Seven Chartered professional bodies have this week joined the Department for International Trade (DIT) on a trade mission to China and Hong Kong. The DIT-led mission aimed to enable UK Chartered Bodies to develop and promote partnership accreditation links with universities, polytechnics, colleges and employers in China and Hong Kong.

The 7-day tour took place from 12-18 April and was organised as part of DIT’s Knowledge is GREAT campaign. Chartered professional bodies from a range of sectors including insurance, transport and science took part in a programme of networking, meetings and roundtables in Hong Kong, Shenzen and Beijing to help develop connections with businesses.

Chartered bodies provide professionals with a formal credential as a mark of professional competency and include the Royal Society of Chemistry, the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, Chartered Institutions of Highways and Transportation and the Chartered Management Institute.

During the visit a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed between the Ministry of Science and Technology of China and the DIT in the UK to enhance the exchange and collaboration of international professional talent.

The MOU is intended to develop the cooperation and exchange of international professional talent and the educational vocational training which underpins it, in so doing it will support top talent in science and technology in both countries. The news comes as trade between the UK and China continues to rise; in 2018 trade between the 2 countries increased by 2.3% to £68.5bn.

International Trade Secretary Dr Liam Fox MP said:

The value countries place on British products and expertise is clear. Chartered professional bodies are a key component of the UK’s global leadership in driving best practice across a range of sectors. They are an indicator of high standards, knowledge and ethical practices.

I urge all Chartered Professional Bodies who have an interest in creating international partnerships to get in touch with our team to hear about how our trade missions can help make these vital connections.

Stephen Shields, Market Director – Partnerships & Recognition, Association of Chartered Certified Accountants said:

It is an honour for ACCA to be invited by the UK Department of International Trade to join the mission for Hong Kong and mainland China. We were pleased to have the tremendous opportunity to engage with government officials, regulators, universities and employers to further build on ACCA’s long-established and very strong base of collaboration in China.

Keith Richards, CEO, Chartered Insurance Institute added:

We are delighted to be part of this trade mission to Hong Kong and mainland China together with our sister chartered bodies.

With an existing membership spanning more than 150 countries, we are investing in international markets and our office in Hong Kong has been established to better support the domestic market, China and Asia more widely.

This week’s trade mission also follows a recent successful Chartered mission to Malaysia, Vietnam and Singapore in April 2018. To find out more about DIT-led trade missions or to learn more about how we can help businesses export please visit GREAT.gov.uk.

Notes to Editors:

A full list of attending Chartered bodies can be found below:

• Association of Chartered Certified Accountants
• Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation
• Chartered Insurance Institute
• Chartered Management Institute
• Chartered Institute of Linguists
• Chartered Institute of Management Accountants
• Royal Society of Chemistry

The Prime Minister’s Special Representative on Freedom of Religion or Belief, Lord Tariq Ahmad said:

The Home Office has announced today that religious organisations will be able to register their interest for the latest round of the Places of Worship Protective Security Scheme and submit applications from July 2019.

This comes in the run-up to a number of religious celebrations including Easter, Passover and Ramadan.

The increased investment and planned improvements to the scheme were originally announced in the wake of the horrific Christchurch mosque attacks which claimed the lives of 50 people.

Home Secretary Sajid Javid said:

In the coming days and weeks, millions of people from different faiths will be marking religious festivals up and down the UK.

At this time of reflection, devotion and celebration, it’s vital everyone feels safe and protected in the places of worship they attend.

That’s why we’ve invested another £1.6 million into our Places of Worship Protective Security Scheme and are encouraging religious organisations to apply.

Minister for Counter Extremism Baroness Williams said:

No one should be abused or attacked, because of their faith. The government is committed to not only pursuing perpetrators of these horrendous crimes but also protecting victims.

The hate crime action plan, refreshed in 2018, commits to providing the places of worship scheme, as well as funding community-led projects to tackle hate crime and increase reporting of these crimes.

Since its inception in 2016, the places of worship scheme has awarded over £1.5 million through 134 grants to places of worship from all major religions for additional protection and security measures.

The fourth year of the scheme will not only provide up to £1.6 million of funding but will also be easier than ever to apply for. Instead of applicants having to find their own costs for security work to be done, those applying after July will benefit from having a central provider for assessments, quotes and installation. This will save small and volunteer-run institutions significant amounts on administration costs.

The government recognises that Muslim communities remain anxious following the horrendous attacks in New Zealand, and particularly in advance of Ramadan. The police and their partners are doing everything they can to ensure the safety of the public, particularly around religious festivals, and holy days. This will include operational policing plans for the Ramadan period.

In addition the Home Office will be supporting Faith Associates, an organisation which will provide security training and advice to Muslim places of worship in preparation for the Islamic holy month.

This work will provide security training and advice through 12 safety and security workshops across England and Wales, as well as guidance and leaflets circulated to mosques, community centres and madrassahs, to protect places of worship from hate crime attacks.

This short-term funding comes alongside the £5 million grant announced by the Home Secretary in March to provide security training for places of worship for all faiths.

Akeela Gheewalla Ahmed, Chair of the Anti-Muslim Hatred Working Group (AMHWG):

I welcome the improvements to the places of worship fund and the initiative to help mosques to take steps to improve their security during Ramadan. The AMHWG look forward to continuing to work with the Home Office to reduce the vulnerabilities of places of worship, so that people are free to practice their faith without fear of attack.

Applicants can register an interest in the places of worship scheme by emailing securityfundingced@homeoffice.gov.uk.

A ‘passport’ of activities for children and their families to try together to help build character and resilience has been downloaded an average of 375 times a day since its launch.

‘My Activity Passport’ was launched by Education Secretary Damian Hinds in December 2018 as part of his drive to inspire primary school children to try new life experiences – from flying a kite or going on a nature trail, to learning a poem or cooking a meal – and underlines the importance of wider life experiences. The passport contains milestones for each year group to complete both in and outside school.

As the Easter break comes to an end, downloads of the passport – backed by the Scouts, Girlguiding UK and the National Trust – have reached 42,000, meaning hundreds of families and children will have been encouraged to try a range of new activities.

Education Secretary Damian Hinds said:

The activity passport is a way for children to channel their natural curiosity into experiencing new things or places, while also preparing them for the challenges life throws at us all by developing valuable skills like confidence, tenacity or commitment.

When I visit schools or organisations around the country, a common quality I see among children is their enthusiasm to try new activities that challenge them – and ultimately how they learn to do things they never knew they could do.

With thousands of passports downloaded – the equivalent of 16 times every hour since it launched – I’m hopeful that even more families will use the passport as inspiration for spending quality time together.

The passport was inspired by the Education Secretary’s visit to St Werburgh’s Primary School in Bristol, where every child is encouraged to take part in a list of tasks and experiences, with key achievements for each school year to tick off.

Schools in England were sent the new passport in January for teachers to adapt to the needs of their pupils and their communities, including opportunities for children to take part in charitable projects that make positive changes for themselves and others around them.

Through social media, teachers, schools and charities have been sharing their ideas and their progress with activities, via the hashtag #myactivitypassport.

Angela Salt, CEO of Girlguiding, said:

Thanks to the dedicated work of volunteers, hundreds of thousands of girls take part in activities with Girlguiding each week. We want all young people to have fun, explore their interests, and make a difference. That’s why we contributed to the Activity Passport and are glad that so many young people are using it and downloading it.

The passport builds on the Education Secretary’s vision for every child to build character and resilience through enjoyable and varied experiences, underpinned by the 5 Foundations for Building Character, all of which are represented in some form in the passport’s list of age-appropriate activities:

• Sport – competitive sport and activities such as running, martial arts, swimming and purposeful recreational activities, such as rock climbing, hiking, orienteering, gym programmes, yoga or learning to ride a bike;
• Creativity – all creative activities from coding, arts and crafts, writing, graphic design, film making and music composition;
• Performing – activities could include dance, theatre and drama, musical performance, choir, debating or public speaking;
• Volunteering & Membership – bringing together teams for practical action in the service of others or groups, such as volunteering, litter-picking, fundraising, any structured youth programmes or uniformed groups like Beavers, Brownies, Cubs, Guides, Scouts, Cadets and Duke of Edinburgh; and
• World of work – practical experience of the world of work, work experience or entrepreneurship. For primary age children, this may involve opportunities to meet role models from different jobs.

The Education Secretary laid out the 5 Foundations for Building Character at a speech at the Church of England Foundation for Educational Leadership conference. He pledged to work with schools and external organisations to help every child access activities within each of the foundations.

The ‘Distressed’ campaign sets out to help bikers realise what could happen if they ride in the wrong clothing. It features a fashion range, and price tags, which, instead of showing the cost of the clothing, show a range of serious injuries a biker could suffer if they are not wearing the right gear.

Early findings show the campaign is having a positive impact, and now it has scooped the ‘Best Content Marketing Campaign’ award at the Chartered Institute of Marketing’s (CIM) Marketing Excellence Awards 2019.

Peter Allen, Highways England’s Executive Director of Corporate Affairs and Communications, said:

Bikers are among the most vulnerable on the road – this campaign is all about helping them be safer.

The mental and physical cost of not wearing the correct motorcycle clothing can be far greater than the financial cost, so we wanted to stress how important it is for our young riders to really understand the need to be prepared, and to always wear the appropriate clothing.

I’m proud the campaign has been recognised, and continues to capture the imaginations of partner organisations and young people across England.

As part of the campaign, a pop-up shop was opened in East London, with the ‘distressed’ clothing range. ‘Customers’ were filmed – including their reactions when they realised what the price labels referred to. The film was then used as content for the campaign, along with mock fashion photographs featured on poster sites near to accident hotspots. The ‘Distressed’ clothing range is still being used to promote bike safety at events across England.

Distressed

The ‘Distressed’ campaign forms part of Highways England’s target to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured across the network by 40% by 2020.

A survey after the campaign of the target audience – young motorcycle and moped riders – had positive results. It showed:

• an increase of more than three-quarters in the number of young riders who said they were more likely to wear protective clothing
• a 70% increase in young rider riders being more likely to check traffic more thoroughly at junctions and roundabouts and in the way they filtered through traffic
• a 6% increase in young riders saying that they would wear protective clothing.

The campaign also directed bike riders to the Think! website for further advice and information. This saw a 340% rise in unique page views compared to the same period in the year before the campaign ran.

Chris Daly, chief executive of CIM, said of the awards:

The competition this year was so strong that to be considered as a finalist for one of the awards available meant showcasing outstanding talent, innovation and an ability to make a genuine difference and deliver tangible results.

General enquiries

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Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.