OUR PLACEMENTS

Placement summary

The Castle and Gardens of Mey Ltd, a 5 star tourist attraction in the north of Scotland, is recruiting for a short-term (18 week) sales and social media graduate placement. The successful graduate will be responsible for a project to help increase the membership of ‘Friends of the Castle Mey’ and developing the company’s social media presence to its full potential.

Job description

Project Description

Presently the company’s social media hasn’t been developed to its full potential and needs to move forward in order to maximise marketing potential. This project would see the growth of the Friends Membership which at the moment is not growing, thus increasing much needed revenue for the Trust and significantly higher social media/website participation.

Specific tasks of the role will involve:

• Development of Friends membership, by converting on site visitors to become Friends of the Castle of Mey, this entails being outside engaging with potential members by highlighting the benefits of membership.

• Development of Company website, keeping it up to date and relevant therefore increasing ‘hits’ and company visibility online.

• Daily updates and development of Company social media sites to increase company’s profile

This position is part funded by Highlands and Islands Enterprise and the European Regional Development Fund.

Qualifications

Minimum HNC in relevant discipline

Skills / Experience

Essential Skills

• Excellent communication as the post is in part customer facing
• Good working knowledge of websites and social media
• Experience of working with the public
• Discreet, trustworthy and reliable
• Be able to work as part of a team as well under own initiative

Desirable Skills

• Previous sales experience
• Driving licence

Benefits

Placement benefits

As part of this ScotGrad Graduate Placement Programme, the candidate will benefit from support from a team within Highlands and Islands Enterprise and also access a four day residential course training focussed on employability and business skills.

Additional information

Location: The Castle of Mey, by Thurso, Caithness

Preferred start date: 07/05/2014

Company information

The Castle and Gardens of Mey is a 5 star Visit Scotland graded Tourist Attraction in the far north of Scotland. It was left in Trust by the late Queen Mother for the benefit of the local community. The Castle opened it’s doors to the public for the first time in 2002, and strives to give visitors, both locally and those travelling from further afield, a truly memorable experience. From its initial opening it has expanded with a bespoke built visitor centre in 2007 which includes a tearoom and shop which greatly expands the visitor experience. The most recent addition to the castle has been the development of an animal centre and exhibition. The ethos behind the animal centre is the education of children in farming animals and activities. As a charitable organisation, the Trust takes education very seriously and to this end, all school parties and educational groups are given free entry during the months of May and June to enjoy all that the Castle and Gardens of Mey have to offer. There is an average of 21,500 visitors per year, proving a huge boost for both the local economy and businesses in Caithness. During the tourist season we employ 50 members of full and part time staff. We constantly strive to find ways of improving visitor numbers through advertising, trade fairs and attending tourism groups. Encouraging Cruise ship is also a critical market. We also hold conferences and weddings. Due to hard work and dedication the Castle and Gardens of Mey has achieved Gold standard in Green Accreditation. The Friends of the Castle of Mey was formed to encourage both repeat visits and generate regular income whilst at the same time bringing the awareness of the Castle to a much wider geographical area. This is an area we would very much like to expand through proactive selling, along with using social media in aide to heighten our profile.

Company sector: Tourism

Company website: www.castleofmey.org.uk

Placement contact details: Shirley Farquhar
01847 851473