Business West, the region’s largest business organisation, has backed the findings of a highly critical report into apprenticeships by education watchdog Ofsted. The report accused the Government of devaluing the “apprenticeship brand” by creating them in ever greater numbers, while the chief inspector of schools Sir Michael Wilshaw said there were too many poor...
The West of England is on the brink of its biggest single biggest development project in a generation after the long-expected Chinese investment in the development of Hinkley Point C nuclear power station was confirmed this week. The final go-ahead for the £18bn project is now expected within two weeks. With that decision now...
With just two days to go, the Festival of Female Entrepreneurs is shaping up to be one of the biggest business events in the West this year. Hundreds of business owners – men and women – will descend on the Colston Hall in Bristol this Thursday for the one-day entrepreneurial extravaganza. Tickets to the keynote...
The need for Bath’s Business Improvement District (BID) to continue for another five years and for more powers to be devolved from London to the region were among the calls to action at an economic seminar and panel debate staged by Barclays. BID chief executive Andrew Cooper spoke at the event on the benefits...
A unique business knowledge hub to help Bath and the West of England’s small and medium-sized enterprises grow is to be launched next month. The West of England Growth Hub will offer users access to an extensive, connected network of business knowledge and skills partners. The platform, which is still in its final stages...
The West of England’s small and medium-sized firms are leading the UK for job creation with more than two thirds planning to recruit more staff and SME manufacturers are committed to investing in their workforce over the next 12 months, according to two new surveys. The upbeat findings, from the latest HSBC Commercial Banking...
Business West, the region’s largest business organisation, welcomed this week’s figures showing the South West leading the fall in unemployment – but warned that more needs to be done to get young people into work. Phil Smith, managing director of Business West, which runs Bath Chamber of Commerce, also said the figures masked a...
SciSys, the Chippenham-based specialist IT firm, this week said it had ended a major contract which plunged it into the red last month and is now predicting a brighter future. Problems with the major fixed-price development project for an unnamed client pushed SciSys into a £1.1m half-year loss. In June millions of pounds were...
The BBC must evolve to meet the challenges of an increasingly digital media landscape but must also be valued for future generations, one of its senior managers told West business leaders at the annual CBI regional dinner. Jenny Baxter, pictured, who as chief operating officer, BBC England, is in charge of the BBC’s Bristol...
Historic Somerset aggregates and asphalt firm Wainwright is to extend its reach across the South West with the construction of an £8.5m state-of-the-art plant. The asphalt production facility on a 4.5-acre site at Avonmouth, near Bristol, is set to launch early next year. Funded through finance from Barclays, it will give Wainwright, based at...
