The Office for National Statistics recently reported that the number of new UK businesses created in the second half of 2020 was slightly higher than the corresponding period the previous year. This statistic contradicts the headlines detialing the disastrous impact of COVID on the economy. In Scotland, there are currently 54,000 Company Directors aged under 35, leading 47,000 businesses contributing £25 billion to the Scottish economy.
Young entrepreneurs are at the forefront of our economic development and recovery, and ensuring this demographic have the right support and encouragement is key to Scotland’s prosperity.
Supporting startups has always been in the DNA of AAI EmployAbility. Between 2010 and 2017, with the backing of the Scottish Government, AAI was able to support the wages of graduate interns to work in small, growing businesses, and have continued to support this demographic to make the jump from ‘entrepreneur’ to ‘employer’ as our business has evolved.
Startup Grind, the world’s largest startup community, has grown a global audience through hosting firesides chat events, featuring entrepreneurs and innovators in open and frank conversations that entertain and inspire audience members. In 2020, Startup Grind’s Edinburgh and Glasgow Chapters combined forces to host twice-monthly virtual events as Startup Grind Scotland, showcasing stories of entrepreneurship and success in Scotland, attracting audience members from over 25 countries.
With this in mind, the official partnership between AAI and Startup Grind Scotland will be no surprise to members. Recent SG events have featured AAI employers such as Actiph Water, FutureX and Scottish EDGE, and all but one of the current SG Scotland team have been either hired with AAI or been hired through one of our opportunities.
The AAI team look forward to supporting the Startup Grind Scotland audience to understand inclusive recruitment and the benefits of a diverse workforce with tailored advice that growing businesses can trust.
AAI EmployAbility CEO Joy Lewis said:
“I’ve always been impressed with the Startup Grind brand, and have appeared as a guest speaker at their events in the past. Their values align very closely with ours, and the fact that half of their team has found work through AAI is the icing on the cake. I look forward to working closely with them to showcase the incredible business stories we have in this country.”
Startup Grind Scotland Chapter Director Dec Mclaughlan said:
“I found my current day job with Edinburgh-based startup, BackHug, after seeing the role advertised in an AAI newsletter. The opportunity to join a fast-paced and fast-growing company gives you the chance to learn skills you never thought possible and allows you to also develop strong leadership at an early stage of your career. I’m excited to see this partnership support both the jobseekers in our community and the Founders whom we champion.“
Find out more about Startup Grind’s virtual events here and here, and follow them on LinkedIn here.
