This month saw the official launch of a project that has been a labour of love for me for some time now: the Focus North summer programme.

Called Live Highland, Live Happy, the summer programme is a partnership initiative between my client, Focus North, and Developing the Young Workforce North Highland. Together, we want to highlight the range of opportunities for young people right here in Caithness and Sutherland. If you want to go away and work, great, but you don’t have to – and there are jobs waiting for you back home. There’s a new economy emerging and the North Highlands is right at the centre of it. We produce 12.5x the electricity we consume, and have billions of investment flowing into the region from private and public sector initiatives.

Population decline has been the scourge of the Highlands for too long, and we’re taking our futures into our own hands.

That starts by inspiring our future workforce. The Focus North summer programme includes:

Minecraft ‘Reinventing Regions’ – a first of its kind! Inspired by the Reinventing Cities programme by Minecraft Education, we’re inviting pupils at three local schools to rebuild their region the way they’d like to see it. Working in small teams with support from youth leaders, pupils will brainstorm, collaborate, design, build and present their ideas. We will then unveil their designs at the Focus North annual conference. Every participant receives a certificate of achievement and the best design wins a PlayStation for their school, kindly donated by Amentum.

Wellbeing workshops – in an annual school survey, pupils told us they face challenges with self-esteem, anxiety and communication skills. We’ve teamed up with motivational speaker and coach Dee Bleakley on a series of workshops addressing those issues and helping young people to be the best version of themselves. Sessions are free and available in Wick and Thurso.

Parents workshops – Powering Futures is delivering a series of workshops to help local parents support their children with planning their future. Using a new AI tool, they will match up their skills to future career paths and take part in supported 121 conversations. Local careers advisers can highlight opportunities in the region, and offer further help and advice. Again, free sessions, in Wick and Thurso.

CV masterclass – What does it take to create a winning CV and cover letter? Find out with this practical online workshop delivered by global nuclear services and engineering firm Amentum. Join online and benefit from practical advice and CV surgery.

LEGO renewables workshop – Join Skills Development Scotland for a fun, interactive workshop using LEGO, VR headsets and drones to explore career opportunities. Free sessions in Wick and Thurso.

PLUS we’ve recruited a small group of school pupils to act as ‘roving reporters’ – attending events, capturing feedback from their peers, and creating a fly-on-the-wall video report to be played at the Focus North annual conference.

We’re putting local young people in the driving seat this summer. The next step will be challenging partners and stakeholders on how they can support the workforce of tomorrow.

Making your projects fly

The summer programme is one of a range of projects I’ve undertaken through the creative consultancy side of my business. I have 20 years’ experience in the communications industry, and often it’s the essential ingredient needed to get projects off the notebook and out into the world.

I have worked with Focus North for two years and in that time I have:

• Relaunched their website with a fresh design and impactful copy
• Project-managed a myth-busting video from the talented folks at 3×1, along with several useful infographics
• Provided copywriting support across corporate communications, stakeholder engagement and presentations
• Promoted the World Heritage Site on our doorstep, with training opportunities for local suppliers and a BBC report
• Planned, co-ordinated and launched the summer programme – with our annual conference next on the list!

Check out my portfolio for more information – or get in touch for a chat.

Photo by Matteo Discardi on Unsplash