Graduate IT jobs created at HP base - graduate jobs

Hewlett-Packard (HP) will be looking to recruit computing and IT graduates to help fill the 700 positions created by establishing a new centre at its Scottish base.

Erskine in Renfrewshire is planned to become a hub for delivering IT services to clients across the UK, the company said. It currently houses HP's customer support operations and sales.

Approximately 700 manufacturing roles were lost last year when production was transferred to the Czech Republic as part of a restructure.

A £7 million grant from the government agency Scottish Enterprise has helped push the new jobs through.

Alex Salmond, Scotland's First Minister, said: "HP's decision to make this investment at Erskine reflects the quality of Scotland's skilled workforce to perform and deliver success.

"The Scottish Government, Scottish Development International (SDI) and Scottish Enterprise work hard to promote Scotland as a key location to live, work and do business, and these 700 new jobs highlight our strengths as a first-class destination for technology."

Marc Waters, HP's head of strategy in the UK and Ireland, said: "Our clients look to HP to support their business goals by offering innovative, secure and highly-available services.

"HP has a strong heritage in Scotland and I am delighted to confirm our investment to develop the Erskine site as a hub for delivering industry-leading technology services."