RobEd A report published by EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation, and Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking warns that the Apprenticeship Levy, to be introduced this April, is still viewed by many manufacturers as a tax on business, with many more firms potentially falling into scope than previously expected. And, while the manufacturing sector has warmed to some of the Levy’s perceived benefits, … Read more
Brian Aird has been appointed chairman of the board of Westward Housing Group, one of the main affordable housing providers in the South West. Westward has 7,300 homes across Devon and Cornwall and delivers a range of support and social enterprise services to 1,500 people. Westward will benefit from Brians’s wealth of leadership and governance experience … Read more
Engineers from TDK-Lambda UK in Ilfracombe, North Devon supported a team of students from the town’s Ilfracombe Academy with its entry to the international STEM competition, F1 in Schools. This is part of an extensive programme that TDK-Lambda engineers are engaged in to help promote, encourage and support STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education to … Read more
Applegate is offering to match savings made by degree apprentices up to £10,000 after tax to provide a deposit to buy a home locally in North Devon. Under its new ‘First Rung’ scheme, Applegate’s degree apprentices will be encouraged to put aside part of the pay rises they receive into a saving scheme of their … Read more
Congratulations to North Devon and nearby businesses who have won awards at the recent South West Tourism Awards: Glamping Business of the Year Gold – Longlands – www.longlandsdevon.co.uk Holiday Park & Village of the Year Gold – Darwin Beach Cove Ltd – www.beachcoveretreat.co.uk Silver – Hele Valley Holiday Park – www.helevalley.co.uk Large Attraction of the Year Silver – The Milky Way Adventure Park – www.themilkyway.co.uk … Read more
Looks is a new beauty business being launched in Ilfracombe Indoor Market, initially on Fridays. Look offers beauty treatments you can trust, including: Wedding make-up packages Skin-care packages Waxing Advice Lessons in make-up application Bring your daughter, your mother or a friend. At Ilfracombe Indoor Market or in your own home. Call Paula on 07402 082 482.
Robert Zarywacz wants to meet the real YOU We live in a connected world where it is easier than ever before to connect with individuals anywhere, whether in the same town or thousands of miles away. You would have thought that we would soon become ‘one world’, but often it seems the tools giving us … Read more
Why Mark Bendell gets wound up about design I’ve been a freelance designer /artworker for the past two years. I recently took on a design job for a client in London and even before I’d started, I knew it was a bad idea . . . “Mark, did you know I can design as well? … Read more
Conservation charity Devon Wildlife Trust is urging people to spend just a small part of the festive season getting away from the excesses and stresses on wild Christmas escapes. “We wanted to offer people a chance to escape some of the stresses of Christmas by re-connecting with local nature,” said Devon Wildlife Trust’s Steve Hussey. … Read more
NDBA members share their experience by answering 10 questions. This issue Trina Curtis of CoDEStorm is in the hot seat 1. What was your first job? I was a waitress in Westward Ho! I enjoyed getting to know the holiday makers and regulars and can still balance several plates up my arm. 2. What is … Read more
Fast, reliable broadband is an essential business tool for businesses. David Thorne of Simpkins Edwards is campaigning for universal access to the service North Devon broadband: superfast or snail’s pace? Large parts of North Devon are finding broadband running super slow compared with the rest of the UK. Superfast fibre broadband was only installed by … Read more
Businesses are continually being urged to go online, but as the internet changes so fast Robert Zarywacz asks if anyone really knows how to use it? The internet is a fantastic tool. I first started using it to work with clients and launched our first web site way back in the 1990s. Since then the … Read more
Duncan Casburn of Flint Hosts asks how social is social media? Is the term ‘social media’ the ultimate oxymoron? Have we become victims of Orwellian doublespeak by delving into the depths of social media addiction, in doing so becoming ironic social hermits, all hidden away behind iPads and smartphones with no interest in the outside … Read more
Rozz Algar, from Herne, examines the value that training employees provides to forward-looking businesses For SMEs, the challenge of recruiting and retaining good staff is a key one, so every penny you spend on this endeavour needs to be money well spent. What is the value of training employees? The truth is that poorly trained … Read more
Pippa Bucknell, senior HR consultant at FitzgeraldHR, focuses on how to handle staff grievances Case study: A member of staff has raised a grievance. What do we do? The first question is: do you have a written grievance procedure? Within the written statement of terms and conditions that an employer is required to give to … Read more
