According to a recent study by the Resolution Foundation, implementing the National Living Wage (NLW) will prove a greater challenge in lower-paying areas – including Scotland.
By Robert Yardy
The spotlight has once again been cast on the importance of apprenticeships with George Osborne’s autumn statement promising to raise £3bn a year to fund three million employer apprenticeships across the UK.
As regular Real Business readers will know, apprenticeships are at the top of my agenda. However, since the chancellor put the gloss on his Autumn Statement with the details of his apprenticeship levy, there is a real feeling that momentum is growing behind vocational training.
By Simon Brooke
Businesses, especially those at the smaller end of the spectrum, are increasingly concerned about identifying and recruiting talent. It’s to solve this problem that a group of students from Portsmouth launched Gradlancer, an online service that connects motivated students with reputable employers looking for freelancers.
Small businesses located across London are planning to increase the money spent on research and development, but a lack of innovation and STEM skills are holding them back, according to Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking.
While employers are crying out for science recruits, several studies have pointed to the fact that graduates often pursue different careers after study due to a lack of desire to work in the field. According to Dan Sullivan, enthusiasm for science can be ingrained at a young age, and his company, Empiribox, aims to rally up some future scientists.
By Simon Brooke
Only one in ten of us own shares, according to figures from the Share Centre. Ruzbeh Bacha believes that one reason for this relatively small number is a lack of timely and accessible information for private investors – which prompted him to set up CityFALCON.
By David Craik
British businesses have given a mixed welcome to yesterday’s speech by shadow chancellor John McDonnell at the Labour Party Conference.
SMEs looking to tap into the rich vein of PE funding need to plug the skills gap, research shows.
News about big job losses often makes for big headlines – but what happens to the people and the communities after the initial drama fades from the front pages One man’s mission in Runcorn is now a benchmark for what to do when the “closed for business” signs are put up.
