(Reuters) – A British government scheme requiring banks to refer small firms rejected for loans to alternative finance providers should be up and running by next year, the managing director of the British Business Bank said.
Having been ignored for decades, apprenticeships are back for good. According to the government, ‘over 2.1m people have started apprenticeships this Parliament, with a six-fold increase in higher apprenticeships started since 2009-10’. The number is planned to increase and there’s an apprenticeship voucher scheme on the way, scheduled for roll-out in 2017. In yesterday’s Budget from Chancellor George Osborne, the apprentice wage went up by 57p an hour to £3.30 – equivalent to an annual salary increase of over £1,000 for a full time worker.
The first united UK aviation conference is to be held this autumn bringing together the sectors main trade associations.
The Liverpool Commonwealth Association will be officially launched next week in a bid to strengthen trading links between the city and UK Commonwealth countries.
The UK Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) is lobbying the UK government and local authorities to encourage adoption of new Euro IV diesel vehicles and improve air quality.
As International Women’s Day fast approaches, female hierarchy within British business is at the forefront of the political agenda.
Nine trade associations in the UK have been advised that they should merge into a single body to strengthen lobbying in Europe and slash membership costs, according to a Reuters report.
REA announces the official launch of UK Solar and its first storage representation body, UK Energy Storage.
Companies across the UK could be leaving themselves open to cyber attacks, reports TechWeek Europe, with half of businesses vulnerable to being hacked in less than 30 minutes. This is the alarming assessment of data security specialist Walter Rossi, who has warned that the majority of businesses are simply not prepared for cyber security attacks and are don’t have adequate measures in place to guard against them.
The Resource Association, a U.K.-based trade association for the reprocessing and recycling industries and their supply chain, has announced that Jonathan Short has resigned as its chairman and board member.