Author Archives: HM Government

Twenty-one FTSE 100 companies have already signed up so far, including Marks & Spencer, BT and Royal Mail.

This week, construction recruitment specialist TBT Recruitment became the 5,000th organisation to become Disability Confident, pledging their commitment to attract, recruit and retain disabled workers.

This major milestone in the take up of the new scheme coincides with The Guinness Partnership becoming the 50th organisation to achieve the status of Disability Confident Leader.

The housing association has joined other employers in making a commitment to encourage and support other businesses in their network to improve support for disabled employees.

The Minister for Disabled People, Work and Health, Penny Mordaunt, says:

A fantastic range of employers from small start-ups to influential businesses like The Guinness Partnership and TBT Recruitment are making a public commitment to improve opportunities for disabled people.

If they can do it, every one of the FTSE 100 companies can take the first step by signing up to be Disability Confident too.

Disabled people make up a significant proportion of the potential workforce, and employers must ensure they don’t miss out on some of the best talent in their community.

I urge our country’s top businesses to use their power and influence to set the agenda on disability employment for companies everywhere.

Managing Director of TBT Recruitment, Scott Jeffrey, says:

We’re delighted to be the 5,000th organisation to sign up as Disability Confident. Being part of the scheme supports our commitment to providing qualified candidates from a diverse range of backgrounds to construction, rail and highways projects all over the UK.

Almost a fifth of the working age population is disabled, and the vast majority of these people will develop their condition or impairment during their working life.

Over the last four years almost 600,000 disabled people have entered the workforce. Further progress is being made through increasing the number of Disability Employment Advisers in Jobcentre Plus centres and raising awareness of programmes like Disability Confident and Access to Work.

The Disability Confident scheme, launched in November 2016, provides employers with the skills, examples and confidence they need to recruit, retain and develop disabled employees.

The scheme was developed with employers, disability charities, and disabled people.

FTSE 100 companies will only be eligible to sign up to the scheme if they are British based and employ staff.

The scheme has 3 levels:

• Disability Confident Committed
• Disability Confident Employer
• Disability Confident Leader

At each level employers commit to taking actions that will make a real difference to disabled employment.

To become a Disability Confident Leader, organisations must act as a champion for the scheme within their local and business communities. To reach this level organisations must also have their self-assessment validated from outside their business.

The Guinness Partnership is one of England’s largest affordable housing and care providers. They manage 65,000 homes for more than 135,000 customers.

TBT Recruitment are an experienced supplier of highly trained labour to the construction, rail and highways sectors, nationwide.

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The CMA has accepted proposals to resolve competition concerns in the merger of Solera Holdings, Inc. and Autodata Publishing Group Limited.

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• Small Business Minister Margot James announces the winners of the fourteenth Enterprising Britain Awards

• Winners celebrated for encouraging entrepreneurialism include Hull, North Tyneside Council, Business West and Hatch Enterprise Incubator in Brixton

• Since 2013 the City Plan for Hull has resulted in 6,800 more people in employment.

The City of Hull has been named the most Enterprising Place in Britain by the Enterprising Britain Awards in recognition of their successful 4 year programme helping local businesses to start-up and grow.

The Enterprising Britain Awards are part of the government’s drive to support entrepreneurial activity in the UK. Managed by Investment in Young People on behalf of the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS), the awards celebrate the work of public sector and government-backed organisations that support and encourage entrepreneurialism across the UK.

The awards, which are now in their 14th year, are given in 4 categories. This year’s other winners include North Tyneside Council in the “Start-Up Spirit” category, Business West for “Support for Exporting” and Hatch Enterprise Incubator for “Building Enterprise Skills”. In addition to being named Most Enterprising Place in the UK, a title previously held by Birmingham, Hull was also awarded the prize for “Improving the Business Environment”.

Judges were impressed by Hull’s wide-ranging approach to incentivising and supporting entrepreneurs and businesses.

The City Plan for Hull programme ranged from supporting innovative pilot projects to driving multi-million pound investments into the city from partners across the private, public, voluntary and community sectors.
Notable successful projects include the £25.7 million Greenport Growth Programme, supported by the government’s Regional Growth Fund, to help local start-ups capitalise on renewables opportunities and develop local business growth within the sector.

Since 2013, the City Plan for Hull has resulted in 6,800 more people in employment compared to 2011, with a focus on securing jobs for economically excluded groups.

Small Business Minister Margot James said:

The Enterprising Britain Awards are a fantastic reminder of what can be achieved when we bring together local knowledge and leadership to provide targeted support to entrepreneurs and the innovative businesses they build.

I want to congratulate Hull on being named the most enterprising place in the UK. Small businesses are vital to our economy, and Hull is a great example of how the right support can have a huge effect on helping them to start and grow.

Councillor Martin Mancey, Portfolio Holder for Economic Investment, Regeneration and Planning, said:

I am absolutely delighted that Hull has been recognised as the most enterprising place in Britain – over the last five years the Council and its many partners in the business world, local community and the government have worked to increase the City’s profile which in turn has seen us secure major investment in the City. This backdrop of investment has enabled us to work with significant numbers of new entrepreneurs to establish and grow their businesses.

Coming in the same year as the City being the City of Culture this recognition will be another step forward for the City in creating the right environment to support our business community to develop and grow who in turn are creating quality opportunities for our communities.

All the Enterprising Britain winners will be awarded at an event with the Small Business Minister in London in November.

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