Invest in Angus

When to hire your first operations leader | Lunch and Learn
2025-11-21 12:00 - 12:30 UTC
As a founder, you’re used to doing it all – finance, people, compliance, customer success and more.
But at some point, juggling every function yourself stops your business from growing. That’s when it’s time to bring in your first operations hire.
But should that be an operations manager, head of operations, chief of staff or chief operating officer (COO)? And how do you decide what’s right for your stage?
In this Lunch and Learn, Aušrinė Keršanskaitė, co-founder of Operations Nation, will walk you through how to spot the signs that you’re ready, what different operations roles look like and how to make sure your first hire is set up to succeed.
Topics covered in this session:

Knowing when you’re ready: Clear signs that the founder “do-it-all” model is slowing you down
Picking the right role: How to decide between an operations manager, head of operations, chief of staff or COO depending on your business’s needs
Setting yourself up for success: The onboarding, scope and expectations that make the difference between a hire that thrives and one that struggles

The skills squeeze: Staying ahead in Scotland’s changing talent landscape
2025-11-25 11:00 - 12:00
Businesses in Scotland are facing a talent challenge. There’s a demand for new skills but a shrinking talent pool.
How can you overcome this? By attracting, developing, and retaining your most important resource: your people.
In this webinar, we’ll show you some of the ways you can do just that, and how Scottish Enterprise can support you.
We’ll explore how to tackle both the labour shortage and the skills gap, as these are two distinct challenges that require different strategies.
You’ll hear how inclusive recruitment can unlock hidden talent, from returners and career changers to those with caring responsibilities or long-term unemployment.
We’ll also look at how to future-proof your workforce. As sectors evolve and technology advances, upskilling becomes essential. Learn how to build pathways for learning across all career stages, and how AI can be used to enhance – not replace – human expertise.

Finding, keeping and looking after your staff
2025-11-27 10:00 - 12:00, 2026-01-15 13:00 - 15:00
One of the most daunting challenges a business can face is the process of hiring employees, interviewing, payroll, pensions, contracts, remote working and more, it is a minefield for the business owner.
This webinar will allow you to have the key information in your possession to take on staff and look after your team.
We’ll cover:

Finding, keeping and looking after your staff
Attracting and recruiting the best people for your business
Your obligations as employers
How to retain staff members
Moving on
Dismissal
Restructure/Redundancy

We will also look at:

How in the current climate you can manage staff and teams in a remote environment, considering their productivity, efficiency, and the issues of home working
How you can best manage staff to ensure productivity is kept and mental health is supported
The impact of companies who may be considering restructuring and therefore redundancy for the first time and how that can be managed

Thorntons Webinar - Farming Focus: Civil Penalties & Right to Work
2025-12-09 09:30 - 10:30
Civil penalties have increased to £45,000 per worker for businesses who employ workers without the right to work in the UK. With enforcement action at an all time high, it is essential that farms are
carrying out right to work checks properly on all workers.
Join Jacqueline Moore, Partner in our Immigration team, and Robin Dunlop, Partner in our Land & Rural Business team, to find out what farms need to do to protect themselves from a civil penalty.

Thorntons Webinar - What to Expect in 2026
2026-01-20 09:30 - 10:30
In 2025, there were significant changes to UK immigration law which impacted international citizens living and working in Scotland. Further change is expected in 2026, with the UK Government expected to make further changes to work visa routes and the path to settlement and citizenship.
Join our specialist immigration team to find out what these changes mean for individuals, families and businesses.

Earned Settlement: What employers need to know
2026-04-07 09:30 - 10:30
The UK Government has announced significant changes to the path to settlement for most international citizens. This will impact sponsored workers and also their sponsors, who now face an extension of sponsorship costs and compliance obligations for workers on a longer path to settlement.
Join Rebecca Engel-Morton and Catriona MacDonald to find out what we know so far and what steps sponsors and employers should take now.

Grow Angus: Free Services for a Stronger Local Economy
2026-04-23 10:00 - 12:00 | Angus House, Orchardbank Business Park, Forfar, DD8 1AX
Free Recruitment Support
Discover how Jobcentre Plus can save your business time and money with:

FREE vacancy advertising across national platforms
FREE shortlisting to match the right people to your role
FREE candidate matching for interview
No recruitment agency or job board costs at any stage

You’ll be able to speak directly with Employer Advisers about your vacancies and receive same‑day support to get roles advertised and much more!
Tailored Business Support from Angus Council
Meet the Skills & Employability team, who provide:

1:1 tailored support based on your business needs
A collaborative approach to understanding your workforce gaps
Flexible, local help focused on finding and developing the right people

They will also share information on local training, skills development opportunities, and the wider partnership support available to employers.
Why attend?

Speak directly with local specialists who can support your business at no cost
Learn how to streamline your recruitment processes
Understand how local services can help you access talent pipelines
Build connections with partners invested in supporting local growth
