Youth employment

Building brighter prospects

As an organisation we invest a lot into encouraging and developing young talent. It offers a mutual benefit to us as an organisation and, of course, to those who take part. We can help them get exposure to the day to day operation of a national tourism organisation, whilst they give us the chance to put their energy, fresh thinking and new perspectives into practice. Read on to find out about what schemes and initiatives we offer young people.

Investors in Young People Award

In 2016 we were awarded the Investors in Young People Gold Award. Launched by Investors in Young People it recognises employers who are:

• Attracting and recruiting young people across their organisation
• Supporting and developing young people to develop a career and provide opportunities 
• Retaining youth talent and creating a pipeline of youth talent throughout their organisation.

We’re incredibly proud to have this award in our trophy cabinet as it signals a culture with young people at the heart of its results – and also hopefully provides a benchmark for other organisations to meet.

Graduate scheme
Graduates can take advantage of one year, full time, graduate placements across all areas of VisitScotland. Graduate scheme placements are available to those with an undergraduate degree and above (or international equivalent). They offer the chance for individuals to put everything they’ve learnt at university into practice, in a real working environment. With a programme of continuous development activity throughout the year, the whole idea of the scheme is to improve confidence and employability. The application process begins in July each year and successful applicants start in September.

Modern apprenticeships
Modern apprenticeships are paid year-long placements open to students of 25 years old or younger. During the placement the apprentice will undertake an SVQ in various topics such as IT, customer service, business administration, marketing and more. At the end of the year (and on successful completion of the SVQ) the individual then goes on to a full time one year contract within a similar role in the organisation. This year also features additional development activity, designed to help boost confidence and employability. The application process for these placements begins in June each year, with successful applicants starting in August.

Career Academy mentoring
Available to students entering 4th year at high school, Career Academy mentoring is a structured development programme that we run in partnership with a number of local education authorities. Mentors from across the organisation offer support to students for two years. This also includes four week paid work experience placement with us at VisitScotland.

Work experience
We offer an extensive range of opportunities for work experience across our organisation. These last one week and are undertaken primarily (but not exclusively) through our VisitScotland iCentres. The majority of work experience opportunities are targeted at 4th year high school students. 

Internships
We offer a number of internship opportunities for both UK and international students studying relevant degrees at either university or college. These internships are arranged through participating Universities and Education Authorities and last for up to three months at a time.