We’ve retained our Investors in Young People Gold Accreditation for the seventh year in a row, at a crucial time for supporting the tourism and events industry.
Article published 03/03/2022
What does this recognition from Investors in Young People mean?
Investors in Young People is a national award that recognises organisations that have effective youth employment practices in place, from recruitment through to retention. Developing the skills of employees and recruiting future leaders in tourism and events is a key focus for VisitScotland as the industry continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and as we work to support the ambition of Outlook 2030, for Scotland to be a world leader in 21st century tourism.
Our People Strategy
Our People Strategy 2021 - 2024 aims to build on our reputation as a leading, world class environment for the best talent in Scotland and showcase tourism as an employer of choice. It aligns with our Strategic Framework and The Scottish Government’s Young Person's Guarantee, to give talented and ambitious employees the support and development opportunities to deliver on those commitments.
Scottish Apprenticeship Week
Scottish Apprenticeship Week 2022 runs from 7 – 11 March to show the value of Scottish Apprenticeships to people, business and the economy. In VisitScotland, we’ve hired 15 Modern Apprentices and 22 Graduates in the last five years.
Hear from several of our previous Modern Apprentices about their experience and onward career progression within our organisation.
Since I started working for VisitScotland, I’ve been given great support from both HR and my colleagues. From in-house training opportunities, shadowing meetings to even leading on important projects, it's helped me gain confidence in working as both an individual and as part of a team.
At first it was daunting to be a younger person in a big organisation, but I’ve never been made to feel undervalued and many of my colleagues have contributed to my personal and professional growth.
If I had to pinpoint a moment that made me really feel like I’d done myself proud, it was when I was entrusted to lead for search engine optimisation (SEO) on the Scotland’s UNESCO Trail project. It meant a lot to me at the time because it showed my manager trusted my knowledge and ability to make decisions on such a global initiative.
VisitScotland has put me on multiple training courses I otherwise wouldn't have been able to access, and this has allowed me to perform better in my current role and has provided me with a good boost to my career.
One of my highlights working for VisitScotland was working at VisitScotland Expo in 2019. It was a good opportunity to work in a completely different environment out of the office and to work with many of my colleagues from across VisitScotland in a short space of time.
Hear from our Head of HR on why youth employment is so important at VisitScotland.
Recruiting and developing young people in their career is a key element of our People Strategy. I am delighted that we continue to attract and retain such a high-calibre of young staff. The award reflects not only the commitment by VisitScotland but the efforts made by the HR team and many managers around the business to nurture our people talent for the future.
