As some students begin their A Level exams this week, the prime minister has reiterated that he would encourage more people into apprenticeships rather than degrees. With students now making repayments towards their student loans for longer than ever before, Chris Etherington Private Client Partner in the Leeds office at audit, tax and consulting firm RSMUK looks at the long-term costs of university life.

Burberry: Slowdown in luxury industry; Struggling to elevate its brand; Heavily reliance on wholesale may help sales but hurt brand's image and margins. Imperial Brands: Further flavour regulation in the market is expected; Profitability issue persists due to intense pricing competition; Expanding market should be the current focus

Magtec has led a groundbreaking project to promote the adoption of zero-emission heavy goods vehicles in the transportation industry. The company partnered with subcontractors Dynamon, a data science business, and UK Power Networks, a charging infrastructure provider, to develop a predictive tool to help fleet managers make the transition to electric vehicles.

The fourth round of Ofwat’s Water Breakthrough Challenge has awarded two contracts worth £5.8m to Synthotech and its innovation division, Synovate. Harrogate-based, utilities engineering company Synthotech, will use its latest robot technology to identify and repair links from within live water mains without requiring extensive excavations and minimising interruptions to water supplies.

BEP Surface Technologies, the electroplating and surface finishing specialist, is targeting growth in the nuclear sector after being regranted Fit for Nuclear (F4N) status. F4N is a UK-based programme designed to help companies in the nuclear supply chain prepare for and demonstrate their readiness to work in the industry.

Venture capital (VC) investments in the North West of England exceeded £43m in the first quarter of 2024, according to KPMG Private Enterprise’s latest Venture Pulse report.

A new Wind Insight report published by Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) sets out the key opportunities and challenges for offshore wind deployment in the UK.

The Review by the Migration Advisory Committee demonstrates the positive contribution that international students make to the UK. The Review is unequivocal in its recommendation to government to maintain the Graduate Visa route. The uncertainty caused by the Government request for a review has already severely disrupted international student recruitment.

More than four in five (82%) UK tradespeople experience mental health problems due to work-related issues, a new study has found. The research was commissioned for Mental Health Awareness Week (13th-19th May) by IronmongeryDirect, and the results have been published in the fourth edition of its annual industry report.

This morning's UK employment figures show further signs of slack developing in the labour market. Headline unemployment ticked higher to 4.3% in the three months to March, the highest level since last July, although concerns remain over the reliability of the data, amid ongoing ONS survey issues.

The US and European stock market rallies will continue, despite the US central bank perhaps not cutting rates at all until 2025, predicts the CEO of one of the world’s largest independent financial advisory and asset management organizations.

New research from the CBI recommends that the UK utilise tax incentives to outsmart rather than outspend international competition in high-growth green sectors. The UK must unlock its green growth potential to tackle climate change and supercharge the economy.

Responding to the latest ONS Trade figures published yesterday, William Bain, Head of Trade Policy at the British Chambers of Commerce, said: “The first quarter of 2024 shows the challenges UK goods exporters face, with a further drop in sales to both EU and non-EU markets, despite a brighter global economic picture.

UK innovation has fallen to its lowest level in over a decade, according to new data released today. The percentage of businesses actively engaged in innovation dropped by 9 percentage points from 45% in 2018-20 to 36% in 2020-22.

hat the economy has now exited the shallow recession into which it fell in late-2023, having chalked up growth of 0.6% QoQ in the first three months of the year, considerably above consensus of an 0.4% pace of quarterly growth.

Supply chain security, trade deals, tariffs and planning permission were the big issues during the BCC’s 5-day mission to the US to promote business and investment. Director General, Shevaun Haviland’s, trip was organised ahead of the US elections as issues around trade agreements, tariffs, supply-chain disruption, subsidies, protectionism and geo-political tensions all gather momentum.

Yorkshire structural engineer Julian Carter has achieved international prominence, following media appearances, as an expert commentator, on the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. The scale of the incident quickly attracted international media attention. At this point Julian became involved.

The latest KPMG and REC, UK Report on Jobs: North of England survey saw recruitment activity drop again in April, though to a lesser extent compared to March. Meanwhile, in order to attract skilled workers, pay growth accelerated and was marked for both permanent and temporary staff. With staff placements continuing to fall, availability picked up again in April.

The managing-director of fashion giant Whispering Smith says the company’s move to a new Manchester headquarters is evidence of the business staying true to its roots.

"The human attention span is shrinking, and as a result, apps constantly look for ways to keep users engaged. The Help & Support button serves a dual purpose, to assist and subtly manipulate," says Thomas M. Pentz, CEO at Cubicfox. According to TechTarget.

HEINEKEN UK is investing £39m in upgrading and reopening pubs in its Star Pubs’ estate in 2024 – demonstrating its confidence in the resilience of the great British local in the face of global uncertainty. The move will create an estimated 1,075 new jobs. Over £2.24m is allotted to pub investments in the North West* with a further £1.04m invested by licensees.

A new study from BusinessComparison has investigated the current state of startups in the UK, identifying the regions and industries with the newest businesses. The study also investigated businesses that dissolved in 2023, focusing on younger companies.