LSBF Blog - Global Matters
Improved careers advice needed for British teenagers, research finds
Recent research by City & Guilds has shown that British teenagers are unfamiliar with many high-paid job roles, which could have an impact on their career prospects.
The research, which surveyed 3,000 young people aged 14 to 19 across the UK, showed that they are familiar with less than one in five of 369 job roles listed by the government.
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Startups in health sector most likely to succeed, research shows
Startup businesses in the health sector are the most likely to have the best chance of survival in their first year, according to research by Ormsby Street.
The research identified the sectors in which start-ups are most likely to still be operating five years after they were created.
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Self-employed workers take more holidays, study reveals
Self-employed workers take double the amount of holiday compared to those who are employed, according to a new study from freelance jobsite PeoplePerHour.
The research showed that freelance workers spend up to 21 nights away from home in an average year, whilst those who are employed spend an average of ten nights away.
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Aviva teams up with tech accelerator to access “world-class” start-ups
Aviva has partnered with a digital tech start-up company to access “world-class digital start-ups” and provide them with mentoring.
The insurance company will be working with Plug and Play, which is based in Silicon Valley, for its InsurTech programme.
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Businesses optimistic about digital tax plans, according to report
Freelancers and micro-business owners believe that the Government’s plans to make tax digital is a step in the right direction, according to a survey conducted by FreeAgent.
The report, which surveyed 513 businesses with less than ten employees, showed that nearly half of UK businesses feel optimistic about the changes to the UK tax system.
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London startups received £1 billion in funding this year
London’s startups received more funding this year than in any other European city, according to figures from Statista.
The research, which used figures from EY’s Startup Barometer Germany report, showed that startups in the city raised €1.3 billion (£1.1 billion) in the first six months of this year, up from €1 billion in the first half of 2015.
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Wind and solar power could challenge nuclear energy
The value of nuclear energy, and in particular the troubled Hinkley Point, is being questioned in light of the possibilities offered by alternative and renewable technologies.
One of Hinkley Point’s main advantages is offering continuous, “on-all-the-time” power. However, technology and its lower costs may be erasing the need for the plant to be built.
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Survey reveals top bonus-paying jobs of 2016
The Independent has published the latest listing of jobs with bonuses of over £20,000 per year using data collected in an anonymous survey by Glassdoor.
Roles in the finance industry hold several places on the list, including portfolio managers, brokers and traders. Top of the list, however, were global account managers who receive an average annual bonus of £37,000.
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“American Dreams Inventor Search” looking for entrepreneurs
Retailer HSN has announced a plan to discover entrepreneurs. People with innovative product ideas will have the chance to describe their product – and their vision – to a panel of influential judges, including angel investor Randi Zuckerberg.
The “American Dreams Inventor Search” event will be held at the XFINITY Store at Palo Alto in California. It will feature budding entrepreneurs pitching their ideas to Zuckerberg as well as HSN New Business Development Vice President Dara Trujillo.
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Financial career path requires both personal and technical skills
Recent research indicates that numerical skills are not the only requirements needed to succeed in the financial industry.
In a survey conducted by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), it was reported that future financial officers must develop both interpersonal and technical skills in order to compete. The survey compiled results from over 500 financial and business executives.
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Ford CEO announces plans for driverless cars
President and Chief Executive Officer of Ford Motor Company, Mark Fields, has announced that the company are currently working to develop driverless cars.
Fields stated that driverless cars would have “as significant an impact on society as Ford’s moving assembly line did 100 years ago.” The announcement was made in the Silicon Valley area of California.
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Pay as you go to be ready in 2018, HMRC announce
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has announced that its pay-as-you-go tax system for landlords and sole traders will be up and running from April 2018, in what could be an innovative development for tax payers.
The plan is to allow businesses to employ a digital tax account in order to estimate their liabilities and make a payment. This will make it easy for HMRC to allocate the funds directly from their accounts when their taxes are due.
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House prices rise despite post-Brexit crash prediction
Figures released this week show that house prices rose considerably in the year to June, despite the uncertainty surrounding Brexit and concerns of an impending crash.
The statistics showed that the average UK house price had risen 8.7 per cent when compared to the same month last year - a rise which is almost four times the average annual rise in wages.
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UK mining sector improves post-Brexit
Despite the dire warnings of economic downturn that followed Brexit, the UK mining industry appears to be growing, according to recent data.
The value of seven UK mining companies has doubled since the end of 2015. One company, Anglo American, illustrates the turnaround well. Last year Anglo American was on the verge of dropping off the FTSE 100, but the “dramatic turnaround in the industry” in recent months has seen the diversified mining group recover significantly.
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Ireland announces young entrepreneur search
The Irish Government has announced a new search to find Ireland’s Best Young Entrepreneur (IBYE) and is inviting applicants to put their name forward before the October deadline.
The scheme was launched by Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Mary Mitchell O’Connor and is backed by a €2 million investment fund. The initiative is being run by the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation and Enterprise Ireland and is being coordinated by 31 Local Enterprise Offices all around the nation.
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Charities to benefit from Gift Aid overhaul
HMRC has announced that Gift Aid rules will be changed to give more flexibility to charity donors using online platforms and text messaging.
The new rules will make it easier for charities to comply with the rules and gives intermediaries a more significant role in providing Gift Aid.
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£2,000 incentive for employers to take on apprentices
Businesses looking to take on apprentices will be able to take advantage of an extra £2,000 on offer to help teenagers, care leavers and those with special education needs into work.
Employers in England will soon benefit from the plans, which will see small businesses subsidised with 90% of the costs of providing the apprenticeships.
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ICAS and RBS collaborate to help small businesses
The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) is collaborating with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS) to help small businesses in Scotland grow.
RBS staff will be working with members of ICAS to improve the services that both the bank and the accountants provide to SMEs in the country, and the staff will be working closely with the Practice Community of the ICAS.
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Darwen apprentices manufacture space rocket parts
A leading business in Darwen, Lancashire, has benefitted tremendously by offering apprenticeships. The young adults who joined the company as apprentices were successful in manufacturing major components for a research space rocket that is set to launch in the next few months.
The space rocket is being manufactured by Starchaser Industries. In 2011, Starchaser had the distinction of launching the biggest rocket in the country.
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Big companies in UK make gender diversity a priority
Gender diversity is fast becoming a business priority in the UK, with large businesses taking measures to recruit and nurture more female employees in senior positions.
Armstrong Craven, a talent mapping and pipelining company that operates globally, has stated that recent research conducted by a UK university shows that less than 6 per cent of women have made it to the top post of executive director. The company also points out that the research found that just 5.6 per cent of executive directors in FTSE250 companies are female. Armstrong Craven believes that these figures indicate that organisations and businesses still need to work harder to ensure that more women occupy senior and top positions.
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Four out of five transnational education institutions looking to expand
A recent survey has found that four out of five higher education institutions in the UK that offer transnational education are looking to expand their operations in the next three years. These are institutions that offer joint programmes, online programmes, have international branch campuses, and also offer dual-degree programmes.
The survey conducted by HE Global, which is a collaboration between the International Unit and the British Council, has found that several universities have made transnational education a part of their international or overall strategy with the aim of attracting more students. Also, this strategy comes as these universities see an increase in their income and also garner more of a name for themselves overseas.
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UK tech startup looks to revolutionise mobile device charging
A UK tech startup is hoping to offer laptop and smartphone users a simple way to recharge their mobile devices while they are on the go.
Chargifi has come up with a new way to charge mobile devices in public venues. It makes use of a series of wireless transmitters that are operated by a software platform to offer people wireless charging.
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England’s small businesses have ability to double apprenticeships
A new report by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) states that England’s small businesses have the ability to double the number of apprentices they hire to more than two million. This will be possible only if the Government offers more attractive incentives and support packages.
The report stated that it was necessary to bring in apprenticeship reform if small businesses in England are to achieve the target of three million apprentices by 2020. This target has been set by the Government.
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Law firm partners with business accelerator to help entrepreneurs
Scottish law firm Harper Macleod has signed a three-year partnership deal with business accelerator Entrepreneurial Spark.
The firm will support around 700 entrepreneurs by helping them understand the legal processes involved in setting up, running, and scaling an entrepreneurial venture.
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Successful entrepreneur encourages others to take apprenticeships
A former Halfords apprentice from Cardiff Bay in Wales is lending support to the Welsh Government’s Apprenticeship Programme, which encourages school leavers to choose an apprenticeship as a route to their dream career.
Elijah Sumner, who is only 21 years old, was an apprentice at Halfords and has now started his own business.
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