This week is National Apprenticeship Week (NAW), the 16th annual week-long celebration of apprenticeships. For those looking to advance their career or learn new skills, an apprenticeship can be a great way to develop the skills and knowledge required and provide businesses an opportunity to develop a talented workforce that is equipped with future-ready skills. But taking on something new can come with challenges. Whether adapting to new routines, meeting new people or taking on a new role, change can be hard. And with additional factors such as rising living costs, international instability and mental health pressures at play, employers need…
Author: sme-admin
Spain has announced a new digital nomad visa that will allow non–European Economic Area residents (including British and US citizens) working for foreign companies to live in the country, without having to obtain a full work visa. The Spanish parliament approved the move in December, and this visa introduction is part of the country’s newly passed Startup Law, which aims to attract tech companies, remote workers and digital nomads to Spain. With the visa, people can live and work in Spain for up to a year at first, and then apply for this time to be extended, up to a total period of…
Roger Wright, Waste Strategy & Packaging Manager at leading sustainable waste management company Biffa, looks at five ways plastic packaging can be better recycled. The unpalatable fact is the UK still produces too much waste, and we don’t recycle enough of it. Currently in the UK, we’re falling short of our 2050 target to prepare 65% of municipal waste for re-use and recycling, and plastic packaging is an important part of this story. As of 2021, the UK has a recovery/recycling rate of 44% for plastic packaging, while materials such as aluminium (75%) and paper and cardboard (70%) are much higher. It…
Following metatalent.ai’s latest Green Skills roundtable: ‘How the Great Reshuffle Calls for a Greener Transition’, CEO Rehan Haque summarises the event’s findings, outlining how businesses can promote a greener skills economy in the next year and beyond. The need to prioritise and resource a green revolution has never been greater as we move into 2023. Pressure placed by the energy crisis has led to questioning whether sufficient progress has been made to meet the growing ambitions and societal expectations of reaching a greener, net-zero economy. Business leaders must take responsibility for pivoting their companies towards benefiting a green skills economy…
Monthly bills are the biggest financial concern for Brits on any salary: a worry that is set to worsen as broadband and mobile bills increase by 15% this Spring. As part of their cost-of-living statistics report, the finance experts at money.co.uk sought to investigate the current biggest financial concerns across different wage brackets, as a result of the cost-of-living crisis. To do this, they looked into factors including people’s main financial struggles, the average price increases in grocery shops and bills, and how people are adapting to cope with surging prices. Britain’s biggest financial concerns £15,000 or less £15,001 – £25,000 £25,001 – £35,000 £35,001 – £45,000 £45,001 -…
Sustainability and environmental concerns are increasingly at the forefront of decision-making for businesses of all sizes. The drive to net zero and the current energy prices have sharpened thinking with companies about being more responsible for their emissions and for ensuring the sustainability of their supply. This is true of any company which relies heavily on documentation. A company that wishes to store documents has three choices: paper, local servers or cloud storage. Berkshire-based document management specialist company Filestream has been championing electronic document storage since 2003 and has seen millions of documents moved from paper to the Cloud. Moving…
The last few years have presented numerous challenges for SMEs. Just when there seemed to be light at the end of the Covid tunnel, there has been rapid inflation and recession is now looming (predicted by the Bank of England to be the longest since records began). As we move into 2023, Jenifer Martindale, Partner in the Commercial Litigation team at Wilsons Solicitors LLP, looks at what risks and issues the UK SMEs are likely to face as 2023 progresses? Repaying Coronavirus loans The Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) and the Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS) were a business saver…
Author: Mandy Rico, Director of Advisory and Inclusion at diversity and inclusion consultancy, INvolve With all of the changes we have seen over the last few years, it’s important that we reflect on the impact they have had on the way we navigate the world. With developments such as the rise of hybrid working shifting attitudes and providing opportunity for progress in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) across the board, the momentum must be maintained as we make headway into 2023. 2022 saw many small businesses recognise the need for change to create more diverse, equitable and inclusive workplaces. However,…
American Express recently commissioned Opinium Research to survey 500 senior decision makers in SMEs that operate internationally on their views about trading internationally and dealing with foreign exchange volatility. Why SMEs should take a proactive approach to FX volatility: 85% of SMEs surveyed said the recent fluctuation in the value of Sterling has caused some disruption to their business Over half (57%) of internationally trading SMEs say that taking a more proactive approach to managing foreign exchange volatility earlier would have benefitted their business Three quarters (77%) of SMEs agreed that the cost of doing business internationally has risen over…
New research from FreeAgent, the cloud accounting software company, reveals that just 9% of UK entrepreneurs plan to set up a business this year – despite the government’s ambitious growth projections for 2023 and beyond. The survey of working Brits reveals that confidence among would-be business owners is far lower than it has been in recent years, suggesting a pressing need for the government to provide robust support and put in place a plan that includes extending the energy cap, introducing new support loans specifically for energy bills and to implement a windfall tax on energy and fuel companies. However,…