OREANDA-NEWS. August 15, 2012. SSE is now recruiting for its new innovative training programme which offers 16-24 year olds in the Highlands the opportunity of a career within the energy industry.  The 12 month programme will offer 28 young people the opportunity to gain some valuable hands on experience of life in the energy industry and the skills learned will help recruits develop a successful career in the future.

The training programme has been developed in conjunction with Highlands and Islands Enterprise and Inverness College UHI and is due to begin in September.  Looking further ahead SSE expects to make significant investments in training and employment across the Highlands and Islands as energy development takes place.

The training programme will provide bespoke training to bring recruits into the SSE business, giving them an excellent head start into life in the energy industry.  A diverse range of topics will be covered including construction, craft, electrical engineering and the energy industry in general.  Throughout the programme, a high focus will be placed on safety, SSE’s number one core value.

SSE has been working closely with Job Centre Plus, Skills Development Scotland and Lifeskills to help identify potential candidates and is encouraging anyone interested in the scheme to register their interest in advance of an open day at Inverness College on 16 August.

Applicants need to be aged between 16 and 24 and have 3 standard grade passes, at any level or subject.  Applications are being handled by Pauline Doull at Job Centre Plus, on 01463 888114 or at pauline.doull@jobcentreplus.gsi.gov.uk

SSE’s Managing Director for Group Services, Jim McPhillimy, said:

“The Highland region has always been very important to us since the early ‘Hydro’ days and we have significant development opportunities in the region planned for the future.  We are determined to leave a lasting legacy for the next generation and our pilot training programme is a further signal of our intent.

“The programme is unique and a first for us, covering an extremely diverse wide-range of topics.  It has been specifically developed with the view to bring recruits into the SSE family and we are really looking forward to meeting with young people in the Highlands with an interest in pursuing an exciting career in the energy industry.”

Councillor Thomas Prag, Chairman of The Highland Council’s Planning, Environment and Development committee said:

“This is exactly the kind of thing we need from the renewables industry and all credit to SSE for picking up the challenge. At a time when young people in the Highlands face an increasingly difficult time in the jobs market this is bound to attract a lot of interest from some high quality applicants. The skills they gain will stand them and the Highlands in good stead for years to come.”

Calum Davidson, Director of Energy and Low Carbon at HIE, said:

"Historically the Highlands and Islands has always been home to a highly skilled and adaptable workforce. This initiative is a great example of how by working together we can develop the diverse range of skills the energy industry needs to ensure Scotland is ready to grasp existing and emerging opportunities."

SSE expects to invest around ?1.5bn annually over the next few years with much of the investment planned in the Highlands and Islands, with significant plans already in place for its renewable division, SSE Renewables, and its transmission business, Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission Ltd (SHETL).  The new training programme will provide recruits with an excellent grounding in the energy industry, giving them a real head start in what SSE hopes will become a long and successful career.