The South West’s key sectors could suffer irreparable damage unless the government starts to tackle the shortage of workers by easing EU visa restrictions, the region’s business leaders today warned. But even providing temporary visas for jobs such as drivers and food workers would only be a short-term measure and ministers must also come...
Small firms based in the Mendip area that have been hit by the pandemic or Brexit are being urged to apply for revitalisation grants of up to £20,000 before the deadline in less than two weeks. The grants of between £5,000 and £20,000 are available to businesses in the area covered by Mendip District...
A programme designed to break down barriers and support more disabled people into work is being launched in Bath and across the West of England. Some 100 businesses will receive tailored, targeted disability inclusion training to help them create a more diverse workforce. The project, part of the Workforce for the Future programme, is...
Two Bath area firms have been named among the 50 fastest-growing e-commerce brands of the ‘pandemic era’. Sales at Frome-based The Regency Chess Company moved ahead by 217% through 2019 and 2020 while they climbed by 199% at specialist ladder company Henchman, based at Seend, near Melksham. The two appear in the Lightning 50,...
Bath-headquartered cloud services company Cloud Direct is poised for further expansion after receiving a £3m strategic investment from international IT group Crayon. Listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange, Crayon Group employs more than 2,000 people in 35 countries. The deal gives it an unspecified minority stake in Cloud Direct, one of the UK’s leading...
SETsquared, the globally acclaimed, University of Bath-supported business incubator, has expanded with the addition of Cardiff University. Cardiff has become the sixth member of the partnership, which has been named three times as the world’s number one university business incubator. SETsquared was set up in 2002 by a small group of research-intensive universities in...
Two University of Bath academics have been named among the UK’s most promising science and research leaders. Dr Vivek Soundararajan from the university’s School of Management and Dr Daniel Loughran from the Department of Mathematical Sciences have also secured Future Leader Fellowships from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). Some 97 researchers in total are receiving funding of £113m...
A non-executive director of Actual Experience, the Bath advanced analytics firm, has put herself forward to take over as its chair next year when Stephen Davidson, who has been in the role for more than seven years, retires. Kirsten English, pictured, who has held executives roles in FTSE 25 and global small, medium and...
Logistics group Wincanton has boosted its presence in the fast-growing eCommerce market with the acquisition of a major player in the sector. Chippenham-headquartered Wincanton said the takeover of Cygnia would open up new growth opportunities in the sector while also “significantly enhancing” its growing digital and eFulfilment business division. The move follows Wincanton’s investment...
Bath firms are being urged to help people in the city develop new skills by adding their unused apprenticeship levy funds to a shared funding pot. Nearly half a million pounds has already been pledged to the Share to Support scheme by apprentice-levy paying employers from across West of England passing on their unused levy...
