A drive is underway to encourage graduates to apply for a wide range of exciting work opportunities currently on offer across key Orkney business sectors.
The Graduate Support Programme is managed by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), which provided 75-per-cent of the funding for 13 different posts in the islands.
Open to anyone who has graduated within the last four years, the placement scheme has positions available locally in renewables, food and drink, the creative industries, and the voluntary and health sectors, amongst others.
Orkney marine operations firm, Green Marine UK, for example, is looking for a graduate business development officer to work with its team in Stromness, focusing on identifying new business opportunities and working closely with existing clients, while Kirkwall based Leask Marine is seeking a junior project engineer to support its engineering specialists.
If your background is more marketing than marine then an opportunity with two of Orkney’s most exciting sectors could be perfect for you.
Orkney Food & Drink and Creative Orkney are advertising for a graduate digital media advisor to work with local businesses to improve their online profiles, and local jewellery firm Ortak is on the lookout for an online market placement graduate to help grow the firm's presence in online marketplaces, including Amazon. Meanwhile, Stockan’s Oatcakes is keen to appoint a graduate with a background in environmental science or renewable energy to focus on sustainability as the company works towards reducing its carbon footprint and reaching net zero.
There are also graduate placements on offer at the Orkney Shellfish Hatchery (OSH), with three posts for qualified aquaculture or marine science graduates, or early career aquaculturalists, available. OSH is a commercial shellfish hatchery specialising in the hatchery production of native flat oysters and clawed lobster.
All these positions are currently listed on the Orkney.com jobs page (enter ‘graduate’ in the keyword search box) with more set to be added shortly.
While some of the graduate positions available are for a fixed term, others offer longer periods of employment, and many are likely to become permanent.