SMEs Archives - Page 2 of 2

More than £450m investment for regional jobs and growth

April 12, 2011

Over 100,000 new jobs will be created and safeguarded under Government plans announced today by the Deputy Prime Minister to invest £450m in businesses across England.

The first round of the Regional Growth Fund (RGF) will see an expanded amount of public investment support 50 bids by companies and partnerships who demonstrated how they would create jobs and a high level of private sector-led sustainable economic growth in their local communities over the coming years.

The Government expects over 27,000 jobs to be directly created and safeguarded, with close to a further 100,000 jobs in associated supply chains and local economies.

£20m management training fund will help small businesses grow

April 11, 2011

Skills Minister John Hayes today called on senior leaders in SMEs to take advantage of funding that will support leadership and management training to help them grow their businesses.

Around 13,000 small and medium sized businesses and social enterprises that demonstrate a potential for growth will benefit from the Leadership and Management development grant. This will help stimulate innovation and employment, boosting the economy and helping develop a bigger and more cohesive society.

New climate change advice to help businesses boost growth

March 29, 2011

Climate change will bring opportunities for economic growth if British businesses think now about how climate change will affect them, Environment Minister Lord Henley said today. The message came at the launch of a new interactive online tool designed by Defra and the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) to prepare businesses for both climate risks and opportunities.

The Climate Resilience Toolkit is a quick and simple online tool available on the Business Link website for businesses wanting to increase their resilience to the changing climate, or explore possibilities for growth by taking advantage of the opportunities climate change will bring.

The toolkit provides a tailored report for each business to help it focus on what it should be doing to prepare, such as checking the robustness of its supply chain, the threat of flooding to premises and possible changes in customer demand for products.

New ‘Solutions for Business’ portfolio refocused on growth

March 21, 2011

The Government is launching a new portfolio of products today to help businesses and support growth in the economy.

The new Solutions for Business (SfB) package is simpler, making it easier to understand and accessible to companies.

There are 13 products designed to help businesses identify and overcome key challenges as they grow and develop. It will target activities where a Government lead is required, such as providing access to strategic advice, helping companies reach international markets and supporting innovation.

Business and Enterprise Minister Mark Prisk announced the 13 products at a North West Business Reception in Manchester.

Mr Prisk said:

“The new Solutions for Business portfolio has been designed to give businesses the help they need to expand and grow.

“We are moving away from centralised advice and focusing on targeted programmes. This streamlining is firmly based on developing those services which work, and which private providers do not offer. Securing economic growth is our central task and this step is part of our broad programme to free enterprise and help small firms prosper.”

£100m investment in skills to drive growth

March 10, 2011

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.”

Bribery Act 2010 – Is your Association or Not for Profit Organisation prepared?

February 4, 2011

The aim of the act is to consolidate existing legislation on bribery. For the purposes of the Bribery Act, bribery is defined as `the giving or taking of a reward in return for acting dishonestly and/or in breach of the law’.

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

February 3, 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

New government measures announced to help small companies grow

February 3, 2011

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

Business groups welcome Employers’ Charter

February 3, 2011

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.