Clearview Midlands November 2013 - Issue 144 | Page 90

businessnews

CUTS TO RED TAPE MARK ‘FREEDOM
DAY’ FOR UK BUSINESSES
Business Minister Michael Fallon announced
good news for the growth prospects of UK
companies as more common sense cuts to red
tape are implemented.
The reforms are part of the government’s drive
to make the UK the best place to start and grow
a business.
Major reforms to reduce burdens on employers
include:
• freeing responsible employers from being held
liable for workplace accidents and injuries
where they have taken all reasonable steps to
protect their employees, through reforms to

civil liability rules for breaches of health and
safety law
• simplifying the mandatory reporting of
workplace injuries for businesses, while ensuring
that the data collected gives an accurate picture
of workplace incidents
• improving third party harassment legislation, so
that employers will no longer be explicitly liable
for third party harassment of staff, for example
by customers or member of the public
• removing the requirement for the Health
and Safety Executive to approve training and
qualifications of appointed first-aid personnel

• simplifying company reporting requirements,
including replacing a raft of redundant and
unnecessary statutory forms with more flexible
systems that are better suited to business needs
• Primary Authority extended to cover more
regulations and be more accessible to small
businesses
Business Minister Michael Fallon said: “For
small firms, less time spent filling in forms means
more time planning the next project, winning
the next contract or looking for the next young
recruit.”

SKILLS SHORTAGE PROBLEM IS UNIQUE TO UK
UK small and medium sized enterprises
(SMEs) have identified a lack of access
to growth capital and skills shortages
as factors affecting their businesses,
according to research complied by ACCA
(the Association of Chartered Certified
Accountants) and IMA (Institute of
Management Accountants), which
found that compared to SME’s in other
markets, concerns about skills shortages

were expressed almost entirely by those
in the UK, with 15% of UK respondents
highlighting the issue.
Cash-flow problems were also flagged up
by the UK’s SMEs, who were almost twice
as likely to cite securing late payment as a
problem than larger business. Despite SMEs
across the globe reporting greater access to
growth capital, small businesses in the UK did
not see much improvement.

‘We keep hearing that same old cliché about SMEs being
the lifeblood of the UK economy, but right now they are
facing obstacles that their overseas counterparts are not’

Rosana Mirkovic, ACCA’s head of SME
Policy, said: “Our global analysis revealed
trends that are very specific to the UK SMEs,
most notably a skills shortage. Fifteen per
cent doesn’t sound like much, but the fact is it
barely registered as a problem with the small
business communities elsewhere in the world.
It is unique to the UK.
“We keep hearing that same old cliché about
SMEs being the lifeblood of the UK economy,
but right now they are facing obstacles that
their overseas counterparts are not. In the
USA, for example, access to growth capital
has increased considerably over the last 21
months. That’s not the case in the UK.”

NEW FUNDING FOR TRAINEESHIP
SCHEME ANNOUNCED
An extra £20m is being made available to the
government’s new Traineeships programme
to support even more young people into
Apprenticeships and other jobs.
The additional funding was announced as
Skills Minister Matthew Hancock travelled
to Nottingham to meet young people already
taking part in the scheme.
Traineeships, which began in August, provide
16 to 23-year-olds with the skills, experience and
confidence to compete in the labour market –
helping them secure Apprenticeships or other
jobs.

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NOV 2013

More than 500 providers have pledged to take
on trainees this year and so far 150 companies,
both large and small, have all expressed an
interest in offering placements to young people.
Skills Minister Matthew Hancock said:
“Traineeships give young people the helping
hand they need to compete for Apprenticeships
and other jobs.
“The programme is off to an excellent start
with strong backing from employers and training
providers. “We have responded to this demand
by providing additional investment and in
time traineeships will become the clear route

for young people looking to get the crucial
grounding they need in the world of work.”
Traineeships are part of the government’s wider
aim to ensure the future workforce possess the
skills employers want in their employees.

‘Traineeships will become
the clear route’
For more information
http://www.apprenticeships.org.uk/
employers/traineeships.aspx

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