In this third episode of Talk Innovation, host Clare English is chatting to George Mclean, Project Manager and Laura Sheerman, Research and Education Lead at The VR Hive which is a soft skills platform delivering training via augmented / extended reality.

The Co-Innovate programme discussed in this podcast is supported by the European Union's INTERREG VA Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB).

The HIE Innovation programme receives financial support from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

In this episode of Talk Innovation host, Clare English, is chatting to General Manager, Rob Hall, and Studio Coordinator, Calum Ferguson, at Studio Vans.  The business specialises in the creation of design-led, ready-to-go fit-outs for campervan conversions. We discussed a range of subjects including their emphasis on sustainability and how they are collaborating with designers to repurpose island ocean plastic and other materials into objects that can be reused.  The discussion looks at the support the business has received via the HIE Innovation team and the impact it has brought. 

The Co-Innovate programme discussed in this podcast is supported by the European Union's INTERREG VA Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB).

The HIE Innovation programme receives financial support from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

About this podcast
Hear from business owners across the Highlands and Islands who have employed graduates and students via the Technology Placement Programme. This podcast is hosted by Craig Steele, a computer scientist, published author, and creative technologist who loves nothing more than talking about anything digital or techy. Tech Talks with Craig is delivered by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE).

In this episode
Terry Stebbings from Proterra Energy and Peter MacDonald from MacDonald Project Solutions talk to Craig about student placements. Peter and Terry both run engineering businesses, and their businesses brought in new talent by employing students on a subsidised 12-week work placement during 2020 and 2021. Find out what made them decide to take on a student, and how the projects the students worked on gave their businesses a real boost.

More info
The Technology Placement Programme is for businesses looking to bring in new technology and digital skills that take their business to the next level. It’s for SMEs in the Highland Council area, and a graduate or student can be placed within the business with up to 50% of their salary covered by the programme.

Visit the HIE website for more information and to apply.

The Technology Placement programme is part of the Northern Innovation Hub which is funded by the Inverness and Highland City-Region Deal and the European Regional Development Fund. 

About this podcast
Hear from business owners across the Highlands and Islands who have employed graduates and students via the Technology Placement Programme. This podcast is hosted by Craig Steele, a computer scientist, published author, and creative technologist who loves nothing more than talking about anything digital or techy. Tech Talks with Craig is delivered by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE).

In this episode
Craig speaks to David Howarth, director of iDE8, a medical device product design and development company, and Douglas Barr, Programme Leader of the Applied Software Development Honours Degree at the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI). David employed a graduate to develop a web app that will allow his clients to easily share important information with them, and this episode highlights the fantastic benefits that in-house software development can bring businesses. David and Douglas also talk about the exciting talent coming out of Scottish universities and highlight how graduates offer a cost-friendly alternative to hiring consultants.

More info
The Technology Placement Programme is for businesses looking to bring in new technology and digital skills that take their business to the next level. It’s for SMEs in the Highland Council area, and a graduate or student can be placed within the business with up to 50% of their salary covered by the programme.

Visit the HIE website for more information and to apply.

The Technology Placement programme is part of the Northern Innovation Hub which is funded by the Inverness and Highland City-Region Deal and the European Regional Development Fund. 

About this podcast
Hear from business owners across the Highlands and Islands who have employed graduates and students via the Technology Placement Programme. This podcast is hosted by Craig Steele, a computer scientist, published author, and creative technologist who loves nothing more than talking about anything digital or techy. Tech Talks with Craig is delivered by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE).
 
In this episode
Craig speaks to David Maclennan, director of Pure Water International (PWI). David hired two University of Strathclyde graduates to test and develop a prototype created by the company to remove chemicals, medication, plastic fibres, and polluted substances from water. David talks about how, after only six months in post, the graduates have already demonstrated an incredible ability to design, draw and prototype a new water purification solution, speeding up time to market by 18 months. David and Craig discuss how the benefit goes both ways: the business benefits from fresh thinking and new skills at a reduced cost, and the graduates get to work on a wide variety of tasks and have more input than they would in a typical graduate scheme. They agree that having no previous industry experience can even be a bonus, as Orrin and Scott (the graduates) came with no preconceived ideas.

More info
The Technology Placement Programme is for businesses looking to bring in new technology and digital skills that take their business to the next level. It’s for SMEs in the Highland Council area, and a graduate or student can be placed within the business with up to 50% of their salary covered by the programme.

Visit the HIE website for more information and to apply.

The Technology Placement programme is part of the Northern Innovation Hub which is funded by the Inverness and Highland City-Region Deal and the European Regional Development Fund. 

In this first episode of Talk Innovation, host Clare English is chatting to Michael Forbes, General Manager and Refurbishment Engineer at Renewable Parts about being a supplier of new and refurbished turbine parts to the global wind energy sector.  The discussion looks at the support the business has received via the HIE Innovation team and the impact it has brought. Michael plays a key role in the Renewable Parts team, which is helping establish themselves firmly as innovators in green technology for the wind industry.

The Co-Innovate programme discussed in this podcast is supported by the European Union's INTERREG VA Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB).

The HIE Innovation programme receives financial support from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).