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Highland and Islands Enterprise

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Live your best life in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland

Our region is frequently voted as one of the happiest places to be – why don’t you join us?

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Your future in our region

More and more people are choosing to live, work, study and invest in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. Quite simply put, it’s because our region offers you the chance to live your best life, right here.

Whether it's the great outdoors that floats your boat, a ceilidh with your friends that makes your head spin, or even a trip back in time at one of the hundreds of historical sites that makes your heart beat faster, you can experience it all here.

You’ve probably already heard that the Highlands and Islands is a stunningly beautiful region. But did you know, the area is also packed with thriving businesses, social enterprises and communities? It's the perfect place to develop the career you want with the lifestyle you deserve.

Work in our region

The Highlands and Islands of Scotland offers exceptional and often unique opportunities to build a career.

We have a highly talented and diverse workforce as well as an excellent network of suppliers, industries and supply chain operations. We have a strong labour market with higher employment, lower unemployment and more employees in high or medium skilled occupations than Scotland as a whole.

Find out who is working here and what opportunities exist today.

Working and studying here

Our leading sectors

Our region’s natural assets, ambition, skills base and cultural background provide a range of opportunities to develop a vibrant sectoral economy.

If you're looking at options for a challenging career, find out more about our sectors.

Our sectors

Out of the ordinary opportunities

There are a wide range of career options in the Highlands and Islands. Meet some of the people who have set up or are working with amazing businesses or social enterprises.

WELAN

From London consultancy to high quality, ethical fashion production.

Kyloe

Local talent with a worldwide client base. Find out how HIE supported the Orkney business expand and reach new markets.

CorporateHealth International

Providing an innovative service for a tried and tested technology

Making home energy savings - great for people and the planet

Finlay McCulloch is helping the community to make choices about energy efficiency.

Work life choices with homeworking

You can have both a career and the lifestyle you want by working from home in our region

Fibre 1

Digital connections from Moray

Dogrobes

Margaret Reynolds tells us about her Entrepreneurship support.

Renewable Parts

West coast company at the forefront of greening the wind turbine supply chain.

The Flow Country

The North of Scotland's peatlands vital role in fighting the climate crisis.

Kirsty Elizabeth Studios

Read about how Kirsty Elizabeth Studios has benefitted from being a part of HIE's IMPACT30 programme for young business leaders.

Supporting skills in our region

We're currently supporting businesses and organisations across our region to introduce new thinking to their enterprises, with graduate placements.

There are 89 jobs in place through our current graduate placement programme right now, and additional opportunities are available through our Technology Placement Programme.

Find out a bit more about some of the talented people making a difference to our businesses across the region from our blogs and
news stories.

Orkney Graduate Collage Pic Reduced Size

Orkney Graduates

Meet the seven talented graduates based in Orkney businesses and organisations.

Orkney businesses welcome graduates to new roles

Next generation of netzeroheroes

See the blogs from our graduate placements working to grow businesses while protecting our environment.

Our placement blogs

Outer Hebrides Graduates

Find out more about the range of jobs our Graduate Support Programme placements are delivering in the Outer Hebrides.

New graduates recruited in the Outer Hebrides

A&I Graduate Karl Roberts Working With Tritonia Credit Tritonia Scientific Limited Web

Argyll and Islands graduates

Businesses and Social Enterprises around Argyll and the Islands have recruited 35 graduates through a programme funded and delivered by HIE

Argyll and Islands businesses welcome graduates

World class career opportunities on our doorstep

New talent is choosing the Highlands and Islands. The housing market has seen a boom in online interest, as people seek a greater sense of balance and quality of life amid coronavirus concerns and political upheaval.

There are career opportunities across a wide range of traditional and cutting edge sectors, including life sciences.

Global medical technology company ODx Innovations chose Inverness Campus as its base. One of the reasons was access to local talent, and the capacity to attract new international talent with the exceptional quality of life here.

Find out about the company and its latest opportunities.

ODx Innovations

Our region

470,000

people in the region.

3.1%

low rate of unemployment in the region

our region is frequently voted as the happiest place to live

lower weekly cost of living than London

Young girl at the front of the crowd at Belladrum

Live in the Highlands and Islands

There's so much to see and do in the Highlands and Islands and a lifestyle to suit everyone.

Warm and friendly people, vibrant towns, thriving communities and stunning scenery – what’s not to love? These are just a few of the reasons people around the world choose to live and work in the Highlands and Islands.

See our videos below to hear from international residents living here.

Get help to move here

TalentScotland is a great resource if you’re considering the move. They’ve been helping people develop their careers in Scotland for almost 20 years. They provide information about visas and immigration, industries and employers and job opportunities.

Visit the TalentScotland website

It's easy to make the move

Have a look through our videos to hear from people who've already made the move from across the globe to the Highlands and Islands.

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Pierre Bonnin is a French/Scottish national living and working in Scotland.

Cristian Pizarro is a Chilean national living and working in Scotland.

Manuel Alvarez-Icaza is a Mexican national living and working in Scotland.

Pamela Looper is a Dutch national living and working in Scotland.

Pawel de Sternberg Stojalowski is a Polish national based here

Study here

With seven universities in the region and a network of further and higher education institutes, there's no lack of choice when it comes to studying in the Highlands and Islands.

The University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) is an integrated university encompassing both further and higher education. The University is a partnership of 13 independent colleges and research institutions. Each is locally based and rooted in communities but with a national and international reach.

The network offer a diverse range of courses, many that take advantage of the unique environment, landscape and culture that can only be found in the Highlands and Islands.

Visit UHI

In addition to UHI, the other six universities with a presence in the region are Heriot Watt, University of Aberdeen, SRUC (Scottish Rural College), Glasgow School of Art and Robert Gordon University.

Outside view of Orkney Research and Innovation Centre

Base your business here

Want to invest in the area? We can help.

Set up in the Highlands and Islands

Visit

Ready to fall in love with our region? Then why not come for a visit. It could be the first step on your adventure of a lifetime.

Plan your trip

Support the #behere campaign

Businesses, communities and agencies are all sharing good news and opportunities from across the Highlands and Islands.

If you want to find out more visit our campaign page for resources and information you can use.

#behere campaign resource bank

Business associates shaking hands over desk

The areas which make up the Highlands and Islands

Find out more about what makes each part of our region unique.

Inverness Campus

HIE's Business Panel Surveys

Aseptium