HERO – The Highland Employer Recruitment Offer is designed to help people with barriers to employment, get and sustain a job.
Private sector (including sole traders / self-employed) or third sector employers with less than 200 employees in Highland can apply to HERO to provide a job opportunity for an unemployed person who is facing challenges with progressing into employment.
The fund will help with the costs of recruiting and employing someone who meets the criteria. Depending on the number of hours per week the recruit will be working, grants of up to £10,000 can be awarded.
HERO funding can cover:
- Wages
- Training
- Travel
- Other work related costs
Employer Requirements
Employers must:
- Have fewer than 200 employees in the Highland Council area
- Not be planning redundancies
- Apply for no more than 2 HERO grants at any one time
- Not receive other public funds for the same post (unless for specific needs like disability adaptations)
- Not have filled the post before receiving written approval
- Recruit from the Highland Council’s Employability Service
- Have appropriate employer’s liability insurance
- Pay all employees at least the Scottish Real Living Wage
- Adhere to the Scottish Government’s Commitment to Fair Work
Job Requirements
Jobs must:
- Be located within the Highland Council area
- Be contracted for at least 10 hours per week
- Be either a permanent or fixed-term contract of 52 weeks or more
- Pay at least the Scottish Real Living Wage
- Be new or additional roles (not covering sickness/maternity or replacing redundancies)
- Pay a salary greater than the funding received
- Have a signed written contract within 2 months of starting
- Not be zero-hour contracts
Recruit Requirements
Recruits must:
- Be unemployed and an existing client of the Highland Council’s Employability Service or Highland Employability Partnership members, or
- Require support to address challenges with progressing into employment and be eligible to be registered with the Employability Service – i.e. not a work-ready individual who simply requires a job
- Meet one or more of the following circumstances:
- disabled people and people with a long-term health condition
- those at risk of long-term unemployment (and in receipt of reserved benefits, where the support lasts at least 12 months).
- Not have left another job voluntarily to take up an opportunity supported by HERO
- Be aged between 16-67 years
- Not be in full time education
- Have the right to live and work in the UK
- Have their permanent residence within the Highland Council area
Annual Grant Levels
| Hours per week | Annual grant level |
| 10 – 15 | £4,000 |
| 16 – 20 | £6,000 |
| 21 – 29 | £8,000 |
| 30 + | £10,000 |
For further information please email to [email protected]