HIJOBS receives support from Entrepreneurial Spark to help those in rural communities find employment
Lochaber, September 2015; Entrepreneurs Laura Saunders and Christopher Snelgrove have entered business accelerator Entrepreneurial Spark to develop HIJOBS, an online portal to help jobseekers find employment in rural communities.
Spanning rural locations in Scotland, in particular in the Highlands and Islands, HIJOBS connects candidates with employers and enables them to stay in more secluded locations without sacrificing career potential.
Background
The duo started HIJOBS in November 2014 following Laura’s own difficulties in finding employment in the location she wanted to live – Glencoe. After using traditional methods of job-seeking without success and then visiting some of the of businesses with little opportunities being presented, Laura and Christopher decided to tackle the problem head-on by developing HIJOBS, which superseded Lochaber Jobs, which they acquired from HIE.
Entrepreneurial Spark
In September 2015, Laura and Christopher entered Entrepreneurial Spark, a business accelerator with bases across the UK, where they will receive free office space and IT facilities along with mentoring, advice and workshops to help them grow the business. Based in Entrepreneurial Spark in Edinburgh, Laura hopes to attract new jobseekers and employers to the platform. HIJOBS also maintain an office in Fort William, where Christopher is based.
Exciting Opportunities
HIJOBS currently has a database of exciting job opportunities from the likes of Marine Harvest, SSE, Tesco and Lidl.
Commenting on her recent acceptance to Entrepreneurial Spark, Laura said: “I’m really excited to be part of Entrepreneurial Spark. Having myself struggled to find employment in rural locations but having a strong desire to live in the countryside, I knew there was a need for a service like HIJOBS. Being accepted onto the Entrepreneurial Spark programme shows the potential of the business and I’m looking forward to learning new skills and growing the business. We have a great database of employers who regularly post job vacancies and we encourage anyone searching for a job or considering a move to a more rural location to see what great opportunities are on offer.”