News story: On track for inclusivity

On track for inclusivity – GOV.UK

Debbie Francis, Direct Rail Services’ Managing Director, was announced as the winner of the Inclusivity Award at the IOD North West and Isle of Man Awards 2019 in Manchester last night.

The awards have been running for 15 years, and represent the pinnacle of leadership and business excellence – highlighting the significant contribution business leaders can make to society and economic prosperity in the region.

Debbie has led from the front during her time as Managing Director of DRS, a subsidiary of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, championing several initiatives to promote diversity and inclusion within DRS and across the wider NDA group.

Debbie said:

I am passionate about personal development, pushing the boundaries and accepting everyone has different goals.

For me, the issue around diversity and equality all boils down to flexibility and caring about your employees. I firmly believe that treating people in your business with respect, and making it a great place to work, is one of the most important parts of success.

Published 5 April 2019

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News story: CELL surrenders Ofqual recognition

Construction Excellence in Learning Limited (CELL) has surrendered its status as an Ofqual-recognised awarding organisation. CELL informed us in 2018 of its imminent intention to surrender recognition. The surrender took effect from 19 March 2019. From this date, no qualifications offered by CELL are regulated by us.

CELL previously had 16 regulated qualifications and issued 4 certificates in England in the last year. We understand no learners are affected by this surrender.

When awarding organisations are considering surrendering their recognition, our recognition team stand ready to discuss the options for proceeding whilst ensuring learners are protected.

A full list of currently recognised awarding organisations and regulated qualifications can be found on the Register of Regulated Qualifications.

News story: Companies House shortlisted for Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) award

The CIPR Excellence Awards recognise the outstanding work an organisation has been delivering for its customers and employees. Being shortlisted for a CIPR award marks you out as an industry leader in the area of external communications, and demonstrates the value of public relations (PR) to the wider business world.

This ‘best use of digital’ award recognises a successful campaign or project delivering PR objectives that make imaginative use of content on digital media channels.

We entered our small business case studies, ‘Who we are and what we do’ animations and ‘Bizarre filing excuses’ content which formed an overarching ‘Who we are, what we do’ campaign.

Our ‘Who we are, what we do’ campaigns.

Louise Smyth, Chief Executive of Companies House and Registrar of Companies for England and Wales said:

We’re absolutely thrilled to be shortlisted for such a prestigious CIPR award. There are a number of highly recognised and respected organisations in our category, so for our communications to be considered in the same class as these organisations is brilliant.

Our communications team has worked really hard on this campaign, showing passion and dedication to produce imaginative and creative content across all our external digital channels. Congratulations and good luck to all those shortlisted.

Published 5 April 2019
Last updated 8 April 2019 + show all updates

8 April 2019 Welsh translation added.
5 April 2019 First published.

News story: Key facts you should know about the apprenticeship levy

Key facts you should know about the apprenticeship levy – GOV.UK

The apprenticeship levy is celebrating its two year anniversary. Here’s what you should know.

Two years ago, we introduced the apprenticeship levy to create long term sustainable funding for apprenticeships and to give employers more control to provide their staff with a range of training opportunities.

The levy means there is more money available than ever before for apprenticeship training and allows employers to choose which apprenticeships they offer, how many and when. By 2019-20 the funding available for investment in apprenticeships in England will have risen to over £2.5 billion, double what was spent in 2010-11 in cash terms.

Since, it was introduced the levy has directly supported almost 313,000 people to start their apprenticeship journey. For more information about how the levy and apprenticeship funding works please visit gov.uk here.

Despite this progress, there are still some misconceptions about how the levy works. Here are the key facts you should know:

I am a business owner; do I need to pay the levy?

The levy is paid by large employers with a pay bill of over £3 million (they pay 0.5% of their total annual pay bill). Currently, only 2% of employers pay the apprenticeship levy, but this funding has helped directly support almost 50% of all apprenticeships in 2017/18.

I am a levy paying business, how can I access my funds?

Levy paying employers access their funds through the online apprenticeship service. The funds in their accounts are available to spend on apprenticeship training in England. For more advice and information visit.

Will my levy funds only be spent on apprenticeships?

The levy is there to fund apprenticeship training for all employers. Any unspent levy funds are used to support existing apprentices to complete their training and to pay for apprenticeship training for smaller employers.

Does the levy only help big businesses?

No, not at all. The levy is there to fund apprenticeship training for all employers. Smaller employers – those with a total annual pay bill of less than £3million – pay just 5% of the cost of their apprenticeship training and the Government pays the rest.

How is the Government helping levy paying businesses to spend their funds?

The National Apprenticeship Service provides face to face and telephone support to levy paying employers to help them invest their levy funds and use apprenticeships to support their businesses.
Levy paying employers can now also transfer up to 25% of their levy funds to other employers. This will help to make sure the system is flexible, meets the needs of employers and will also help smaller businesses to invest in more training opportunities.

I am a business owner and I am struggling to spend my levy funds?

We understand that employers want and need flexibility. To support this the Government extended the amount of time employers have to spend their levy funds from 18 to 24 months. Levy paying employers can now also transfer up to 25% of their Levy funds to other employers.

Has the apprenticeship levy helped to increase the take up of apprenticeships?

What happens to unspent levy funds?

Employers have 24 months to use their funds once they enter their apprenticeship service account, after this point, their funds will expire. The funds expire to encourage levy paying employers to invest in high-quality training and assessment and to prevent levy payers from accruing very large balances. However, any unspent levy funds within each financial year are then used to support existing apprentices to complete their training, pay for apprenticeship training for smaller employers and additional payments to support apprentices.

I am a levy paying business, will the Government spend my unspent levy funds on other things?

Employers can only spend their levy funds on apprenticeship training in England.
However, it is important to note that there is a difference between employers’ levy funds and the department’s ring-fenced apprenticeship budget. The departments’ budget funds all apprentices currently in training – those already in an apprenticeship and those just starting, those working for employers who pay the apprenticeship levy, and those working for employers who do not.
As businesses of all sizes recruit and train more apprentices, we expect there will be very little (if any) year on year underspends of the apprenticeships budget. We also expect to see levy payers spending an increasing proportion of their funds too.

My employee wants to do an apprenticeship programme that last longer than 24 months, but my levy funds expire after 24 months. How I can fund this?

The fact that an employer’s funds expire after 24 months in their apprenticeship service account doesn’t stop employers meeting the full costs of an apprenticeship that lasts longer than 24 months. New funds enter an employer’s account every month for as long as they pay the levy.
The costs of an apprenticeship are spread over the full length of the apprenticeship and are met in monthly instalments. The Government always uses the oldest funds in an account first to minimise the potential for funds to expire.
Only funds that are not spent will expire 24 months after they enter an employer’s account. If an employer does not have sufficient funds in their account to cover the monthly cost, the Government will pay 90% of the balance due.
Employers can use the National Apprenticeship Service’s ‘Estimate my apprenticeship funding’ tool to estimate how much your organisation will have available to spend on apprenticeships.

I pay the levy but I find the apprenticeship system bureaucratic and complicated. Who can I talk to for help?

Thousands of employers including top firms like Channel 4, Royal Mail and Lloyds Banking Group as well as public sector organisation like the NHS and the British Armed Forces are using their levy funds effectively to set up a range of high-quality apprenticeship programmes.
If businesses need help or advice, they can always speak to the National Apprenticeship Service who provides face to face and telephone support to levy paying employers.

Published 5 April 2019

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Press release: Generating Stations: TEES Combined Cycle Power Plant given development consent

The application for the TEES CCPP generating station has been given development consent by the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

Development consent has been given to construct a development consisting of a gas fired combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) power station with a maximum generating capacity of up to 1,700 MWe (Tbc). The project will utilise existing Gas and National Grid connections on the site of the former Teesside Power Station; Greystone Road, Grangetown, Middlesbrough, TS6 8JF.

The application was submitted to the Planning Inspectorate for consideration by Sembcorp Utilities (UK) Limited on the 22 November 2017 and accepted for examination on 18 December 2017. Following an examination during which the public, statutory consultees and interested parties were given the opportunity to give evidence to the Examining Authority, a recommendation was made to the Secretary of State on 10 January 2019.

The Planning Inspectorate is committed to giving local communities the opportunity of being involved in the examination of projects that may affect them. Local people, the local authority and other interested parties were able to participate in the six month long examination. The Examining Authority listened and gave full consideration to local views before making their recommendation.

The Planning Inspectorate’s Chief Executive, Sarah Richards said: “The Planning Inspectorate has again demonstrated its ability to examine nationally significant infrastructure projects (NSIPs) within timescales laid down in the Planning Act 2008.”

“This provides developers and investors with the confidence to build and improve the infrastructure this country needs to secure future economic growth.”

The decision announced today supports the recommendation made by the Planning Inspectorate. It is the third major project to be approved this year following the development consent orders granted for Tilbury 2, a new port facility to be built at the Port of Tilbury, and Millbrook Power, a gas fired power station proposed in Bedfordshire.

The decision, the recommendation made by the Examining Authority to the Secretary of State and the evidence considered by the Examining Authority in reaching its recommendation is publicly available on the National Infrastructure Planning website.

ENDS

Journalists wanting further information should contact the Planning Inspectorate Press Office, on: 0303 444 5004 or 0303 444 5005 or email: Press.office@planninginspectorate.gov.uk

Notes to editors:

The Planning Inspectorate, National Infrastructure Programme of Projects details the proposals which are anticipated to be submitted to the Planning Inspectorate as applications in the coming months. It can be viewed at https://infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/