caithness and Sutherland Culture Collective Partnership invites applications for five artist residencies, each rooted in a different locality and hosted by a partner organisation.
A beautiful mid-terraced, three-bedroom (one with ensuite), stone-built home which retains many of the original features, with a large area of garden to rear. Accommodation comprises vestibule, hallway, lounge, sitting room/dining room, Ashley Ann fitted kitchen and a utility room on the ground floor, upstairs from the landing there are three bedrooms, one with ensuite and a family bathroom.
Vapes, Drinks and Spiking: What Young People and Parents Need to Know A recent BBC report has highlighted an issue that parents of teenagers may find worrying: the possibility of drugs being put into drinks or even vapes without the person's knowledge. It is a subject where sensible advice is more useful than alarm.
This doer-upper was started and now looking for a new owner to finish it. Hidden away in Beaufoy Street, this lovely stone-built property has a new fitted kitchen, oak doors fitted throughout and now needs plumbing and electrics to be finished, along with decoration.
Sutherland has had another week in which several apparently separate stories point towards the same underlying question. How does a huge rural area attract investment and economic activity while maintaining the homes, services and communities needed to support it?.
The future of disability benefits is becoming one of the more difficult issues facing the UK government, with spending rising rapidly and increasing numbers of people receiving support. A new report from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) examines what could be changed in Personal Independence Payment (PIP), the main working-age disability benefit in England and Wales.
The Bank held interest rates as expected in its MPC meeting Thursday), with the real news coming from a welcome change in how it intends unwind Quantitative Easing (QE) and a gloomy outlook on the cost of living, the Resolution Foundation said today. James Smith, Chief Economist at the Resolution Foundation, said, “The Bank’s decision today to hold interest rates was welcome but expected.
Canada has spent generations building its economy around its huge neighbour to the south. Now it is looking across the Atlantic.
Something rather important is happening around the United States, and it may be bigger than the individual tariff announcements, political arguments or daily movements in the oil price. America is changing the way it deals with the rest of the world.
Qualified Mechanic required for maintenance and repairs for various types of vehicles. MOT Experience would be advantageous but not essential.
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