Business News Round Up (14/02/2020)
The economic impact of Scotland’s colleges
Outdated policies are constraining colleges in their ability to support business growth, according to a new report commissioned by the Scottish government’s finance, economy, and fair work secretary to review the economic impact of colleges. The findings of the Our Tertiary System: Agile, Connected, Inclusive identify the significant impact colleges have, providing a £3.5 billion annual boost to GDP, and identify how colleges support a wide range of Scottish Government national priorities, highlighting examples of best practice across Scotland.
https://www.fenews.co.uk/press-releases/42186-the-economic-impact-of-scotland-s-colleges
BDO North West – Global Deal Activity up in the recruitment sector sees revenue growth to £13.9bn
A new report from accountancy and business advisory firm BDO LLP has revealed the recruitment sector remain attractive to investors, however the number of deals in the UK were lower in 2019 following economic uncertainty. The M&A Review revealed the number of UK deals declined from its six year high of 32 in 2018 to 25 in 2019, with activity in engineering, construction and industrial sectors reflecting the sentiment around Brexit.
Government agency devises new approach to help young people develop cyber skills
Skills Development Scotland has announced it is working with cyber experts to help young people in school develop cyber skills while raising awareness of careers in cyber security. Cyber experts have been partnered with six secondary schools, teaching 120 pupils about ethical hacking, providing hands on experience with real security tools and techniques and offering insight into what it is like to work in the cyber security sector.
Plans revealed for £150m transformation of landmark tower
Castlebrooke Investments has submitted plans for the redevelopment and expansion of Manchester’s CIS Tower. The £150 million redevelopment forms part of the NOMA regeneration scheme and contains a total of 620,000 square foot of mixed used space, including 420,000 square foot of net lettable space across 26 floors, as well as provision for retail and leisure uses within the basement and ground floors.
https://www.insidermedia.com/news/north-west/plans-revealed-for-cis-tower-transformation