Road safety budgets slashed across England.

Local councils in England slashed their road safety budgets by 15 per cent (£23 million) last year compared to average spending cuts of just six per cent for other council services, according to road safety charity the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM).

This includes cuts to services such as rehabilitation courses for motoring offenders, training and information for young drivers, safe routes to schools schemes and school crossing patrols.

The research also shows that over half of English councils cut their spending on road safety and traffic management by more than ten per cent. Of the 152 councils contacted, 81 replied.

Spending on road safety saw huge variations. For example, London’s Camden Council cut road safety spending by more than 70 per cent (£4million), despite the fact that road casualties have increased by 10.6 per cent there since 2006. More than 100 people were killed or seriously injured on Camden’s roads in 2010. At the same time, neighbouring Islington Council increased funding for road safety and traffic management by £134,000.

Rise in number of apprenticeships

According to a story on the BBC news site, ‘The government has delivered an extra 103,000 apprenticeships over the last year, twice as many as expected, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has said.

Sectors such as advanced manufacturing and IT took on more apprentices.

Business Secretary Vince Cable said the government was determined to “break down barriers between academic and vocational learning”.

Advertising is key to success of government campaigns

Marketing Week reports on research commissioned by Credos, the Advertising Association’s independent think-tank which reveals that the majority of people believe public money should be spent on advertising campaigns. Two thirds of people in the UK believe advertising is vital to the success of government campaigns on issues of public concern such as climate change and drink driving.

However, not all issues are given the advertising ‘thumbs up’. Benefit fraud and awareness of terrorism were considered more important issues for government spend on advertising than health issues such as diet and smoking. Debt management was seen as the only issue that the majority of people did not feel should be publicly funded.

The research also found that adults had high levels of trust in advertising, with TV and print media enjoying the highest levels of trust and direct mail the least.

Read the full report.

Source: Marketing Week

Nicki, Business Director

£20m management training fund to help grow SMEs

Skills Minister John Hayes has encouraged senior leaders in small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) to take advantage of a new £20m fund that will support leadership and management training to help them grow their business. 

The Leadership and Management grant is part of the Government’s move to stimulate innovation and employment, boost the economy and help develop a more cohesive society. SMEs that demonstrate potential for growth will benefit from match funding of up to £1,000, to be spent on leadership training and coaching to help grow the business, improve productivity and competitiveness.

John Hayes, Skills Minister said: “This Government will back businesses that want to boost their skills. We’re spending more than ever on apprenticeships, freeing up training providers from red tape, and focusing public spending where it is most needed to drive growth. Effective leadership can make the difference between survival and growth, and this fund will give vital support to entrepreneurs who want to continue to develop their businesses.”

Read the full story.

Nicki, Business Director, dbda

National Curriculum review. Have your say.

Parents, teachers, pupils and other interested members of the public have four days left to tell the Government and curriculum experts what should be taught in UK schools.

By answering the questions in the Call for Evidence, people will have the chance to shape the new National Curriculum for primary and secondary schools in England.

More than 4,000 responses have been submitted since January 2011 – an indication of the high level of interest in this area.

The Call for Evidence closes on Thursday 14 April 2011. The Department for Education will formally consult on the content of the National Curriculum in due course.

Read more about the National Curriculum review on the Department’s website and submit your views.

Source: Department for Education
Gemma, Account Manager, dbda

SMMT calls on government support for more skills support

According to the April edition of Motor Industry Magazine, The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) is ‘calling on government to carry out policies that will boost skills in the industry and attract young people into careers in the automotive sector.’

‘The organisation has set out its position in a paper, ‘Strengthening Skills for a Growing Economy’, handed to the All-Party Parliamentary Motor Group (APMG) to highlight the importance of developing skills within the motor industry as part of a wider economic growth and rebalancing the economy.’

BMW Education has a resource Young Academy where students aged 14-16 years can learn about the science and technology behind the cars and discover the skills needed to work in the automotive industry.

Careers advice is failing a generation of school leavers

New research commissioned by Future First into social mobility and careers advice, has found that a generation of young people is being let down as a result of bad careers advice at school.

The poll, conducted by YouGov, revealed that 64% of adults said their school careers advisors had not been important in helping advance their careers and only 13% of young people said their careers advice had been important in helping them access a job.

The research also reveals the concerns of 16-19 year old students - 70% of whom believe it will be difficult to gain access to a good career and 39% who said they don’t know anyone with a career they would like to do.

Jess Cordingly, managing director of Future First said, “With youth unemployment at a record high and social mobility stagnating, this research is a wake-up call that should lead to meaningful change in the provision of careers advice.” She added, “Access to role models is key to social mobility and we are at risk of limiting the prospects of 600,000 young people this year alone, by not providing credible careers advice.”

Read the full report at Future First.

Nicki, Business Director

StartUp Britain launched to boost UK enterprise

David Cameron PM, today launched ‘StartUp Britain’, a private sector response to the Government’s call for an “enterprise-led” recovery.

The new initiative has support from the Coalition Government and leading international brands including Barclays, BlackBerry, Experian, Intel, Microsoft, McKinsey & Co. and Virgin Media. It aims to provide the best support and advice for startup companies and will be led by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs.

With over 270,000 new businesses setting up each year, StartUp Britain aims help drive growth by accelerating, inspiring and celebrating Britain’s start-up talent.

Visit the StartUp Britain website to find out more.

Nicki, Business Director, dbda

Government announces funding for 1,000 Green Deal apprenticeships

Interesting announcement from the Government – tackling the economy and creating jobs while investing in sustainability and the ‘green economy’. I think its a great initiative. An excerpt from the news item is below:

“The Government has announced today that it will help fund the training of 1000 apprenticeships as part of its flagship Green Deal programme. The Green Deal, which will come into effect in 2012, will fund energy efficiency measures, including insulation, heating and lighting, to Britain’s homes and businesses. The Government estimates it will support 100,000 jobs by 2015 with the potential to support up to 250,000 longer term.

“The Green Deal is about the future – and it is important we ensure that future generations have the skills they need to take advantage of the opportunities of the green economy. These apprenticeships are a perfect example of how Government and business can work together towards a low carbon future,” said Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg.

Scepticism
Today’s apprenticeship announcement has received the backing of leading companies, including B&Q, Carillion, E.ON, British Gas and InstaGroup, which are expecting to benefit from the supply chain opportunities being created by it.”

Full article: http://www.greenwisebusiness.co.uk/news/government-announces-funding-for-1000-green-deal-apprenticeships-2171.aspx

Michelle, Account Manager

UK government to reconsider tax breaks for gaming industry

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, is considering bringing back growth-promoting tax breaks for the UK videogame industry, reports the Sunday Times (via EDGE).

This comes despite the “not for four years” no-relief speech by incoming Coalition Culture Minister Ed Vaisey, and arrives on the heels of a recent report from the House of Lords which recognises the impact of the gaming industry and the benefit of a thriving development community to the UK’s ability to compete in the global gaming market, a report welcomed by TIGA, the UK’s gaming trade body.

Long have countries like Canada and France been chosen by pro-tax-relief lobbyists as examples of markets where the videogame industry has been beneficial to those countries’ internal growth.

Jamie Dexter – Senior Developer, dbda