Total People is to receive £100,000 from the BBC to support apprenticeship training within local small and mediums size enterprises (SMEs) in the North West.
The BBC has pledged the cash from its Apprenticeship Levy fund, which will allow people to earn while they undertake work-based training and learning.
Manchester-based Total People is one of several organisations receiving levy funds from the national broadcaster. SMEs across the North West are encouraged to apply for the funds so they can recruit apprentices and create apprenticeships for their businesses.
Melanie Nicholson, Managing Director of Total People, said: “These funds will go a long way in helping us to support SMEs to recruit apprentices or upskill their staff. Our apprenticeship expertise, together with these levy gifting funds, will create real opportunities for people and businesses. Apprenticeships are a fantastic way of mastering the practical skills and knowledge in a particular industry, while creating invaluable recruitment and development opportunities for employers.”
Launched in 2017 by the Government, the Apprenticeship Levy allows for organisations to pay a certain amount each year towards the costs of enabling new apprenticeships and upskilling existing employees. Organisations generally use their levy to support those that take up apprenticeships in their own workplaces, but when that money is not spent it can be transferred to SMEs who do not have a levy fund themselves to cover apprenticeship training.
Sarah Moors, BBC Head of Apprenticeships, said: “Apprenticeships provide a vital route into the media for people from a range of backgrounds. In pledging these funds, we hope to support the development of new talent for the creative, cultural and digital sectors, and to equip existing employees with additional skills.”
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Urban Chain, the Manchester-based energy market disruptor, has joined the Local Energy Markets Alliance (LEMA).
The company, backed by European investment group Eurazeo, said LEMA’s commitment to accelerating local energy systems and driving the net zero agenda across the UK and Europe seamlessly aligns with its mission.
Members of LEMA, established in late 2023, include the Greater London Authority, Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks, Energy Systems Catapult and the West Midlands Combined Authority’s Energy Capital.
UrbanChain CEO and founder, Somayeh Taheri, said: “Our goal is to create communities by connecting as many generators of renewable energy as possible to their regional communities and local businesses. By joining LEMA we become part of an alliance of like-minded businesses prepared to embrace the challenge of commercialising local energy markets throughout the UK and Europe. Local energy systems are critical to achieving net zero but they must be commercially viable. By collaborating with LEMA’s growing membership base we can collectively overcome common market barriers, unlock projects beneficial to communities, while accelerating electrification and decarbonisation.”
LEMA, founded by Gemserv and The Traxis Group, focuses on mitigating grid constraints, enhancing energy efficiency, and supporting the growth of local net zero economies. Simon Anderson, CEO, Traxis Group and LEMA, said: “The relevance of the local energy burden, or grid edge challenge, is growing every day with the electrification of transport and heating, but also with the new government’s emphasis on a ‘net zero grid by 2030’. Encouragingly, forward looking businesses and organisations like UrbanChain are grasping this nettle recognising the importance of collaboration and fresh thinking.”
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Backed by Greater Manchester’s Mayor, Andy Burnham, a new toolkit has been developed by young people for young people to boost civic education and engagement. Youth Leads UK’s Civic Leadership Youth Steering Group and the mayor have celebrated the launch of a pioneering new tool designed to enhance civic engagement among young people in Greater Manchester.
The Youth Steering Group is made up of more than 20 young individuals from diverse backgrounds across Greater Manchester. To develop the resource, they conducted extensive research and engaged with various stakeholders, including decision makers, educators, and youth groups. Their research revealed a significant lack of awareness among young people about vital civic roles and how they can get involved.
Bringing together leaders from the public, private, and charity sectors at audit, tax and consulting firm RSM UK’s Manchester office, the event celebrated the toolkit, gave young people the opportunity to network with decision makers, and explored new avenues for civic involvement.
Andy Burnham said: “I encourage educators, community leaders, and youth organisations to use this resource to its full potential. We can help ensure that young people’s voices are heard and that they get the chance to play leading roles in decision-making processes. I want to thank Youth Leads UK for partnering with us to bring this initiative to life.”
Saeed Atcha, CEO of Youth Leads UK, said: “This new tool is a game-changer for youth engagement. It equips young people with the knowledge and confidence to take charge and shape the future of Greater Manchester. We’re not just talking about involvement; we’re talking about leadership and transformation. The future is now.”
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Liverpool-based Infection Innovation Consortium (iiCON) has celebrated SMEs and start-ups secure funding from the Innovate UK Biomedical Catalyst Microbials Accelerator.
The Microbials Accelerator, delivered by LYVA Labs and BioNow, with partners iiCON, University of Liverpool (UoL), CPI (Centre for Process Innovation), and Health Innovation Northwest Coast was for SMEs developing microbiomes, biofilms, and phage technologies. It gave 10 organisations the skills and expertise to prepare them to scale their businesses, find and secure funding.
They had access to a unique package of free business support and clinical/ technical advice. The companies were then supported to apply for up to £100,000 of Innovate UK Biomedical Catalyst feasibility funding. Nine companies secured £1m between them to advance R&D activities and enable commercialisation.
Prof Janet Hemingway, founding director of iiCON, the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine-based collaboration that works with industry to bring new infectious disease technologies to market, said: “Exploring new technologies and creative collaborations that will deliver next generation treatments is at the heart of iiCON’s mission. We’re therefore delighted to be collaborating with LYVA Labs on this targeted support programme, which will give SMEs and those with new ideas access to a variety of really impactful benefits, such as the ability to upscale and overcome product development obstacles.”
Dr Samana Brannigan, Head of Health Technologies at Innovate UK, said: “This funding through our flagship programme will allow these early-stage SME’s to develop commercially viable offerings and build significant momentum in the microbial technologies space. From lung infections and infant gut microbiomes, to wound care and mosquito repellents, these projects and technologies could offer solutions for global health challenges and have huge impact on the health outcomes of millions of people worldwide.”
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The Sale Sharks Foundation, the charity arm of the Sale Rugby Union team, has marked another successful year of its Tackle Together Festival which was recently held at the Salford Community Stadium in Greater Manchester.
Funded in partnership with the MBNA Community Investment Programme, Tackle Together is a disability and inclusion programme committed to creating pathways into rugby for those with disabilities. More than 60 young people aged between 11 and 16 were invited to attend the session from Special Educational Needs (SEN) schools across the North West, spanning from Greater Manchester and Cheshire up to Blackburn and across to Wirral.
The programme brings together young people from mixed ability backgrounds, including individuals with physical and mental disabilities. The sessions throughout the day were designed and delivered to encourage inclusivity and focus on the foundation’s commitment to ensuring rugby is accessible to all. The annual Tackle Together Festival combines skills and ability learning and training sessions with team games followed by a mini awards ceremony where attendees received a participation medal and a free water bottle.
Abi Dean, CEO of the Sale Sharks Foundation, said: “We were thrilled with the turnout from local schools to this year’s Tackle Together Festival. It’s vital for the Sale Sharks Foundation to leverage our skills and resources to raise awareness of the inclusive pathways available into rugby for those who may not feel they otherwise have an option – rugby is most certainly for everyone and Tackle Together is a fantastic opportunity for this.”
Victoria Dowd, MBNA Community Investment Partnership Manager, said: “As the lead sponsorship partner for the Tackle Together programme, there’s nothing more rewarding than seeing the positive impact these sessions and events have on our participants. It means so much to be a part of something that makes such a difference within the community, and we can’t wait to see how successful the programme will continue to grow.”
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Katie Gallagher, Manchester Digital
A series of informative roadshows designed especially for early-stage start-ups and founders have been launched across Greater Manchester this summer. The free Startup Activator roadshows launched with an event in Urmston on July 23, with further roadshows across the region throughout September and August.
Manchester Digital, the region’s tech industry body, was awarded funding in April from the Barclays Eagle Labs Ecosystem Partnership Programme, funded by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. The free workshops are the first events in a year-long planned schedule of activity. Katie Gallagher, managing director at Manchester Digital, said: “The Startup Activator workshops are the first stop for founders right across our city region to find out about the ongoing support for start-ups that we’re rolling out.”
Alice Pickersgill, who has recently joined Manchester Digital to deliver this programme, said: “We’re so pleased to offer a free workshop across Greater Manchester, which are designed to be able to reach founders and entrepreneurs from all areas, at all stages and from all types of diverse backgrounds.”
The roadshow workshops are open to anyone with an idea or interested in starting a tech business, those with an existing business considering a tech spin-out, as well as those with an existing tech startup looking for guidance and a support community. The roadshows will feature a workshop on the key foundations for growth delivered by a Startup Coach, an interactive breakout session for the attendees to review and bounce ideas off each other, and an opportunity to learn more about phase 2 of the support which will launch in October to support 100 businesses over a six month period.
Dates for the Startup Activator roadshows are: Manchester city centre, July 25; Oldham, August 8; Bolton, September 4; Bury, September 5; Tameside, September 10; Rochdale, September 11; Stockport, September 12. Roadshows in Wigan and OIdham will be announced shortly. All attendees must book a free space using Eventbrite, search for Manchester Digital events or see Manchester Digital website :https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/manchester-digital-227118780
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One of the machines in position ahead of being commissioned
North West-based engineering solutions provider, ELE Advanced Technologies (ELE), has invested £700,000 in new technology following a major contract award.
Its investment in three brand-new Fast Hole Drill electrical discharge machines follows appointment by a global technology powerhouse located in Canada to provide complex components for use in the energy sector.
The new technology will enable ELE – which works with some of the biggest original equipment manufacturers in the world – to boost its capacity to undertake specialist drilling techniques to produce complex cooling holes for engine components that improve engine efficiency and performance. Investment in the latest technology is central to how the business leads in its sectors for providing innovative engineering solutions, says CEO, David Stanley: “Our customers most often come to us when they are facing a complex engineering challenge or have a performance target that they need to achieve.
“Offering a wide range of advanced technologies, combined with the technical capabilities of a highly skilled team applying a ‘can do’ attitude, enables us to help make the impossible possible.”
Installation of the new machines is the latest in a series of investments by the engineering business, which, in 2023, invested £2m in relocating to a larger 5,000 sq m manufacturing facility to support further growth. Employing more than 130 from its new facility in Nelson, Lancashire, the business provides engineering solutions in the aerospace, power generation and automotive sectors for an international customer base, with 75% of components manufactured going into Europe.
