Monthly Archives: October 2020

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Hiring an apprentice: The benefits for a small company

by Timothy Adler • October 6, 2020 • 0 Comments

Originally written by Timothy Adler on Small Business
Hiring an apprentice is becoming an increasingly popular way for young people to enter the working world, allowing them to learn a trade and gain valuable on-the-job experience whilst earning a wage.
You can employ apprentices at different levels, from school leavers and university graduates, to people who want to further their careers or change career direction completely.
You can hire someone new or upskill an existing employee.
And it’s not just the apprentices who benefit. Hiring an apprentice also brings numerous advantages for companies participating in such schemes, making them a great investment.
Hiring an apprentice – 4 benefits for a small business
#1 – A committed workforce
One of the biggest benefits of running an apprenticeship scheme is that it helps create a dedicated, loyal workforce. The majority of apprentices are young school or college leavers, meaning that they have lots of energy with which to learn the ways of your business as you help them climb the career ladder within your organisation.
Eighty-six per cent of employers said apprenticeships helped them develop skills relevant to their organisation, according to the government Apprenticeships website.
#2 – Bridging the skills gap
Many companies, particularly those within technology, find it tough to

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Large firms should each have one person to deal with late payments – FSB

by Anna Jordan • October 6, 2020 • 0 Comments

Originally written by Anna Jordan on Small Business
The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has called on the government to introduce fundamental changes to tackle late payments.
Alok Sharma, secretary of state for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and Martin McTague, policy and advocacy chairman at the Federation of Small Business, spoke at the Conservative’s virtual party conference yesterday (October 5th).
The late payment issue has worsened since the pandemic. In its report Late Again: how the coronavirus pandemic is impacting payment terms for small firms, 62 per cent of small businesses have experienced an increase an increase and/or had payments frozen completely as a result of COVID-19. McTague said that we need a complete change in attitudes.
“It’s a culture in the UK. There should be one person responsible for supply chain behaviour in a big business. There’s no place to hide, they know the data. They would be responsible for false information.”
He adds that the Small Business Commissioner (SBC) is doing a good job, but he’s got ‘one arm tied behind his back’. The Commissioner is relying on a whistleblower which damages the whistleblower’s relationship with the business and the SBC should have the power to hurt them financially.
“A lot of