Realising the ambition of establishing the Highlands and Islands as the lead learning region in the country is one of the key priorities for the new director of developing skills at Highlands and Islands Enterprise Alex Paterson.

Alex, whose previous job was managing director with a firm of management consultants in Glasgow, has also worked with Volvo and Esso, and has experience of the Enterprise Networks through a period spent with Scottish Enterprise Renfrewshire where he was head of small business development.

As director of the developing skills group he will be responsible for the delivery of national programmes, such as Skillseekers, across the Highlands and Islands, as well as a range of tailor-made training solutions for individual industries and businesses and the promotion of lifelong learning.

He is joining HIE at a time when the whole skills and learning landscape throughout Scotland is about to undergo a substantial change. The biggest single change will follow the government announcement that the Careers Service, and a range of other training, education and guidance bodies, will now be re-established under the banner of Careers Scotland, and aligned more closely with the Enterprise Networks.

Alex Paterson said: "There is a great deal to be done to lay strong foundations for the future of training in the Highlands and Islands as the new skills agenda gathers pace. People who are looking for work, or career advancement, should be helped to focus their training on the needs of employers both now and in the future. We must address the needs of traditional industries as well as ensuring that people have the skills to seize opportunities in new industries. That's where developments such as Careers Scotland, Learndirect Scotland and the University of the Highlands and Islands will be able to make a difference and the HIE network will continue to play a key role.

"The importance of training, and learning new skills can sometimes be under-estimated by both employers and employees but it is absolutely vital, not least for the local workforce and economy, that people and businesses realise how crucial it is to have the right skills to do a job, and to keep acquiring new ones as other opportunities present themselves.

HIE chief executive Sandy Cumming said: "The Highlands and Islands are already acknowledged to have a highly-skilled and able workforce - but we can't afford to rest on those laurels. We win new business on the strength of this reputation and it's crucially important that people continue to invest both time and money in maintaining their skills. HIE works hard on the skills front and I'm confident that Alex will take these efforts from strength to strength."