From the very beginning, HIE has been a forward thinking organisation, which has constantly sought to attract innovative businesses to the region. From the first computers in the 60s to the new ICT industries of today, HIE supports new enterprise and ensures that companies will always have a home in the Highlands and Islands.
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Demonstrating forward thinking, the HIDB supports the region's first computer centre as Central Computer Services Ltd establish their headquarters in Inverness. The centre will provide computer services for organisations throughout the Highlands, and will be home to Highland Council's mainframe computer.
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BT decides to set up a computer help-desk service on the Thurso Enterprise Park to serve London staff, creating around 30 jobs.
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Keeping remote businesses connected
Addressing the need to keep communities in remote areas in the loop, the newly formed HIE establishes six pilot 'telecottages' in remote parts of the Highlands and Islands. These form local hubs providing a range of business and training services, and also give people access to computers, fax machines and photocopiers.
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A teleservice centre at Forres is opened, owned by Hoskyns Group PLC, a subsidiary of CapGemini. It is expected to create up to 200 jobs in the next 2 years. In 1996, the company assumes the CapGemini name, which becomes one of the biggest consultancy groups in the world.
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Database Direct (Scotland) Ltd is formed, with a new operations centre opening in Dunoon. The business focuses on telemarketing and development of marketing databases, and soon expands to include a research division. Today, the Company operates as DDL Group.
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In a bid to attract new ICT businesses to the region, HIE embarks on a programme of building advance office accommodation.
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HIE recruits the first IT Adviser in the Western Isles to support local businesses in the use of information and communications technologies. This is the beginning of the boom in information technology and similar posts are created across the Highlands and Islands in the next few years.
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Telecom Service Centres opens a centre in Rothesay, Isle of Bute, creating around 70 jobs. The company expands in following years, and operates today as Webhelp.
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Responding to the new wave of flexible working, the first home working jobs are created in the Western Isles, in Uist and Barra, by community development organisation Cothrom. They employ 20 people to work on abstracts of medical and scientific journals for Crossaig, based in Argyll.
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Telecom Services Centre establishes a new call centre site in Dunoon, in an advance business complex developed by HIE. Employing 100 people, the site complements their original call centre in Rothesay. The company operates today as Webhelp.
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Work begins on a major business development in Forres - the Enterprise Park Forres. It comprises 44 hectares of farmland which will become home to a range of serviced sites, bespoke offices and high spec workshops, aimed primarily at call centres and hi-tech businesses.
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BT sets up a computer help-desk service on the Thurso Enterprise Park to serve London staff, creating around 30 jobs.
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Iomart opens a call centre in Stornoway with its Madasafish Internet brand.
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Dunoon based Database Direct Ltd announce plans to expand, creating an additional 32 full time jobs, alongside the current workforce of 87 full time staff in Dunoon.
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Big Business comes to forres
A major new telecoms business centre, operated by CapGemini Ernst and Young (later Vertex, now Capita), opens at Forres Enterprise Park. Within a year, it employs an impressive 850 local people.
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To support the UK rollout of advanced ADSL broadband services, BT Manpower opens a technical support centre in Alness, which is expected to lead to the creation of 200 jobs in the area.
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Nexus Management establishes a business support centre in Dornoch.
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On Benbecula, HIE opens a new data centre, Taigh Cheann, a'Locha at Lionacleit. A team of 20 staff provide financial administration services for the whole HIE network. Thanks to their successful bid to run the National Lottery’s Scottish Land Fund, HIE also opens an office in Auchtertyre, creating jobs in Lochalsh.
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Iomart, based in Stornoway, sells its broadband internet business to One.Tel, owned by Centrica, with transition in early 2002.
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new horizons for the highlands
The new Horizon Scotland business centre opens at the Forres Enterprise Park, providing fully serviced office space and first class conference facilities for new and up and coming businesses. Innovation is the name of the game, and tenants are constantly changing as small businesses grow and move to larger premises in the region.
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helping the UK's consumers
Shawbost in the Isle of Lewis becomes the home of Consumer Direct, a national consumer helpline and online services company which works alongside Trading Standards and Citizen's Advice Bureaux. They offer practical advice to consumers across the length and breadth of the UK.
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Around 15 workers at the BT call centre in Thurso take part in a homeworking trial. As part of the HomeAdvisor pilot, the volunteers are provided with training and the furniture and equipment needed to take customer calls at home. Following the trial, BT extend the opportunity for homeworking across their UK operations.
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The Telecoms Services Centre in Dunoon is bought out by the Indian based, multinational HERO Group for £40m. The business is rebranded as HEROtsc.
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After securing a £65m information and communications technology contract with the Highland Council, global company Fujitsu establish a new headquarters at Beechwood Business Park in Inverness. This new office will be staffed by 70 of Fujitsu's 500 Scottish employees.
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pioneering the home working revolution
Internationally renowned outsourcing firm Vertex in Dingwall establish an innovative home working pilot which creates 15 jobs in the rural communities of East Sutherland and the Seaboard villages in Easter Ross. Understanding the economic benefits that home working can bring to some of the more remote communities, HIE supports the pilot with funding of £20,000.
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Technology business AVC Group PLC opens a contact centre at Cradlehall Business Park in Inverness and a warehouse and trade counter elsewhere in the city, creating around 50 jobs in the area.
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Vertex, with bases in both Dingwall and Forres, expands its Highland operations when it wins a contract with Westminster City Council to provide 24 hour social services and environmental action helplines.
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The place to be for I.T
International Information Technology Services company, Atos, announces that it will create 50 jobs at a new development and innovation centre at Forres Enterprise Park. HIE contributes £1m to the project, and the centre opens in 2013.
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BT takes over ClientLogic contact centre in Alness.
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HEROtsc announces more jobs in their Rothesay call centre. HIE provides financial assistance totaling £366,000 to help expand their operations.
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space for dynamic business
Having already created 140 jobs over the last year, Capita announce another 30 jobs for the region. HIE contributes £385,000 to their £1.14m investment at the Forres Enterprise Park, helping to support the development of a world class customer service centre in the region.
Capita Plc deliver a wide range of services including life and pensions, property consultancy, IT services, recruitment, and occupational health services, amongst others.
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Talktalk’s Stornoway centre is officially opened by CEO Sir Charles Dunstone, who decides to base his office there.
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Stornoway becomes the site for another telecoms business, Consumer Advice Direct (CAD), who move into the new £1m centre at Gleann Seileach. They will deliver the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline for the UK, and also receive funding from Bòrd na Gàidhlig to provide a helpline for Gaelic speakers.
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Aon Hewitt acquire Babcock International Group’s pensions business, and expand their office at Forss Business and Technology Park, Thurso.
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Following the announcement in 2011, a new development and innovation centre for international IT services company Atos officially opens at Venture House on the Forres Enterprise Park. The facility creates 50 high value jobs with the potential for another 200. HIE contributed £1m to the overall project cost of £12m.
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HEROtsc is sold to French company, Webhelp, and will now be known as Webhelp TSC. The company now has six Scottish bases, including their original premises at Rothesay and Dunoon.
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HIE makes way for business growth
HIE relocate to Inverness city centre from Cowan House at Inverness Business and Retail park. The move is to make way for office accommodation for CapGemini, one of the world’s foremost providers of consulting, technology and outsourcing services and create up to 500 new jobs. HIE also contributed £1.175m to the project, demonstrating commitment to economic growth in the region.
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NSL establish a site in Dingwall to deliver processes associated with parking provision for Westminster City Council.
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London based ERPaaS Ltd establishes an Oracle Development Centre in Inverness for its Enterprise Resource Planning Service. The new centre creates 17 highly skilled IT roles, and it is hoped to be the beginning of a cluster of technology businesses in the region. HIE supports the company with funding of £340,000.
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Fujitsu moves from Alness Point to larger facilities at Fyrish House, Alness, owned by HIE. The move will enable the company to expand its service desk operations, and HIE provides funding towards capital expenditure and staff training.
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Serco Caledonian Sleeper establishes its main office and Guest Services centre in Inverness. The busy office will handle phone, email and social media correspondence - alongside sales, marketing and finance.
Financial & Business Services
At 2015
1 in 10 jobs
in the Highlands and Islands are now in the financial and business services sector
the customer contact and outsourcing industry has enjoyed steady growth since the
early 1990s
and now employs around