January 2011 Updates

McDonald’s to create 3,000 UK jobs 25/01/2011 Daily Express – McDonald’s plan to open new restaurants and extend their opening hours which will lead to 3,000 jobs being created across the UK in 2011. The chain revealed profits had increased in 2010. McDonald’s currently has 1,194 restaurants in the UK open 24 hours a day.

Dobbies to create around 300 jobs 26/01/2011 The Herald
Dobbies will open 3 new centres creating around 400 jobs in Scotland. The garden centres will be located in Braehead, Renfrewshire and Livingston, West Lothian. There are alsoplans to open a centre in East Kilbride in South Lanarkshire.

Investment in renewable energy centre: Mitsubishi Power Systems Europe (MPSE) has revealed that it will invest £100 million in renewable energy in Scotland. The firm will open a research hub in Scotland which will protect 25 jobs and create approximately 200 jobs by 2015. Around 30 jobs will be created in 2011.

Jazz Venue to Close: 13/12/2010 The Scotsman – The popular jazz venue The Lot in Edinburgh’s Grassmarket will close at the end of January 2011 with the loss of 19 jobs.

Newly qualified teachers’ job numbers revealed: 09/12/2010 Daily Mail – The General Teaching Council of Scotland has revealed only 1 in 6 of newly qualified teachers who completed their probationary teaching year in June have secured a full-time permanent post.

Wind-energy investment in Scotland: 21/01/2011 Daily Telegraph -  World leading wind-energy company Gamesa will create 300 jobs in Scotland as part of aplanned £42 million investment in Glasgow and Dundee. The wind turbine manufacturer intends to establish an offshore technology centre in Glasgow, employing 130 people, and a manufacture and maintenance base in Dundee, which will create 170 jobs.

5,800 temporary census jobs created in Scotland:27/11/2010 Daily Record – The General Register Office for Scotland (GROS) has recruited 5,800 temporary census takers to help with Scotland’s census on 27th March 2011. Completing a census questionnaire is a legal requirement.

Tesco Bank to open new Edinburgh office: 30/11/2010 The Scotsman – Tesco Bank will open a new office in Edinburgh by the end of 2011. The new office is expected to create hundreds of jobs. Tesco Bank has over 1,000 employees in Scotland.

Newly qualified teachers’ job numbers revealed: 09/12/2010 Daily Mail – The General Teaching Council of Scotland has revealed only 1 in 6 of newly qualified teachers who completed their probationery teaching year in June have secured a full-time permanent post.

Waitrose to open 16 supermarkets in Scotland: 09/01/2011 Scotland on Sunday – Waitrose is planning to open 16 supermarkets in Scotland over the next 5 years. Hundreds of jobs are expected to be created.

Biscuit factory jobs protected: 13/01/2011 The Scotsman – Over 850 jobs at Burton’s biscuit factory in Sighthill in Edinburgh have been secured due to £7 million of investment. The investment will be split between the company’s sites in Edinburgh and Llantarnam in South Wales. Around £5 million is expected to go to the factory in Edinburgh which has 600 permanent staff and approximately 250 temporary employees.

Amazon to create 950 jobs in Scotland: 14/01/2011 The Herald – Online retailer Amazon will create 950 jobs in Scotland. Amazon will create 750 jobs at a new site in Dunfermline, Fife and 200 jobs at its site in Gourock in Inverclyde. The company has received £2 million in Regional Selective Assistance and £500,000 in training funds. Work is due to begin at the Dunfermline site in the next few weeks and the factory expected to be running by the end of 2011.

Asda to open a store next to Ikea: 20/01/2011 Edinburgh Evening News – Asda will open a 45,000 sq ft supermarket and petrol station next to Ikea at the Straiton Retail Park in Loanhead, Midlothian. Around 400 permanent jobs will be created when the store opens in late 2011.

New police constables recruitment: 19/01/2011 Edinburgh Evening News – Lothian and Borders police will recruit 36 newly qualified police constables by the end of March 2011.