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£100m investment in skills to drive growth

Secretary of State for Business, Vince Cable, and Minister for Skills, John Hayes, recently launched a £50 million a year fund to help businesses develop the skills they need to drive growth.

The Growth and Innovation Fund (GIF) will deliver targeted help for employer groups to overcome barriers to growth within their sectors and industries. The funding could deliver new training to boost innovation and productivity, enable industries to set new professional standards, or support new or extended National Skills Academies.

 BIS will invest up to £50m per year in partnership with businesses, whose investment alongside Government could deliver a total of up £100m a year.

Secretary of State Vince Cable said:

“This government understands that to rebalance and grow our economy, we need to tackle the skills shortages that hold companies back. Through this fund, we will support employers that take collective action to overcome these blockages to expansion.

“By putting the employer voice at the heart of the process, we will reward inventive approaches to training that deliver real help to get business moving.”

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ASA launches ad campaign to prepare business for new online marketing regulation.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is launching a cross-media ad campaign (outdoor, radio, press, online) to raise awareness of the fact that its remit is being extended to cover marketing on websites from 1st March 2011.

From 1 March, marketing communications on companies’ own websites and in other third party space under their control, such as Facebook and Twitter, will have to adhere to the non-broadcast advertising rules as set out in the CAP Code.

The ad campaign seeks to raise awareness of the ASA’s extended remit and calls on companies to ensure marketing messages on their websites are legal, decent, honest and truthful. It also encourages business to make sure their websites comply by seeking help and advice.

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Paternity Leave and Pay – Additional paternity leave and pay will come into force from 3rd April 2011.

Introduction of additional paternity leave and pay

Additional paternity leave and pay will come into force from 3 April 2011, eligible employees will gain the right to additional paternity leave and pay (APL&P).

The right will apply where:

  • their partner is due to give birth on or after 3 April 2011
  • they and/or the other adoptive parent receive notification on or after 3 April 2011 that they have been matched with a child for adoption

Additional paternity leave (APL) will allow an employee to take up to 26 weeks’ leave to care for the child.

The employee will only be able to start their APL:

  • 20 or more weeks after the child’s birth or placement for adoption
  • once their partner has returned to work from statutory maternity leave or statutory adoption leave and/or ended their entitlement to statutory maternity or adoption pay, or maternity allowance
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New government measures announced to help small companies grow

Backing Small Business

The government has announced further plans to help small and medium-sized businesses to flourish and to encourage entrepreneurship.  CJAM specialise in outsourcing to support SMEs contact our management team to find out more.

Set out within the Backing Small Business report, released on 1 November, are six steps to support small businesses:

–  Improving access to finance

–  Opening up government procurement and ensuring prompt payment

–  Supporting those starting a business

–  Making sure competition framework helps new companies

–  Providing targeted support to those that have high-growth potential

–  Ensuring that the government is deliberately reoriented towards their needs

 

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Online marketing – a cost-effective approach

In difficult economic times online marketing provides a cost-effective way to reach customers.  Digital marketing has become one of the most powerful and effective tools for many of CJAM’s clients. As part of an integrated association and not for profit management solution or as a stand alone service, our digital marketing platforms can help you achieve a wide range of marketing objectives including accurate segmentation and targeting, increased brand awareness or customer relationship development.

Our digital solutions are much more cost effective than traditional direct marketing and provide accurate, instant feedback helping you to constantly tailor and improve the effectiveness of campaigns.

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Business groups welcome Employers’ Charter

Business groups welcome Employers’ Charter

The government has set out measures designed to give businesses, especially SMEs, added confidence to expand and create jobs.

Reforms to employment tribunals will increase the qualifying period for unfair dismissal claims from 1 to 2 years. Last year tribunal claims rose by a record 56% to 236,000, and the average cost for a business defending itself against a claim was £4,000. The changes will reduce unmerited tribunal claims and encourage employers and employees to seek mediation to resolve disputes.

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