In our final Sector Spotlight on Creative Industries, we hear from Carol Dunbar who is the Learning and Engagement Programme Manager at the Pier Arts Centre.
 
Following school, Carol studied Woven Tapestry and Printmaking at Edinburgh School of Art, spending 18 months working in Australia as a tapestry weaver after her graduation.  When she returned to Scotland, she worked as a freelance artist and tutor.  Throughout her career, she has spent time working for a local textile design company, delivered classes and workshops and working as a part-time lecturer at Orkney College UHI.  She joined the Pier Arts Centre in 2005 as Education Officer.

In our next Sector Spotlight on Creative Industries, we hear from Isla Holloway who is the Marketing and Customer Service Manager at the Pier Arts Centre in Stromness.
 
Isla has a lifelong desire to go to Art School, which she achieved by attending Edinburgh College of Art to study Tapestry.  Following her graduation, she worked as an artist in Edinburgh for a few years, supplementing her income with part-time work.  On returning to Orkney, she worked in retail until the role of Marketing and Retail Development Officer came up at the Pier Arts Centre. 

​In today’s Sector Spotlight on Creative Industries, we hear from Alison Firth who is a Director at Ortak Ltd.
 
Alison left school at 16 and started working with Rolls-Royce as a secretarial trainee.  From there, she went to Thurso College where she gained her HND in Business Studies.  She continued to work with Rolls-Royce undertaking various roles which helped her develop different skills and undertake additional training.  She then gained her degree through the Open University and trained to become a Chartered Accountant.  In 2014, she invested in Ortak and became a Director of the business.

In our next Sector Spotlight is focusing on Creative Industries.  Today we hear from Carrie Paxton, who is a Glass Artist based in St Ola, Kirkwall.
 
Carrie started her career as an apprentice in a design studio, she then undertook a degree and post-graduate qualifications as a mature student after starting her family.  She now runs her own studio and produces a range of items as well as undertaking commissions for businesses and individuals.

For our next Sector Spotlight on the Creative Industries, we hear from Erica Drever who is an Enameller at Sheila Fleet’s.
After studying at Orkney College UHI, Erica was looking for a job and, as she has always admired Sheila Fleet’s jewellery, she phoned up the workshop and asked if there were any job opportunities.  She was invited in for a trial and 10 years later she is still there. 

In our next Sector Spotlight on Creative Industries, we hear from Olivia Yorston who is a Master Pattern Maker at Sheila Fleet Jewellery.
 
Olivia Left school at 15 with no formal qualifications and worked as a Florists for four years.  Following a tour at Sheila Fleet’s workshop in Tankerness, she was offered a work trial with the business.  Olivia started as a Craft Person before being offered the chance to develop further and train to become the Master Pattern Maker.

In our first Sector Spotlight on Creative Industries, we hear from Andrew Appleby who is the Managing Director of Fursbreck Pottery – also known as the Harray Potter.
 
Andrew has loved working with clay since childhood and an interest in archaeology helped him learn about Neolithic pottery.  While at school he started worked for Peggy Foy Pottery.  He then went to Art School and worked at another pottery that taught him about rapid production.  He moved to Orkney in 1975, and set up his pottery at Fursbreck Farm.  He moved to his current premises at the old Harray School three years later and has worked there ever since.  He now employs two apprentices who work alongside him and his son.

In our final Sector Spotlight on the Third Sector, we hear from Samantha Stringer, a Volunteer Development Worker at Voluntary Action Orkney.
 
Samantha has undertaken various jobs throughout her career, including working as a Primary School Teacher, a Student Recruitment Officer and as a Countryside Ranger.  Each job has taught her new skills and led her working with different teams, all of which has helped her as she progresses.

​In our next case study for the Third Sector, we hear from Debbie Ralph who is a Children and Young People Support Worker with Women’s Aid Orkney. Debbie began her career as a Telephonist before going into nursing and care work.  She then worked as a self-employed Aromatherapist and Reflexologist.  Following a move to Orkney, she worked for various third sector organisations before moving into her current role.

In our first Sector Spotlight on the Third Sector we hear from Nikki Coghill, who is a Service Support Supervisor at Age Scotland.
 
Nikki left school when she was 17 and got a job in a local care home as a relief Social Care Assistant. She then undertook a Modern Apprenticeship, working towards her SVQ2 in Social Care. She also obtained her HNC and SVQ3 in Social Care.
 
After working in a care home for a few years, an opportunity came up at Age Scotland Orkney, where Nikki has developed her skills in a variety of roles and through professional development.

In our final Sector Spotlight on the Emergency Services, we hear from Simon Hay who is a Police Sergeant with Police Scotland in Kirkwall.
 
Simon left school at the end of fourth year and began working as a carpet fitter before taking on a seasonal role cutting grass during the summer.  He then started working at the Pickaquoy Centre and during his time there, a work colleague suggested he apply to become a Police Officer.
 
Since joining the police, Simon has worked in Caithness and Orkney in both uniformed and plain clothed roles.

In our next Sector Spotlight on the Emergency Services, we hear from Graham Campbell who is the Second Mechanic on the RNLI Lifeboat based in Kirkwall.
 
The RNLI is a charity that saves lives at sea, powered almost entirely by donations and with the help of their volunteer lifeboat crews and lifeguards.  The role of volunteers in supporting the lifeboat service is vital to coastal communities like Orkney.
 
Volunteering with the RNLI is something that Graham has wanted to do since he was a young boy.  Before joining the lifeboat crew he served with the local Territorial Army (TA) as a Reservist Soldier for nine years.  After he had served his time with the TA, he joined the RNLI Kirkwall Lifeboat crew.

In our first Sector Spotlight on the Emergency Services, we hear from Angus Young who has worked in the Fire Service for almost 29 years and has served in various roles throughout.  He was offered the opportunity to take up his current role due to his experience in youth engagement.

In our final Sector Spotlight on Education, we hear from Joanne Porter who is the Associate Professor in Marine Science at Heriot Watt University Orkney.
 
Childhood holidays to the seaside sparked an interest in the natural world which a Tutor at Sixth Form College recognised, encouraging Joanne to study Marine Biology at University.  This led to her undertaking her PhD and working in research before undertaking her current role as a member of academic staff heading up a research team.

Continuing our Sector Spotlight on Education, today we hear from Wendy Bowen, who is the Head Teacher of Papdale Primary School.
 
Wendy became a Primary School Teacher straight out of University, working in various schools in Caithness and the Highlands, eventually working her way up to Head Teacher.  She came to Orkney in 2014 as Head Teacher of Sanday Junior High School, before moving to Papdale in 2019.  While still a school pupil and as a student she undertook a variety of part-time jobs including working in shops, at Caithness Glass and with the Tourist Board.

​In our next Sector Spotlight on Education, we hear from Susan Mackay who is a Lecturer in Business Studies and Inclusive Practice at Orkney College UHI.
 
Susan started her career in hospitality, working in hotels and bars across the UK from the age of 19.  She moved to Orkney in 2003 and managed a couple of hotels here, before changing career.  After starting and running her own businesses she joined Orkney College UHI as an SVQ Assessor, Short Course Tutor and relief Lecturer in 2012.  Throughout her career Susan has undertaken additional qualifications to help her take on new roles, most recently completing her BA (Hons.) Business Management alongside her full-time work.

In our next Sector Spotlight on Education, we hear from Elsa Cox who is Orkney Development Manager for Robert Gordon University.
 
Elsa studied Archaeology at Glasgow University before undertaking a Post Graduate Diploma in Museum and Gallery Studies at St Andrews University.  She has worked in museums across Scotland, as well as in South Georgia, an island in the southern Atlantic Ocean.  While not connected to her experience as a Curator, her current role combines many of the transferrable skills she has developed throughout her career so far.

​In our first Sector Spotlight on Education we hear from Stewart McPhail who is the Head Teacher of Sanday Junior High School.
 
Stewart went to university and got an Honours Degree in Geology before working abroad in the oil industry. He then qualified as a teacher and spent time as a supply teacher while continuing to work in the oil industry.  Stewart then moved into full time teaching and now works as Head Teacher at Sanday Junior High School.

Continuing our Sector Spotlight on the IT and Communication, today we hear from Ross Mackie who is a Technical Solutions Architect at Kyloe in Kirkwall.
 
Ross started at Kyloe as a Software Developer.  From there, he progressed onto the role of Lead Developer for Services before starting his current role.

In our next Sector Spotlight Campaign on IT and Communications we hear from Gordon Robinson who is a Product Manager at Kyloe.
 
Gordon left school at 16 and joined the Fleet Auxiliary as a Marine Engineer Officer.  He then joined the NHS as an Admin Assistant on a temporary basis, but remained for eight years, leaving as a Senior Manager.  Gordon then worked in product management for a healthcare software company in Edinburgh, before joining Kyloe last year as Product Manager.

We are continuing our Sector Spotlight series on the IT and Communication industry and we now hear from Garry Peace, a Software Developer (Products) at Kyloe.
 
Garry started his studies at Orkney College after leaving school, achieving his HND.  He then worked in various jobs before going back to college to get his degree in Computing Science,  after which he started working at Kyloe, initially as an SQL Developer before moving into his current role.

In our next Sector Spotlight on the IT and Communications industry we hear from Graeme Scollay who is Operations Manager at RM Computing.
 
After leaving school, Graeme worked at a BT call centre in Thurso which included various roles which led onto him pursuing a career in IT.  He moved into a role on the IT Helpdesk for another business in Thurso, developing his skills and knowledge and progressing to a Team Leader role.  Graeme returned to Orkney in 2017, joining RM Computing as IT Support Team Leader before progressing into his current role.

This week’s Sector Spotlight is on the IT and Communications industry.  Today we hear from Andrew Stevenson who is a Software Developer at Kyloe.
 
After graduating with a degree in Computer Science, Andrew  worked in different roles including in a bar and on WordPress sites for a work uniform company, before moving back to Orkney to undertake his current role.

​In our second Sector Spotlight on IT and Communication we hear from Amaya Capracci, who is a Product Consultant at Kyloe in Kirkwall.
 
Amaya has always had an interest in technology and taught herself to code simple things as a teenager.  She has a a Bachelors degree in Journalism as well as an MBA in Marketing and Sales Management and has previously worked as a Marketing Manager.

In our first Sector Spotlight on the IT and Communications industry we hear from AJ Smith, who is a UX/UI Developer at Kyloe in Kirkwall.
 
AJ graduated from Portsmouth University and worked in a local IT company before working freelance while he travelled around Australia.  He then moved back to the UK and worked for another company before moving to Orkney in 2017 and started working at Kyloe.