A year after Labour’s ‘Growth and Skills’ rebrand, says Richard Alvin, the levy still funnels money to MBA-flavoured consultancies while the real apprenticeships die quietly.
Category: Opinion
Some of the UKs leading business leaders and opinion formers share their insight and ideas for growth
Neurodiverse talent could be key advantage in AI economy, says UK tech founder
CareLineLive founder Josh Hough says neurodiverse workers could have a competitive edge in the AI economy, as businesses seek skills like pattern recognition and problem solving.
After the Spring Statement, Britain’s businesses know exactly what to expect: nothing
The red box has been and gone. Richard Alvin reacts to Rachel Reeves’s Spring Statement — and why Britain’s small firms have, again, been treated as the audience, not the answer.
Reeves’s Spring Statement: brace yourselves, the begging bowl is on its way round again
The Chancellor’s Spring Statement is a week away. Richard Alvin on what Britain’s SMEs are bracing for, and the four moves Rachel Reeves should make if she is serious about growth.
How generational differences can fuel growth
We are heading towards a time where five generations share the workplace. From Baby Boomers to Gen Z, employees bring very different experiences, values and expectations.
International Women’s Day: spare us the lanyards and look at who’s actually got the cheque book
Another IWD of pastel-pink panels while female founders still get a fraction of UK venture capital. Richard Alvin: the gap is in capital allocation, not breakfast events.
Lent, Dry January, Sober October: when did the British pub become collateral damage in the wellness wars?
Mocktails won’t pay the gas bill. Richard Alvin on how Britain’s wellness wars are quietly sinking the public house — and the case for treating the pub as national infrastructure.
The Government’s entrepreneurship adviser says we don’t need more restaurants. She’s wrong and here’s why
Zoe Adjey, Senior Lecturer, Institute of Hospitality and Tourism, Department of Innovation and Management, Royal Docks School of Business and Law gives her opinion on the Government’s entrepreneurship adviser, Alex Depledge, declaring that Britain does not “need any more restaurants”
Late payment is Britain’s quiet pandemic, and SMEs are still being told to take it on the chin
Britain’s big firms are still paying small ones in 90 days plus. Richard Alvin argues late payment is a quiet pandemic — and the Treasury must finally make it personal.
£4bn SEND funding welcomed as experts warn of backlog pressures
The government has announced a £4bn SEND investment, including £1.6bn for mainstream schools, but experts warn funds may be absorbed by rising demand.
Companies House has turned every UK director into a passport-juggling pen-pusher
Companies House identity verification was meant to clean up British business. Instead, says Richard Alvin, it has clogged up founders while real fraudsters keep moving.
Banning WFH is lunacy, and the politicians out of touch enough to mandate it are too
Let’s get something straight right at the outset: The idea of banning working from home is not merely daft, not a bit ill-advised, but a spectacular, full-on intellectual car crash wearing a stupid hat.
Mark Dixon: ‘Banning working from home is idiotic’
In an interview with The Times, IWG founder Mark Dixon defends hybrid working, criticises calls to ban WFH and reflects on Regus, WeWork and a possible US listing.
UK government must end its boycott of British innovation, says Megaslice
Megaslice managing partner Justin Megawarne has criticised the UK government’s procurement system, warning that risk-averse frameworks are shutting out genuine British innovation.
How SMEs can build diversity, equity and inclusion into their growth plans
Diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) are often seen as “big company” issues – tied to boardroom pledges, large HR teams or investor reporting. But the reality is quite different. For small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), building a more inclusive culture is not just possible; it’s essential for sustainable growth.
