Easter Ross jobs boost as Fujitsu announces plans for 20 new posts
AN information technology giant is set to create 20 new permanent jobs at its Easter Ross base — with the aim of bringing more posts to the Highlands longer term.
The jobs have been announced by Fujitsu at its service desk in Alness and is part of a wider business plan by the company which has been expanding its business in Scotland over the last few years.
Fujitsu says recruitment has already started and the new jobs will be based at the expanding service desk which is moving from its current location at the Alness Point Business Park to premises "at a location yet to be confirmed".
The base currently employs 25 staff who deal with 11,000 calls a month.
While it has had an at times rocky relationship with Highland Council, with which it landed a multimillion-pound IT contract for computers in schools, the company’s latest announcement has been warmly welcomed by the leader of the local authority leader, Councillor Drew Hendry.
He said: "We welcome the fact that Fujitsu has delivered on its honourable intention to grow its Scottish base by having a strategic hub in the Highlands. These jobs provide a significant boost for Alness and the wider Highlands and we look forward to working with Fujitsu and others to create more posts in the near future."
Jim Brophy, Fujitsu’s Client Director, said: "We see the Highlands as an ideal location to bring investment as part of a policy to build our business base in Scotland. These jobs offer real and positive career opportunities within Fujitsu and we are delighted we are able to enhance our Alness base, while we are determined to bring further posts in future.
"Another attraction in making the Alness investment is the proposal by Highland Council to set up a Highland Science Academy which will help bring pioneering educational and IT advances to the region."
The new Alness jobs will, says the company, offer opportunities to progress a career within Fujitsu. Catriona MacDonald started as a temporary service desk agent in Stevenage in 2000 and has since worked her way up to Service Director in Fujitsu’s Inverness office.
Last year she became a Fujitsu Inspirational Woman of the Year and attended an awards ceremony in London.
Catriona said: "Fujitsu is a company that allows employees to develop and craft career paths and I have been extremely lucky to have had managers that have supported me and allowed me to grow.
"I am a firm believer in supporting people to realise their potential and we have seen this across the Highland account with temps becoming perms and people progressing across all disciplines."
Fujitsu is the world’s third largest IT service provider, employing more than 161,000 people in over 100 countries with an annual group turnover of $47 billion. In the UK and Ireland Fujitsu employs 11,400 people and has annual revenue of £1.7 billion.
Its business includes consulting, applications, systems integration, managed services and product for customers in the private and public sectors including retail, financial services, telecoms, government, defence and consumer sectors.
The 500-strong Scottish workforce serves 2,500 sites across the country at offices in Edinburgh, Dundee, Cumbernauld, Inverness and Alness. The Highland workforce makes up around a fifth of the Scottish total.
