Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) is looking into the options presented to people in remote communities by working from home.

The organisation is taking a particular focus on the people in Caithness and Sutherland and is offering advice sessions to those in the area who are keen to tap into new opportunities.

According to the John O'Groat Journal, HIE has been in discussions with international finance and business services companies in order to promote the skills on offer in the region and interest is starting to build.

The American-owned Arise UK is coming to the region in September to conduct a recruitment round. The company provides customer services to firms including Littlewoods and is aiming to double the number of agents it has in the UK, with a particular focus on the north.

Dickon Moon, director of strategic sourcing EMEA at Arise, told the paper, "HIE has been very supportive in working with us to bring our model to the region. We have been impressed with the rich range of skills and abilities of people here, and this lends itself perfectly to establishing this flexible alternative to the traditional contact-centre model."

HIE will run a number of free information sessions before the recruitment day in order to help people prepare.