Bright prospectsBright prospectsConfi dence in Perth as city

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Driving economic growth is the key objective of the Scottish Cities Alliance, which works across our seven cities to create the optimum conditions to at-

tract investment.The alliance is the unique collaboration

of Scotland’s seven cities and the Scottish government working together to create the conditions for economic growth, by strategically focusing on three programmes of work: infrastructure, low carbon and Smart Cities.

With its newly-launched investment prospectus outlining £10 billion worth of investments across the seven cities of Scotland, the alliance has brought the city investment requirements into one document to allow potential investors to have all the information they need at their fingertips.

Split into sectors, the 53-page invest-ment prospectus allows prospective inves-tors to go straight to their area of interest and expertise – whether that is hotel and leisure, industrial, office, residential or mixed use – highlighting the great range of investor, developer and occupier opportu-nities spread across the Scottish cities.

The vast breadth of opportunity avail-able highlights Scotland’s cities as modern, innovative places in which to invest and do business.

Perth is one of Scotland’s fastest grow-ing cities and its huge investment poten-tial is highlighted in the alliance’s online prospectus which features several invest-ment opportunities in the city region.

One of the area’s most ambitious, inno-

vative developments is the Perth Food and Drink Park, which opened in February with the potential for up to 400 new jobs to be brought to the area. The Scottish Cities Alliance is promoting this work in its investment prospectus which is being marketed around the world.

Aimed at strengthening the food and drink sector in Scotland by offering ser-viced development land and business sup-port facilities, the Food and Drink Park aims to boost the city region’s reputation in the sector, capitalising on the fact that the area has the largest concentration of food and drink businesses in Scotland with numbers totalling almost 1000.

Perth Food and Drink Park aims to boost the estimated £310 million turn-over the sector brings to Perthshire with serviced development plots ranging in size from one acre (0.4 hectare) to three acres (1.2 hectares) all of which have a variety of services including gas, electricity, water, drainage and broadband. Full planning permissions are also all in place.

Perth & Kinross Council’s inward investment and marketing officer Stuart Oliver said: “The food and drink sector in Scotland offers major opportunities for companies looking to take advantage of the country’s superb reputation and ambi-tious growth agenda and The Perth Food and Drink Park is designed to offer space for such companies.

“Our Food and Drink Park offers a strategic location in an area with superb transport connectivity and a great reputa-tion for quality food and drink. The Scot-tish Cities Alliance Investment Prospectus provides us with a useful channel with

which we can promote the food and drink park to international audiences.”

And the potential for business spans the sectors with another key development in Perth, showcased in the Scottish Cities Alliance’s Investment Prospectus. The PH20 project will deliver the country’s leading indoor water and ice leisure facil-ity, as well as well as a range of investment opportunities in the tourism sector due to the commercial development space of almost one hectare that the project will make available.

Part permissions are in place for a hotel on the site next to the leisure park, situ-ated in Glover Street, which spans almost one hectare. In a bid to boost tourism to the area and visitors to the new leisure facility, investments are sought for a hotel in a bid to address the current undersupply of high-quality accommodation in the city.

Stuart Oliver added: “Being part of the Alliance allows us additional opportunities to showcase the Perth City region.

“Perth is Scotland’s third fastest growing city region after Edinburgh and Aberdeen with significant growth projected both in terms of population and physical expan-sion and, as such, offers a huge range of business and investment opportunities.”

The investment prospectus features sev-eral other prime Perth investment opportu-

The Perth Food and Drink Park is among developments promoted by a £10 billion investment prospectus to benefit seven Scottish cities, writes Clare Ross

Appetite for growth drives cities’ uniquecollaboration

nities, such as an area at Broxden Business Park offering hotel, leisure and office devel-opments; Murray Royal which offers 7.69 hectares of hotel, leisure and office poten-tial in a Category A listed building and Auld Bond Road in Inveralmond South Business Park which has 1.86 hectares of office potential, to name but a few.

Scottish Cities Alliance programme director Aileen Edwards said: “The key objective of the alliance is to drive eco-nomic growth in Scotland’s seven cities and we are doing that through three pro-grammes of work: infrastructure invest-ment, low carbon and Smart City work all related and linking into a set of city invest-ment plans.

“We are delighted to have launched our new, updated investment prospectus which has more than 40 development opportunities across residential, hotel and leisure and office and industrial sectors and features strong business propositions from the Perth City Region, such as the Perth Food and Drink Park, which the Alliance is actively promoting, the ambitious PH20 Project and many other great investment propositions.

“The feedback we received from inves-tors has been extremely positive and the alliance aims to build on this.”Visit scottishcities.org to view the prospectus.

International audience discovers potential market

The Scottish Cities Alliance is helping Perth to showcase new opportunities in the region

Investment

Business Insight is an independent supplement distributed exclusively in The Times. It is produced by Business Insight and the publishers can accept no legal liability for any errors. The content has been obtained from sources the publishers believe to be correct.

David Littlejohn of Perth and Kinross Council

Perth City Region attended the MIPIM event in Cannes, France, recently as part of the Scottish Cities Alliance to promote the area’s huge potential to the invest-ment world.

From the international property event, Perth and Kinross Council has generated several new leads the inward investment team are actively following up.

The city region’s great variety of potential for investors was highlighted by the projects featured in the Scottish Cities Alliance’s new Investment Prospectus, launched at the event by David Littlejohn,

Perth and Kinross Council’s head of planning and development, to a large international business audience.

This is the second time that Perth has attended MIPIM as part of the Scot-tish Cities Alliance, with the first visit attracting hugely positive feedback from the UK and international investment community.

All of Scotland’s cities were at MIPIM 2015 to put their areas of investment contained in the investment prospectus on show to some of the most influential figures in the international property

market, and the Perth city region has seen interest from delegates at MIPIM in the hotel development potential and leisure sectors, as well as making vital new connections in the international property market.

Speaking about Perth’s success at MIPIM as part of the Alliance, David Littlejohn said: “Being part of the Scot-tish Cities Alliance allows us to attend MIPIM and showcase our opportuni-ties to a wide range of internationally based investors and intermediaries, an opportunity that we would not be able to

have if we were not part of the Alliance delegation.”

Scottish Cities Alliance prgramme direc-tor, Aileen Edwards, said: “MIPIM 2015 was a great success for the Scottish Cities Alliance delegation, with new business contacts from around the world made, and old relationships built upon.

“The hugely positive feedback we received from investors at MIPIM 2015 has added to the great response from MIPIM 2014 and MIPIM UK, and has rein-forced Scotland’s cities as great places to do business.”

The objective is to drive economic growth in Scotland’s seven cities

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Human Resources

Focusing on getting closely connected with clients and understanding their business culture underpins the values of this HR company, discovers Sally Neilson

Practice what you preach and form relationships that will last

Fast factsLiz Jackson started out as HR manager at Forfar’s Strathmore Foods in 1991, moving up to become director, before joining Henderson Loggie and then the Balhousie Care Group, follow-ing which she set up her own independent consultancy in 2009. A year later she acquired Perth-based HR business support and recruitment business, Fairways. Chair of CIPD Scotland for seven years, Jackson is also a Scottish Chamber of Commerce Business Mentor.

Liz Jackson says that smaller businesses need access to help in a simple way that won’t eat up their resources or finances

The Fair City may well be the gateway to the Highlands, but Perth has also proved to be a portal to wider success for a number of thriving lo-cal companies.

HR business support and recruitment specialists Fairways is a notable example. Having shown a promising resilience during the most testing years of the reces-sion, Fairways was snapped up by Liz Jack-son in the summer of 2010, “against all advice”. However, the managing director and her four-strong team quickly set about proving the doubters wrong. Jackson led her team to successfully rebrand and repo-sition the business to include HR business support, increasing turnover, and achiev-ing ‘gold’ standard Investors in People accreditation within 18 months. “As an HR professional, says Jackson “I practice what I preach to my clients.”

Central to the success of Fairways has been the team’s relationship with clients. They focus on getting closely connected with their clients to really understand their business, values, culture and requirements so as to provide the right HR and recruit-ment solutions for them. Maximising this valuable experience is the platform for building the business and widening their horizons. The effectiveness of this approach, says Jackson, is demonstrated by the fact that it is reputation, and also recommendations, that have proven to be Fairways’ most successful marketing tools.

“When I took Fairways over, the aim was to differentiate the business from other recruitment organisations,” says Jackson. “I believe we have achieved that, because as well as offering our recruitment service to clients, we can also deliver total employment solutions with our HR ser-vices to provide added value for clients of all sizes. Fairways is essentially a one-stop shop from recruitment right through to transition and exit management, includ-ing redundancy, settlement agreements and employment tribunals.

As a team of dedicated professionals, we work hard to keep our clients one step ahead, advising on compliance issues, creating strategies and preparing them for changes in legislation. From absence man-agement to zero working hours, we have their problems solved.”

Fairways, which has sponsored the Perth & Kinross Council Business and Enter-prise month for the past three years, has built up a strong local portfolio that is at the heart of the business, yet it’s also build-ing a strong network of clients, covering a range of sectors and industries throughout Scotland.

Fairways works with a variety of clients, including smaller local businesses and larger organisations such as HMP Perth, and Jackson believes it is their portfolio of complete employment solutions that

is essential to building and maintaining strong client relationships. It’s all about helping organisations to find the talent they need to help them achieve the next step up in business growth, explains Jack-son, and also to provide support and guid-ance on all aspects of people management.

Offering tailored solutions to suit what-ever a client is looking for, from the small-est input to a package of services, is key to the Fairways approach.

Jackson’s business also recruits can-didates to work on temporary contract assignments for Fairways, when a client is only looking for short-term staffing solu-tions at short notice.

“We offer a range of client services, from help and advice that is tailored for those who tend not to have HR resources in-house, to additional work for those organisations that may have their own HR set-up but need occasional external sup-port,” she says. “We provide as much or as little support as our clients require, from a one-off assignment to a long-term project or secondment.

On the recruitment side, we offer full agency services, carrying out all the nec-essary checks in addition to ensuring candidates have the necessary qualifica-tions or experience. What is crucial to us, however, is considering all these aspects together with the individual applicant in relation to the client’s work culture and environment. We pride ourselves in achieving the best fit for both client and candidate, so it’s not about putting bums on seats, and it’s not always just down to skills and CVs; the right behaviours, atti-tudes and cultures are key characteristics to success in all recruitment placements.”

Fairways might have its roots in the Perth community, but Jackson remains determinedly outward and onward look-ing. The business’s own website serves not only to inform would-be or existing clients, but is also a useful resource tool, in terms of keeping up to date with HR and recruitment news or legislation. She recognises the importance of digital com-munication and will soon be launching a new website that will help to find another level of Fairways clients – wherever they may be based.

“As we look to develop the business, we’ve realised there are a number of potential clients who would like to access our services but who can’t afford the fees of a standard recruitment agency,” says Jack-son. “There are small or micro businesses that are looking to take on just one or two staff. Not only do they need support, but they also need to be able to access help in a simple way that won’t eat up their time, resources or finances.

“So, as everything has become digitally focused, we came up with the idea of cre-ating an online recruitment solution. This new development will offer real value to

the end user which will allow clients to access the exact level of service to suit their requirements as and when they need it and importantly, cost effectively”.

By embracing technology, building-up the service offering and increasing the client base, Jackson has every reason to be optimistic about this next chapter for Fair-ways. However, as far as she is concerned, Fairways is essentially continuing along the same path it has always followed.

“The way in which we work is simple: we work with our clients, for our clients,” she adds. “The aim is to deliver tailor-made solutions that will help employers make the right choices, or to navigate what can be difficult times in people management. Overall, it’s about improving business per-formance – and of course, productivity.”

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Feature

Caution urged on new pension laws

Last year’s Budget undoubtedly raised the profile of pensions, writes Stephen Webster of Thorntons Wealth. The

opportunity to access their entire fund grabbed all the headlines and many people who previously took no interest now know exactly how much they have tucked away in various frozen and current pensions. However, it is other changes that should be of interest to many pension savers – those to benefits payable from a pension on death.

While all the headlines have concentrated on how we can access our funds to buy fast cars, holidays, and new kitchens, it is the ability to do the opposite and leave capi-tal in a pension which should be of interest to many people.

Previously, when an individual died after starting to draw an income from their pension fund (rather than buying an annuity), a beneficiary who was not also a dependent could only receive a

lump sum which was taxable at 55 per cent. In most cases this then formed part of the beneficiary’s own estate.

From this month, all beneficiar-ies, not only dependents, have the ability to draw capital or an income from an ongoing pension arrangement. These withdraw-als will be tax free if the pension holder dies before age 75.

On death at 75 or later they will suffer tax at 45 per cent dur-ing tax year 2015/16 and at the beneficiary’s highest marginal rate thereafter.

Capital can then be passed on by the beneficiary following their eventual death and so on. Capital remaining in a pension in this way will not form part of an individual’s estate for Inheritance Tax purposes.

With increasing house prices, the UK stock market finally hitting new highs and an Inheritance Tax Nil Rate Band stuck at £325,000 since April 2009, paying Inherit-ance Tax is increasingly becoming

a reality for many families. These changes mean that pen-

sions are no longer only a way of receiving an income in retirement but should be considered alongside other family assets when planning for the future and considering how wealth can be passed through generations.

So feel free to change your car, go on holiday or replace your kitchen – but think about where the money will come from first. Thorntons Wealth is a trading name of Thorntons Investment Manage-ment Limited, which has an office in Perth. It is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

Stephen Webster says pensions should be considered among other assets when planning for future

Location is a vital component in business success. Perth can claim to have perhaps the most enviable position of any city in Scotland and now, more than ever, is tak-

ing major steps to capitalise on that. Perth is also one of Scotland’s fastest-growing cities, with the population pro-jected to grow by alm==ost 25 per cent over the next two decades. It has plans in place for this expansion, with initiatives and investment providing improved infra-structure to facilitate the city’s growth.

The Perth City Investment Plan out-lines the major projects designed to develop the economy over the next five years. The £140 million to be spent on infrastructure will unlock the land to the north and west of Perth, providing space for more than 7000 new houses. There will also be an investment in the schools estate of £41 million.

The attraction of Perth as a place in which to do business and live is obvious, with more than half of Scotland’s popula-tion accessible within an hour by road and, at 74.5 per cent, the second highest rate of employment among Scottish cities. It already has a higher than UK average rate of survival for new business at five years.

Complementing the investment plan is a new version of the Perth City Plan.This outlines the aspiration for the city and will map out the physical devel-opment planned for the next decade. “We have been able to use the restored city status as a springboard,” says Victo-ria Unite, chief executive of Perthshire Chamber of Commerce.

“There is a new confidence in the city. The work is now concentrated on making sure we work closely together with as many partners as possible to make sure we get maximum benefits.”

It was in 1975, with local government reorganisation, that Perth lost its city status, which was rightly restored in 2012, but not

without organisations pulling together. “Securing city status was hard work but it was the start of this collaborative working,” adds Unite. “Being part of the seven cities means added opportunities and funding. We need to work together to ensure that none of us miss opportunities for Perth.”

One of the leading projects in the city’s elevated profile is Invest in Perth. “This began following city status being restored in 2012,” says Stuart Oliver of Invest in Perth. “It is the brand we use to showcase Perth as a quality business and

=investment location. It provides a banner for all businesses and partners, so they can come together to promote and develop the Perth City Region.”

Stuart explains the two major initia-tives: the Invest in Perth Ambassador pro-gramme brings more than 30 of the top businesses in Perth and Kinross together to promote the city and its opportunities to the world, as well as providing a com-munication network where ideas can be discussed. Perth City Development Board meets regularly and is made up of key pri-

vate and public sector bodies across the area.

Apart from developing its traditional strengths in the areas of food and drink with impressive enterprises such as the Perth Food and Drink Park, there is £50 million to be spent on cultural and leisure facilities to boost the city’s tourism offerings. Perth Theatre is currently undergoing a £15 mil-lion refurbishment and will reopen in 2017. Perthshire already welcomes 1.9 million visitors a year, with 550,000 coming into the city itself.

With more restaurants per head than any other city in Scotland, the lei-sure offering is already impressive and in retail Perth has the lowest vacancy rate of any major Scottish town or city. “Once we get people here, it’s not a hard sell,” adds Victoria Unite. With the loca-tion, the quality of life, great education and a solid business community there is still so much potential still to be realised.”

However, Perth is also developing additional key sectors. Already a financial centre employing more than 8000 people, the city is seen by insurance giant Aviva as its centre of excellence.

The city is also developing its place in the future of energy with renewable and clean technologies. It is the global HQ of SSE and looking to the future, Perth College, the largest campus of the Uni-versity of the Highlands and Islands offers bespoke and certified training in a wide range of disciplines that are vital to these new areas.

“Through the delivery of the pro-jects in the City Investment Plan our growth ambitions can be delivered through land for new housing and com-mercial development land. We will continue to promote the area’s strengths in key sectors to bring new businesses to fill this land,” says Stuart Oliver. “Perth’s ambition is to be the most desir-able place in Scotland in which to live, work, invest, and visit.”

On a bridge to the futureTwo major plans are ensuring vital investment in Perth, which is among the most attractive places to live in Scotland, says Carla Fox

Business Insight

AN INDEPENDENT SUPPLEMENT, DISTRIBUTED WITH THE TIMES 5

Team managementAs fully accredited Chartered Wealth Managers, Eric Spreng and Simeon Laing form a formidable partnership at the Redmayne-Bent-ley Perth offi ce. Like Eric, Simeon has been in stockbroking all of his working life and been an integral part of Redmayne-Bentley for over 20 years. In that time, he has achieved an enviable reputation. While both of them handle all aspects of wealth management, Simeon takes the reigns in the IT side of the offi ce while Eric, as branch manager, has more of a compliance element to his role.

“We each have our own bank of clients,” says Eric, “but neither of us is more risk averse than the other. We have broadly similar approaches and sing from the same hymn sheet.”

The only stockbroking fi rm in Perth has an approach that is an antidote to that of the big faceless fi nancial fi rms in the City, discovers Barry McDonald

Stockbroking fi rm Redmayne-Bentley’s Perth offi ce is as far removed from the glass-smoth-ered towers of the City of Lon-don as you could imagine. The grand Georgian terrace which

houses their offi ce refl ects on to the Fair City’s South Inch – a calming expanse of open space and greenery.

Perth’s only stockbroking fi rm may only be a pebble’s throw from the stunning Perthshire countryside but the fi nancial expertise within the offi ce is more than enough to rival southern city slickers.

Redmayne-Bentley has a long and deep relationship with Perth. With a presence in the city which goes back to 1991, the branch has grown with a loyal customer base of investors.

Branch manager Eric Spreng has a fi ne pedigree in stockbroking, having been the youngest ever member of The Stock Exchange in Scotland when he was elected in 1984.

“I’ve been in stockbroking all of my working life,” says Eric with pride. “My involvement started when I left college in 1978 and I saw an advert in The Scotsman for a transfer clerk with an Edinburgh fi rm, Wishart Brodie & Co.”

Despite having spent less than a year in the job, Eric knew that he was hooked on the business and moved to a small stock-broking fi rm, Torrie & Co, in his home town of Dunfermline. “I got my ground-

ing in stockbroking in a very small fi rm. I was made the offi ce manager in 1980, became a telephone dealer in 1981 and I was very excited to be elected a Member of The Stock Exchange in 1984 at the age of only 25”. Torrie & Co grew and sub-sequently moved to Edinburgh and Eric’s rise through the ranks saw him achieve partner status in 1989.

Ten years later he left Torrie & Co to open his fi rst Redmayne-Bentley offi ce, back again in Dunfermline. The Fife offi ce oper-ated successfully for 10 years until the merger with the current Perth branch in 2009.

The Perth offi ce is now one of 37 nation-wide branches of the hugely respected fi rm, which has its head offi ce in Leeds. Established in 1875, Redmayne-Bentley is one of the UK’s largest independently owned stockbroking and investment management fi rms (a limited liability partnership), and the branches around the country provide traditional stockbroking and investment management services. It does not provide advice on all fi nancial products and is therefore recognised by the FCA as a restricted advice fi rm.

The Perth branch currently has more than £50 million worth of funds under management and a further £100 million under administration, fi gures which indi-cate that this friendly and approachable offi ce is punching well above its weight.

As well as these signifi cant funds under management and fi rst class experience,

it’s their friendly, honest approach which attracts an increasing bank of clients. “We’re individuals on site and you can come and meet us,” adds Eric. “We are not a faceless city fi rm or an anonymous telephone-based service, but we are a small branch which offers a personal service and that’s what sets us apart.”

Redmayne-Bentley provides a range of investment ser-vices. While a typical portfolio is worth around £200,000, the range of port-folios varies considerably, explains Eric. “There are three distinct categories: an execution only service, whereby the client knows what they want to do and will give us their instructions, and the discretionary and advi-sory services whereby we manage the client’s investments.

“A client may come to us perhaps after inheriting some money or having sold a business, or maybe with an existing port-folio which is being managed elsewhere, and under the advisory service we will advise them as to what is most appropriate for them. We have to understand the cli-ent’s needs and get a very clear idea what is right for them and offer them advice on what stocks to sell and which to buy.

“With this service the client has the fi nal say but with the other managed service where we have discretion from the client, we decide what we think they should do and then do it. It’s arguably a better service for the client because it means we can react to changes in the market immediately.”

Redmayne-Bentley’s 140-year herit-age is matched with a string of industry accolades, including the City of London Wealth Management Award (COLWMA) for Stockbroker of the Year 2014.

The fi rm is celebrating for the second time in 2015 after being named Best ISA Provider 2015 at last month’s City of London Wealth Management Awards (COLWMA). This follows the award of Best Advisory Stockbroker presented to the leading independently-owned stock-broking fi rm at the ADVFN International Financial Awards last month.

Redmayne-Bentley provides a full range of stockbroking services: execution-only

share dealing, investment man-agement, ISAs, JISAs, and SIPPs. Its expertise is

in stock market investments; the

fi rm offers access to all traded investments and provide truly

bespoke portfolios.This year is to be an important

one for Redmayne-Bentley. In December the fi rm will celebrate the 140th anniversary of its foun-dation and 2015 will also see the 50th anniversary of the merger between Redmayne & Co and two other stockbroking fi rms to form Redmayne-Bentley

in 1965.Central to the fi rm’s

approach to business are its core values of integrity and respect, approach-ability, professionalism and enthusiasm, with a

promise to provide profes-sional, personal and client-

focused service with access to investment management and share deal-ing expertise.

The Perth branch of Redmayne-Bentley is not short on experience. Branch part-ners Eric Spreng and Simeon Laing have almost 60 years in stockbroking between them, and support staff Lorraine Laird and Susan Watt, who are both qualifi ed to conduct execution-only business, have a further 50 years in the industry under their belts.

If you are unsure about how suitable Redmayne-Bentley’s investment manage-ment services would be for you, then Eric and his team would be only too happy to discuss this with you. At the end of our meeting Eric said: “There is one further important thing which I must say to you. Remember that investments can fall in value, and you may lose some or all of the amount invested.”

And, he explained, “that is what the small print says at the bottom of all the literature regarding our fi nancial services.”You can contact the Perth branch on 01738 441 144 or email perth@redmayne.co.uk

Stockbrokers invest in service punching above their weight

Simeon Laing and Eric Spreng each have their own clients but work as a partnership

Business Insight

AN INDEPENDENT SUPPLEMENT, DISTRIBUTED WITH THE TIMES6

Economy

The prospects for Perth are shiningFrom communications and transport to retail and housing, the city is investing in a future that will ensure that it is a centre of excellence, fi nds Carla Fox

Investing for the future of any city has much wider implica-tions than simply looking at what is best for its own residents.Ambitious locations are looking at how they can operate and make

a contribution on a national and even a global stage, and Perth is no exception.This worldwide reach means more than being just digitally connected, although the city can proudly say that just under 100 per cent of city centre businesses have access to super-fast broadband.

The £140 million investment in trans-port infrastructure will also aid the expan-sion of the region as the population grows.

The importance of the retail offering in Perth cannot be exaggerated, with the existing mixed offering of national chains as well as more upmarket fashion stores and independents benefi ting from a potential retail catchment of 1.98 mil-lion people, with more than 50 per cent of ABC1 residents in the core catchment area and an estimated expenditure of £631 million annually in that same area.

The Muirton Park expansion offers social housing just outside the city centre – a mixed use of afford-able and private sector housing to accommodate the population growth.That is vital to doing business and future-proofi ng the expansion and development of the city’s commercial heart but the region is looking forward in a more holistic way at how it creates the basics of life – food and drink and also energy.

Nowhere is this more apparent than at the Tay Eco Valley Project. This operates as a living laboratory and is focused on not only the food and supply chain, but also the development of clean technology and renewables.It is located between Perth and the out-skirts of Dundee and covers a population of 85,000, with the city centre at its core.There are more than 250 hectares of land in use, currently available, or due to be developed by 2024, so Tay Eco Valley offers considerable investment opportunities.

Already, businesses from across the world are developing products and ser-vices that are shaping best practice for the future to conserve resources and make the best use of smart technologies.

“Led by the Regeneration Team, there’s little doubt that the Tay Eco Valley Project will support the area’s key sectors, create jobs and position the area as a centre for innovation for the food and drink sector in Scotland,” says Stuart Oliver of Invest in Perth.“There is a symbiotic relationship between the Food and Drink sector and the renew-able technologies sector and to have them working side by side will undoubtedly provide a forum for cross-working and opportunities to learn from one another.It is also a place where public sector organ-

isations can work with private companies and both can form relationships with aca-demia. With expertise and resources across the board, it can only help the develop-ment of both sectors.”

Another area of likely growth is the fi nancial services sector, which comes from a fi rm bedrock of existing expertise. It already accounts for more than 8000 jobs, with insurance accounting for 25 per cent of these jobs in the city region.It also represents 7.1 per cent of the area’s total economic output at more than £135 million per year.

Aviva, the UK’s largest insurer has had a presence in the city through its previous brands since 1885 and today it sees Perth as a centre of excellence in its UK opera-tions, with its commitment to the area evidenced by the purchase of its Pitheavlis Campus site in 2013.

This is an educated city, with 61.5 per cent of residents having a degree. That is joint second in Scotland and the talent pool is sure to expand with a projected population expansion of almost 25 per cent by 2030.

As home of Perth College, this is the larg-est campus of the University of the High-lands and Islands and has 9340 students.The college is preparing for the future, offering courses that will provide fl our-ishing industries with a steady stream of talent, as well as giving students the pos-sibility of a seamless transaction from edu-cation to the world of work.

This includes bespoke and certifi ed train-ing across a wide range of disciplines linked to renewables and clean technologies.Th e University of Dundee, University of Abertay, Dundee and University of St Andrews are also all within a 45-minute radius of the city, with each providing a broad range of relevant training, expertise and skills.

The city region is already foremost in the UK for microgeneration installed capacity, which links into high qual-ity products and services, and as world HQ of SSE, it is at the centre of the energy industry on a global scale. “In fact the area has a supply chain that extends across all renewable technolo-gies, but it is particularly strong in bio-mass and building energy effi ciency, as well as solar PV, onshore wind and micro hydro,” says Stuart Oliver.

Stuart Oliver says the Tay Eco Valley Project will create jobs and innovation

Perth City has a unique place at the heart of Scotland, with strong historic and cultural links to the rest of the coun-try, says Bernadette Malone. Regaining city status in 2012 has provided a focus for developing an ambitious plan for the city and its surrounding region.

The city’s stunning location on the River Tay and its strategic position in the very heart of Scotland at the hub of the country’s transport network is the key to its history and current prosper-ity. These are the foundations on which Perth is building a modern, dynamic, international city. It offers a range of business, artistic, educational, cultural and sporting opportunities to residents, visitors and investors.

We are making further investment in roads and transport infrastructure to enhance connectivity between the city centre, the wider region and the rest of Scotland.

Perth is already an attractive head-quarters location for both private and public sector organisations and a dedi-cated Invest in Perth team makes it as easy as possible to locate in the city, or wider region. It has a strong independ-ent retail sector and is renowned for its specialist shops. Given the city’s strong connections with food and drink, it is appropriate that we have a fantastic range of bars and restaurants. We are growing this sector by investing in a new Food and Drink Park to offer fur-

ther opportunities for these businesses to relocate to and grow within the city.

Surrounded by unsurpassable natural beauty and situated at the centre of a ring of smaller towns and villages, Perth is the regional capital. It provides the retail, educational, health, commercial, industrial and administrative services on which the prosperity of the area depends.

Perth is the gateway to the Highlands, yet is only 45 minutes from Edinburgh airport. Perth’s setting, history and herit-age are unrivalled – as is our ambition for the future to be the most desirable place in Scotland to live, work, visit and invest.Bernadette Malone is chief executive of Perth & Kinross Council

Perfect location and strategically positioned

Upcoming eventsScottish Renewables’ Low Carbon Heat Conference Tuesday, April 28Perth Concert Hall

Scottish Renewables’ Hydro Conference & Mini Expo Tuesday, June 2 Perth Concert Hall

Business Insight

AN INDEPENDENT SUPPLEMENT, DISTRIBUTED WITH THE TIMES 7

The prospects for Perth are shining

Take a stroll around Perth city centre on the first Sat-urday of the month and it is immediately apparent how important food and drink production is to this area.

The award-winning farmers’ market, for instance, offers more than 40 stalls, all of-fering local produce.

This area has a rich heritage in food and drink of course, from beef, lamb and veni-son reared in Highland Perthshire to the soft fruit production to the east of Perth. In fact, within Perth and Kinross there are an estimated 130 companies in the pro-cessing sector, including household names and award-winning companies.

These include Highland Spring, Inveral-mond Brewery, Simon Howie Foods, Taylors Food Group, Scotherbs, Stewarts of Tayside, Thomas Thomson, Rannoch Smokery and Summer Harvest Oils. Of course, there’s whisky too, enjoying an impressive track record in production with distilleries at Aberfeldy, Crieff, Blackford, and Pitlochry.

The wider food and drink sector has around 1000 businesses, the larg-est concentration in Scotland, and accounts for an estimated annual turnover of more than £310 million. Investment in the sector has been deliv-ered in the shape of the £6 million Perth Food and Drink Park.

To the north of the park is arable land and to the east is the banks of the River Tay. However, it is minutes from the A9, providing easy access north to Inverness, east to Dundee and south to Edinburgh and Glasgow – as well as the city centre itself. “Its development followed a study com-missioned by the Scottish Cities Alliance and undertaken by SQW, an organisation that looks at social and economic develop-ment,” says Stuart Oliver of Invest in Perth.

The park offers 16 acres of serviced development land to support the growth of the sector, locally and nationally. Scotland has ambitious growth targets in the sector, aiming to achieve turnover of £16.5 billion by 2017 and the park is seen as an important player in achieving this.

Operating under the auspices of Invest in Perth, the park offers plots rang-ing from one acre to three acres, with services such as medium pressure gas, HV electricity, superfast broadband, telecoms, water, and drainage. Finan-cial incentives might also be available. “There is also significant investment in projects focused on eco innovation around food and drink,” adds Oliver. “Together with the provision of development land, this is acting as a magnet for new talent and new businesses, generating a signifi-cant number of new jobs.”

Food and drink is an important part of Perth’s leisure offering, with more restaurants per head of popula-

tion than anywhere else in Scotland. The city centre is undergoing huge financial investment in culture and leisure, with more than £50 million to be spent over the next five years. With the Perth Festival of the Arts each May being an important part of Scotland’s cultural character, the city will soon have a theatre to match its neighbour, the superb Perth Concert Hall.

Perth Theatre has been one of Scot-land’s best-loved for many years, with the history of performance in the city stretching back to the 16th century. It is currently undergoing a £15 mllion refurbishment – not only restoring and conserving the historic theatre audito-rium, but also adding a new 225-capacity performance space, build new creative learning spaces for the expanding youth and community group activities. Once it reopens (scheduled for 2017), the Horse-cross area will make Perth’s arts facilities among the best in the country.

Away from the refined atmosphere of the auditorium, Perthshire is a magnet for outdoor activities. An ambitious new pro-ject called PH20. Much more than a sports centre this will offer not only water and ice facilities, including Olympic standard curling facilities, but a mix of more than 20 sports, including an outdoor adventure play area, climbing walls and sky walks. Live Action Leisure is currently rais-ing £25 million of investment to deliver PH20, which will be developed on the site of the existing leisure pool and the Dewar’s Centre ice rink.

“PH20 will deliver not only health, social and recreational benefits but also economic growth, sustainable facilities and tourism potential,” says Stuart Oliver. “The sports hub is expected to attract around 250,000 visitors per year, generat-ing an estimated £2.5 million for the local economy.”

The combination of this improved offering across cultural and leisure activities provides a platform to expand the already busy festivals programme. Events continue to be a key driver of Perth’s tourism sector, with the value of events currently estimated at £18 mil-lion per annum, but there are ambitious plans to increase this, as new events are added to the calendar on a regular basis. “A new events strategy will shortly be published which sets out how Perth and Perthshire will continue to be a leading area for both sporting and cultural events,” adds Oliver.

“In particular the ambition is to make Perth city the premier destination in winter. We are looking to develop the Perth Winter Festival, which is a pro-gramme of events running from November 5 right through Christmas and New Year and coming to a grand finale on Burns Night at the end of January.”

A thriving food and drink sector is central to a region that is also investing more than £50 million in culture and leisure, including a new theatre development

Expert envoysCollaborative working for the benefit of the city’s economy has been aided by the extensive Invest in Perth Ambassadors pro-gramme. As ambassadors, these business leaders from sectors across the wider city region promote opportunities whenever possible. The ambassadors come from a wide variety of commercial areas and include waste manage-ment company The Binn Group, Castlecroft, commercial property

specialists, Stagecoach, oil and gas industry supplier Merlin ERD, and recycling specialist Viridor. The aim is to improve communication, col-laboration, and dialogue between Perth and Kinross Council and its partners in the public and private sectors. Through promotion of the area and providing support for businesses at all levels, Ambassadors can use their experience and reach to encourage and sustain inward investment.

Bernadette Malone points to the foundations on which Perth is building a dynamic, international city

Perfect location and strategically positioned

Business Insight

AN INDEPENDENT SUPPLEMENT, DISTRIBUTED WITH THE TIMES8

Interface is a knowledge connection for business that matches organi-sations of all sizes from all sectors, to the right academic expertise. This helps to improve products, de-velop services and in turn increase

productivity and profits. Interface works across Scotland with dedicated team mem-bers covering each region from the Borders to the Highlands and Islands.

To support businesses in Perth and Kinross, for instance, Interface is lucky enough have an established specialist in situ – Lorna Watson – who joined Inter-face two years ago and has a wealth of experience supporting businesses.

From agriculture to tourism, Lorna spends time getting to know the aims of the business and understands the business idea or challenge. Tapping into all of Scot-land’s universities and research institutes, she finds the right academic expertise for each project and knows the right people to approach to get the project off the ground.

“There are numerous ways academic teams can work with companies – food and drink manufacturers, for example, can develop their products; from reducing salt or sugar content, making a product gluten free or lengthening shelf life – which in turn can take the product to new markets – to developing the packaging to make it more environmentally friendly or more user-friendly while simultaneously reduc-ing manufacturing costs.

“Often, once a project starts, ideas spark on either side which can lead to further ideas, so it’s a win-win for both businesses and academia. Just having a fresh set of eyes

looking over a product or business service can lead to new ways of thinking, even for long-established businesses,” she explained.

Scotland’s food and drink industry is a key sector for the economy, employing more than 360,000 people. The Scot-tish food and drink industry hit sales of £14 billion with exports hitting a record high of £5.3 billion in 2012. Being a key sector, the Scottish Funding Council has funded Interface Food & Drink, a project that focuses on the entire food chain from primary agriculture and fishing to produc-tion and processing through to retail and export. Its focus is on impact; and specifi-cally facilitating collaborations between industry, trade associations and Common Interest Groups with Scottish universities.

These Common Interest Groups are made up of companies either produc-ing similar products such as the Scottish Rapeseed Oil Group or companies look-ing to tackle similar issues such as resource efficiency or reformulation. By working together, the members of the group not only share best practice and learn from each other but can tackle industry issues in a collaborative manner and receive funding support to work with academic expertise.

A good example of this kind of collabo-ration is where a group of potato growers, a distiller, biofuel experts and Edinburgh Napier University were brought together. They have been awarded funding through the Interface Food & Drink competition with the aim of adding value to potato waste by converting it into Biofuel. Aca-demics were invited to present the tech-nology and the project plan to 15 potato

growers. These growers in turn represent a further 80 growers who will benefit from the acquired knowledge which will be of significant benefit to rural Scotland.

Another example is the Scottish Craft Distillers Association (SCDA) which launched in the summer of 2014 and has now grown to encompass 30 members in Scotland.

The SCDA was established after Tony Reeman-Clark, director of Perthshire-based Strathearn Distillery felt that there would greater export potential for smaller distillers by working together. “Without the group, our routes to export markets would be very, very limited,” he said.

“Together we are taken seriously and can gain a significant market share around the world. Distilleries will open and

Win-win as industry and academia team up

people will be employed, because of this export route.”

With the development of Perth’s Food and Drink Park there will be even more opportu-nities for local food and drink producers and suppliers. It will provide up to 11 serviced development plots across a 16-acre site at North Muirton and has been specifically designed to create a hub for the industry.

As Helen Pratt, project manager of Interface Food & Drink says: “The new Perth Food and Drink Park is a fantas-tic opportunity for businesses looking to expand their operations and Interface, and Interface Food & Drink, are on hand to help them link up with academia to fur-ther develop their products, processes and services to help them grow their businesses in whatever direction they choose.”

Tony Reeman-Clark, left, believes there is greater export potential for small distilleries by working together

With a busy schedule of events and a range of business support package services, the Perthshire Chamber of Commerce is a

vital resource for the organisation’s mem-bers, who in turn form a solid platform within the area’s business community. Vicki Unite, chief executive of Perthshire Chamber, believes the collective strength of the organisation will continue to prove vital in helping to shape the area’s future, in what is currently an exciting period for Perth and Kinross.

As the city gears up for even more digital connectivity, through Perth Super Connected, the spotlight is also turned on the wider area’s ability to realise sustain-able economic growth through harnessing the resources and expertise in the renew-able and green technologies.

However, Unite also underlines that a crucial element in helping to build a strong local economy, will be working col-laboratively, with the private and public sectors teaming up to work on a number of issues, such as youth unemployment.

Last year, a report from Sir Ian Wood recommended more involvement by employers in education, arguing they should have a bigger role in schools and colleges, with a potential to cut youth unemployment by up to 40 per cent. Liz

Cameron, chief executive of the Scottish Chambers of Commerce, described the report as a landmark, saying that extend-ing education would “allow young people to better access valuable and profitable opportunities on the vocational side”.

Unite now hopes they can grasp the momentum for this approach throughout the Perthshire area. “As we understand it is to be private sector led, I believe the chamber here is well positioned to take the lead,” she said.

“That will mean continuing to work closely with the local authority, and the aim is not to duplicate any of the suc-cessful existing initiatives or projects in progress, but to develop further opportu-nities, making it easier for future young employees.”

Developing working relationships with other organisations is important to Perth-shire Chamber, which is a stakeholder in the Perth and Kinross Green Technology Business Accelerator (PKGTBA), a busi-ness network that also involves Perth & Kinross Council, Perth College UHI, the Energy Skills Partnership, Scottish Enter-prise, Scottish Environmental Technology Network (SETN), Stagecoach Group, The James Hutton Institute and Binn Eco Park. PKGTBA basically supports business to business collaboration, while promoting local goods and services.

“There are more businesses than many

people realise who are engaged in renewa-bles and sustainable industries,” says Unite. “We’re working to bring together these businesses, help them to grow, and help them and others identify further opportunities.”

As this network grows, more busi-nesses will be able to provide information, sharing advice and best practice, as the PKGTBA develop a strategy that will help to create a sustainable local economy.

Crucial to any such business strategy, of course, is digital access and service speed, and Perth is already one of the UK’s lead-ing cities for connectivity, with almost 100 per cent of premises having access to superfast broadband and 89 per cent to ultrafast.

The chamber has welcomed these developments to Perth’s digital infra-structure, and the council’s connectivity

drive, which is supported by the Scottish government Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband Project. Further improve-ments include the Broadband Connection Voucher Scheme, which is on offer to local SMEs and charities and a free public hotspots and wireless network that is now available in public buildings for residents and visitors, in addition to the existing commercial hotspots.

“This is hugely beneficial to businesses in the area,” adds Unite. “Also to those organisations looking to relocate or to start up in Perth.

“However, we will keep campaigning to ensure that rural areas are also served by this level of connectivity, to help busi-nesses in these locations also to compete on a world stage.”For more information on Perthshire Chamber visit perthshirechamber.co.uk

Connectivity is key to reshaping the future

Developing relationships with other organisations is important to Perthshire Chamber

Crucial to any business strategy is both digital access and service speed

Often when a project starts, ideas are sparked on either side

Business Insight

AN INDEPENDENT SUPPLEMENT, DISTRIBUTED WITH THE TIMES 9

Kilgraston School is a sub-stantial 17th Century red stone building, planted in gorgeous parkland at the Bridge of Earn. The success of this Sunday Times Inde-

pendent School of the Year 2014 has been built over many complex layers, as exten-sive and distinctive as the 54 acres of pic-turesque Perthshire that surrounds it.

The school may enjoy a beautiful rural setting, but it also features on-site facilities that include a state-of-the-art £1 million science centre, an indoor heated swimming pool, and Scotland’s only school equestrian centre. For the 315 pupils who attend, from nursery through to the sixth form, Kilgras-ton is a vibrant, forward-thinking and outward-looking centre of education.

The school is rightly proud of its impres-sive academic record, but Kilgraston is also about working to potential. There is no entrance exam, other than for scholar-ships, and the girls here have the oppor-tunity to excel not just academically, but also in a wide range of subjects that includes music, art, drama and sport.

Last summer, 78.5 per cent of Higher entries at the school achieved an A or a B, with 82 per cent of Intermediate 2’s also achieving A grades, the second top ranking for S4 pupils at independent

schools following the Scottish curriculum. Leading universities such as Oxford and Cambridge, in addition to St Andrews and Edinburgh, are the target for many Kilgras-ton girls, and last year’s leavers included one girl who went on to an apprenticeship with Rolls Royce.

Carol Ann Lund, deputy and acting principal until the arrival of the new prin-cipal later this month, says they are look-ing for pupils who really want to be part of Kilgraston, and the school’s philosophy is very much that if the girls are happy, then they will learn.

“When we won the Sunday Times Inde-pendent School of the Year 2014, it was an important external verification of our aca-demic standards and success,” says Lund.

Dorothy MacGinty, the school’s new principal, joins Kilgraston from St. Fran-cis’ College, Hertfordshire, where she has held the post of headmistress since 2009. She has chaired the Girls’ School Associa-tion (GSA)’s Professional Development Committee since 2012, and will be GSA President in 2017.

In her new appointment, she will find a school where the girls are fascinated by science, with a recent lunchtime dis-section club proving so popular teachers were turning pupils away at the door, and had to run the class again the next day so

A rounded approach to positive learningSituated in 54 acres of rural Perthshire, Kilgraston School features state-of-the art facilities for pupils who are encouraged to be forward thinking, says Ian Clark

everyone could take part. Music and sport are also thriving. Kilgraston has a range of sporting activities on offer, led by director of sport and former hockey star Pauline Stott, a double Olympian. Musical par-ticipation is popular too, with some of the girls singing in the National Youth Choir, and more than 80 per cent of the school performing on stage at their annual con-cert at Perth Concert Hall.

Keen to grab opportunities with both hands, the school’s sixth formers have formed their own BFG (Big Friendly Girls) buddying scheme to mentor the younger pupils.

Regular ‘day in the life’ speakers inspire girls to a wide range of careers, and Kil-graston’s alumnae include Scotland’s top female jockey Lucy Alexander, no doubt pleased to see that her old school won the under 14s class at the Scottish Schools Equestrian Championships last year.

It’s this rounded approach to education that helps to create a positive learning envi-ronment for the girls and they are actively encouraged to participate in the areas and activities that really interest them, as part of their personal development.

Kilgraston, which became an independ-ent Catholic charitable trust in 2000, actively welcomes girls and staff from all faiths, and none, with most girls joining the school aged 13. Around 100 of the 200-plus teenage pupils are also boarders, and while most of the pupils are from Scot-land, around a fifth come from other coun-tries such as Mexico, Germany, Russia and China. United by enthusiasm, drive and character, the Kilgraston community is continuing to thrive, united also by the school motto Cor Unum – one heart.

The school prides itself on providing an approach to education that helps to create an environment that inspires the girls to work to their potential

Scotland conference, UCATT and hun-dreds more have attracted conference and event delegates from Scotland and across the world. The venue has also become a go to location for party political conferences and the media attention these events attract have further helped to shine the spotlight on Perth as a great place to live, work, invest and visit. “The conference market taps into the wider business sector and with the opening of the theatre our flexibility in the conference market will greatly increase, especially with a major new hotel next door,” added Gibbons.

“There’s something about great cultural venue facilities that are of their time and rather than being parachuted in, Perth was ready for a concert hall 10 years ago, and so it hit the ground running. And that comes from a city that had been investing in the arts.”

That investment will be further real-ised in 2017 when the Edwardian Perth

Theatre re-opens to spearhead the devel-opment of Mill Street. “The combination of the two is hugely exciting. By late 2017 Perth will have two great facilities within a five minute walk of each other creating a cultural quarter and a heart for the cul-tural economy which feeds into a thriving vibrant city creating benefits across social and economic sectors.”

The ambitious theatre restoration pro-ject will reopen a balcony which hasn’t been accessible since the 1960s, as well as a new foyer plus a 225 seat studio thea-tre. It will also see a major revamp of the catering and conference facilities as well as the cultural offering, which is central to attracting inward investment and strengthening Perth’s standing as a culture and conference destination.

As a city which is clearly punching above its weight in the cultural sector, Horsecross Arts is Perth’s guiding light, and the re-opening of the theatre will only strengthen its already enviable reputation.

“There’s a proud tradition of theatre making in Perth that is known across the UK and it’s deep in the psyche of what this place is about. It is home to one of the first rep theatres in Scotland and it’s very exciting to bring that into the next hundred years.”

OVER the past decade, Perth’s glistening Concert Hall has played a leading role in Scotland’s rich cultural pageant. Staging world class productions

and major conferences, as well as ground-breaking education and community out-reach work, it’s proved an integral element in the flourishing Perth economy. Under the Horsecross Arts banner, the Concert Hall and the historic Perth Theatre have helped cement the Fair City’s reputation as a leading cultural centre, with more than 400,000 people passing through the doors of the venues each year.

This summer, as the extensive restora-tion work in the Edwardian theatre con-tinues, attention will be turned to the 10th anniversary celebrations of its sister thea-tre. Gwilym Gibbons, chief executive of Horsecross Arts has unveiled an extensive programme of celebratory events.

“Although we have a range of events running through the summer, the focus is on September and a number of showcase events that celebrate what the Concert Hall has been about. The celebrations will be rooted in the Perth and Kinross com-munity and will be a microcosm of the previous 10 years, celebrating our coming of age and looking to the future.”

Within reach of around 90 per cent of the Scottish population, it’s little wonder that over the past 10 years Perth Concert Hall has attracted audiences from far and wide to see an eclectic group of leading cultural lights, including Buena Vista Social Club, Biffy Clyro, Nicola Benedetti and Calvin Harris.

The now iconic venue also makes an important contribution to the city’s economy as a business tourism destina-tion. Events such as the STUC Congress, KPMG conference, European brass band championships, Royal British Legion

Curtain set to rise again on class act in cityA decade after the opening of Perth Concert Hall, Horsecross Arts is unveiling exciting happenings

Perth Concert Hall has attracted an eclectic range of performers, from Buena Vista Social Club to Calvin Harris

Perth will have a heart for the cultural economy which feeds into a vibrant city

Business Insight

Scottish Cities Alliance is a unique collaboration of Scotland’s seven cities and the Scottish Government working together to create the conditions for economic growth.

With a newly-launched £10 billion Investment Prospectus promoting the huge potential across the seven city regions – Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness, Perth and Stirling - the Alliance aims to attract external investment, stimulate economic activity and create new jobs and business opportunities, through investment in infrastructure.

This comprehensive investment prospectus is split into sections allowing prospective investors to go straight to their area of interest and expertise whether that is Hotel and Leisure, Industrial, Office, Residential or Mixed Use, highlighting the great range of investor, developer and occupier opportunities spread across the Scottish cities.

To view the prospectus visit www.scottishcities.org/prospectus

scottishcitiesallianceAberdeen • Dundee • Edinburgh • Glasgow • Inverness • Perth • Stirling

Invest for success in Scotland’s cities

Telephone: +44 141 222 9737Email: info@scottishcities.org.ukVisit: www.scottishcities.orgFollow us on Twitter: @scottishcitiesJoin us on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/scottishcities

AN INDEPENDENT SUPPLEMENT, DISTRIBUTED WITH THE TIMES 11

Scrambling across rocks, splash-ing about in streams, mountain biking, canoeing, sailing, cy-cling or gliding … it’s easy to see why young people would be attracted to the turbo-charged

activities on offer to cadets.However, as part of the Cadet Experi-

ence being promoted on behalf of the National tri-Service Cadet Forum by the Highland Reserve Forces and Cadets Association (RFCA), young people are not only given the chance to have plenty of fun but also to develop skills for life.

Whether they opt for the Sea Cadet Corps, Air Training Corps, or the Army Cadet Force, youngsters will learn skills relevant not just to their organisation but will also achieve vocational qualifi cations in a safe and enjoyable environment.

Voluntary uniformed youth organi-sations for 12-18 year olds, the cadets are sponsored by, but distinct from, the Armed Forces. The aim is to encourage and develop self-confi dence, and enhance communication and negotiating skills in the young people who join, building strong character and encouraging self-respect and respect for others, all valuable for life, and not just for the cadet organisations. Team-work and leadership are at the heart of the Cadet Experience and the young people

involved might choose to take part in St John Ambulance First Aid courses, the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme or even go on to SQA and BTEC level engi-neering or musical qualifi cations.

Of course, just as the Cadet Experience offers a raft of opportunities to the young people who join, it also provides the adult volunteer instructors with a chance to develop their own talents and knowledge base. These volunteers are vital to help-ing to ensure that young people can get the most from the Cadet Experience. In return, in addition to the sense of satisfac-tion at giving something back to society, they can also access a range of vocational qualifi cations.

Aaron Joyce, who lives in Kirkcaldy, is one of those adult instructors. Joyce is a non-destructive testing operative, which is oil-and-gas industry speak for a welding inspector, who checks well components before they are shipped for use offshore.

However, as a volunteer, he is a staff sergeant instructor, commanding the St Andrews detachment of the Black Watch Battalion of the Army Cadet Force (ACF), which is based in Perth – a job he views not just as complementary, but actually benefi ts his career on Civvy Street. ‘‘I was a cadet myself when I was younger, and I enjoyed it so much that I just wanted to be part of helping other young people to have those same kinds of experiences,” says Joyce.

“As an adult instructor, we’re giving the cadets the chance to learn and develop through some great opportunities, but it also provides opportunities for me too. I’m learning all the time, and as instructors, we’re training up to ILM Level Three – nationally recognised management quali-fi cations that can be applied directly in our civilian occupations, helping us move up the ladder to supervisory roles.” Access

to these courses outwith the ACF can be expensive, he adds.

“Of course, we can also take advantage of courses that expand our expertise in completely different skills: for instance, working towards qualifi cations in teaching rock climbing. Volunteering as an adult instructor has given me insight into many different areas and that’s one of the great aspects of the ACF set-up; the chance to try out different skills and experiences before deciding if you want to concentrate on them further, and devote more time to them – a try before you buy, if you like.

“This is the same as it is for the young-sters who have the option to get involved in such a variety of activities. I think many people might be surprised by the range we have on offer,” he adds.

For the adult instructors, as for the young people, the Cadet Experience is a good way for them to socialise, make new friends and become more involved in their local community. Volunteers don’t need to have a military background and will be given the training they require to be an instructor. As for how much time, they will need to commit, Joyce says this can start at just one evening a week but the important point is that it’s quality time – for volunteers and for cadets.

“The Armed Forces cadets are really adaptable to personal situations. It’s not about committing to 30 hours or three nights a week; rather it’s run on the basis that volunteers are giving quality time when they can,” he says.

“People with their own families may not have as much time to offer as others and if volunteers are ready to be involved when and where they can then the organisation will be supportive.”For more information, contact the Highland RFCA on 01382 668283 or see hrfca.co.uk

For Kevin Bradford, the chance to broaden his horizons as an Army Reserv-ist meant a lot more than just visiting other countries and experiencing new cultures. This joiner has since carved out a pathway towards realising his potential, testing his ability to push past perceived limits to fi nd new skills and develop valuable expertise beyond his chosen career path.

“When I left school I went straight into the joinery trade,” says Bradford, who owns and runs KJB Joiners in Perth. “At 17, I also became an Army Reservist, solely because I was looking for something different. I wanted to do something that would challenge my mind as well as my technical skills.”

He has certainly achieved that, and now has two Army roles in addition to his civilian work, in a part-time contract heading up Perth’s recruiting offi ce and as a Reservist Signals platoon sergeant.

“Joining the Reserve Forces can bring a number of benefi ts,” he says. “Obvi-ously, you gain a completely new skill set in addition to those you have acquired from your civilian career but there are also so many opportunities.

“We’ve had some of our boys going out to America, Cyprus, and Spain, for instance. There is no compulsory

call-up, apart from in the most serious situations but the opportunity is there to volunteer to go on tour and members of the Reserve Forces now earn the same rate of pay as our Regular Army colleagues.”

There is compensation available for SMEs if their reservists are mobilised, and while employers of Reserve Forces members are not legally obliged to give paid or unpaid additional leave for train-ing, many employers do, because they recognise this training provides their employees with valuable skills that can be transferred directly to the workplace.

“I’ve learned so much,” says Bradford. “In the Signals I’m now working with communications equipment including long-range high frequency systems, which is not something I’d otherwise ever have had the chance to do.

“There are other benefi ts too and another aspect is the fi tness side of it, as being in the Reserve Forces keeps me active in mind and body. I’m really glad I became involved, and hopefully I will be for a good few years yet.”

Joined up thinking will push the limits

Training thatlets cadets aim higher

Young people joining the cadets have the chance to broaden their horizons and also develop new skills for life, writes Ian Clark

Volunteers don’t need to have a military background and will get the training they require

There are other benefi ts, such as fi tness, and being in the Reserve Forces keeps me active in body and mind

Business Insight

Perth City Region is home to almost 1,000 food and drink businesses – the largest concentration in Scotland.

Through the provision of serviced development land and business infrastructure and support facilities, Perth Food & Drink Park now offers the ideal place for any food and drink business looking to start up, grow or relocate in Scotland.

Located strategically close to the A9 trunk road and only 45 minutes from Edinburgh International Airport, around 50% of Scotland’s population live within a 60 minute drive.

Serviced development plots are available now, ranging in size from 1 acre (0.4 Ha) to 3 acres (1.2 Ha).

Financial incentives are available, subject to eligibility.

PERTH CITY REGION’S KEY INGREDIENT

CONNECTIONSAPPRO

XIMATE PRO

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N O

F SCO

TLAN

D’S PO

PULATIO

N LIV

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W

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A 60 M

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50%

> INFO Contact Stuart Oliver 01738 477959 soliver@pkc.gov.uk

perthfoodanddrinkpark.com