Business News Round Up (16/08/2021)
Two in three Scottish employers planning to hire more staff – CIPD
The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has revealed two in three Scottish employers are planning to hire more staff and train staff in the third quarter this year. Its quarterly review, which involved more than 2,000 UK employers and covered all sectors, found that more than two-thirds (67%) of Scottish employers plan to recruit in the three months leading to September – up from 45% six months ago and 41% this time last year. Across the UK, 26% of hospitality, arts and entertainment employers were looking to hire last summer, which has increased to 72% this summer. In transport and storage, this has increased from 33% to 65% of employers looking to hire. Both of these sectors have been impacted by the pandemic and changes to immigration as a result of Brexit, with widely reported labour shortages. More than two fifths of UK employers (44%) said they would up-skill existing staff, a just over a quarter (26%) said they would hire more apprentices. A further 23% said they would raise wages.
https://www.insider.co.uk/news/two-three-scottish-employers-planning-24755145
Made Smarter creates 60 digital manufacturing leaders
The Made Smarter programme has created 60 digital manufacturing leaders in the North West. The leaders now have the vision and the skills to pursue smarter manufacturing through Made Smarter’s Leadership Programme. Five cohorts of managers and directors at SME manufacturing companies have now completed the programme through the Lancaster University Management School, the University of Liverpool, and Manchester Metropolitan University. The programme encourages current and future leaders to develop a new way of looking at their business and create a clear strategy to enable the adoption of digital technology, including how that can drive the net zero agenda. It uses a blend of workshops delivered by academics and experts in digital and leadership, site visits to SME manufacturers who are already on the journey of adopting digital technology, facilitated-learning sessions, and special project ‘sprints’ to test new ideas.
https://www.insidermedia.com/news/north-west/made-smarter-creates-60-digital-manufacturing-leaders
Alternative finance to prepare for growth as UK SMEs struggle to secure funding from traditional lenders
Following an uphill battle for businesses across all industries over the last 18 months, the UK is now poised for economic growth in the post-pandemic boom.Representing 99.8% of Europe’s businesses and accounting for two-thirds of total employment, the SME market – often referred to as the backbone of the UK economy – will be fundamental to this growth. But with more three quarters (77%) of businesses unable to secure traditional bank financing, the need for alternative finance to fuel their expansion is greater than ever. Yet research from law firm, Walker Morris, reveals that although 40% percent of SMEs have plans to grow over the next 12 months, almost half of these (45%) cite concerns about using alternative finance providers, despite being refused funding by traditional lenders. The pandemic spurred record lending to SMEs in 2020, hitting £54 billion in the first nine months of the year as 1.5 million businesses drew on government-backed loans, but many businesses now require additional finance to enable them to invest in growth.
‘Super-Computing’ Centre planned for Sci-Tech Daresbury campus
A new ‘super-computing’ centre could be on its way to Sci-Tech Daresbury Campus after plans were lodged. The Science and Technology Faculties Council has submitted an application for the centre, which would provide 33,045 sq ft of floor space on vacant land south of the campus. The proposals seek to build a large, single storey building comprising of a data hall, offices, loading and other ancillary facilities. Covered plant spaces and an external plant are also included in the plans. The new facility is intended to replace an existing super-computing centre at Daresbury Laboratory, within the Sci-Tech Daresbury Campus. The application said the site is well established and has continued to develop and expand as part of the campus, meaning that the existing STFC Data Centre within the current laboratory site no longer meets current or future business needs. The application also said that the proposed development would enable STFC to remain at the “forefront” of large scale computing in the UK and would provide the “computational and supporting infrastructure” necessary to support the UK into the middle of the century.