How Scottish Businesses Can Access Global Talent Without Growing Headcount

Scottish businesses are under growing pressure to do more with less. Skills shortages, rising employment costs and the challenge of finding reliable support are making it harder for SMEs to grow, stay agile and focus on what matters most. They need more staff resources, but this can be the biggest drain on a growing business, and hiring permanent staff in the current economic climate is a risk.

Apple faced the same issues decades ago and found the solution, and now so can Scottish businesses. This online briefing will explore how businesses can respond to these challenges by accessing talented, English-speaking international students through structured remote internships, which helps both businesses and students alike.

Hosted by Asia Scotland Institute, the session will introduce Asia Scotland Interns, a new initiative designed to connect Scottish organisations with vetted young talent who can support Administration, Digital marketing, IT, Customer Service and Recruitment.

What the briefing will cover:

• The talent and capacity challenges currently facing Scottish SMEs
• How remote international internships can support growth without increasing fixed headcount
• The types of roles interns can support across, from admin and digital marketing to IT and customer service
• How the Asia Scotland Interns model works in practice, including matching, onboarding and ongoing support
• The benefits for host organisations, and the wider value created for students through structured international work experience