1. BUSINESS
20 / Monday June 9, 2014
Company hits out at
apprenticeship plans
bournemouthecho.co.uk/business
@bournemouthecho
BUSINESS IN BRIEF
REGION: More should be done
to allow office staff to work
from home, the South West
Trades Union Congress says.
A report from the Office of
National Statistics shows the
region has the highest home
working rate in England at
17.1 per cent, but the TUC
says this figure is skewed by
farmers and over-65s.
Nigel Costley, the regional
secretary for the South West
TUC, said: “Too many bosses
still don’t trust staff to work
from home and instead force
them to trudge into the office
so they can keep an eye on
them.”
Breakfast
at meeting
LYMINGTON: Lymington
Chamber of Commerce holds
a breakfast meeting on
Thursday June 19, 7-9am, at
Linden House in New Street.
Details are at lymington.biz
Networking
at event
POOLE: Poole Chamber of
Trade and Commerce holds
its next Chamber Xchange
networking event on Monday
June 16, 6-8pm, at Twin Sails
Wharf. The event is free and
will have a cash bar.
New way to
raise funds
PURBECK: A new way to raise
funds from building
development has been
introduced in Purbeck,
officials have confirmed.
Purbeck District Council
says the aim of the
Community Infrastructure
Levy (CIL) is to “raise funds
from new building
development to provide
infrastructure to offset the
impact of the development.”
A schedule listing the CIL
charges is available at
dorsetforyou.com
Post Office
getsrevamp
BEARWOOD: Bearwood Post
Office, Magna Road, Poole, is
being modernised to create a
new open plan branch with
longer opening hours. It will
close at 5.30pm on July 16 for
refurbishment and is
scheduled to open on July 28.
Staff work
from home
PLANS to make employers bear
more of the costs of
apprenticeships could hit small
businesses hard, it is claimed.
GF Electrical has hit out at
proposals for the “co-funding” of
apprenticeships, which were part
of a government consultation
that closed recently.
Michelle Fuller, who
established the company 10 years
ago with husband Gary, said they
had three apprentices among
their 11-strong team based at
Holton Heath.
She was concerned about the
impact on cash flow if employers
are forced to pay fees up front for
their apprentices’ training and
claim back some of the costs
through the PAYE system. It is
not yet clear how much of the
costs would be recoverable.
“For slightly larger companies
it’s not too much of a problem
but for small businesses and sole
traders, it really causes them a
problem,” she said.
“We’re still struggling from
2008-9 when the recession was
out there, especially in this
industry. We don’t need the
hassle.”
Apprenticeships in electrical
contracting run for four years
and require a lot of supervision
from experienced staff.
“In the 10 years we’ve been in
business, we’ve always had
apprentices, but it’s not
profitable for a company in the
early stages,” said Mrs Fuller.
The company took on
apprentices Matt Hughes and
Jamie O’Shea last year through
the training organisation JTL,
which deals with coursework.
Mrs Fuller said: “The guys
have brought vitality to the
company and have integrated
really well into the team.
“We’ve had plenty of positive
feedback so we decided to take on
another apprentice, Daryl
Nimmo, last month.”
Skills minister Matthew
Hancock has said the
apprenticeship system needs to
be reformed “to put it at the
forefront of economic growth for
years to come”.
A ‘trailblazers’ scheme which
began last year saw the setting of
new apprenticeship standards in
the sectors involved, along with a
new funding system which meant
businesses received £2 for every
£1 they invest in apprenticeships.
Mr Hancock said:
“Apprenticeships will deliver
higher quality across the board,
skills relevant to the future and
give everyone in the country the
opportunity to realise their
potential. I am calling for
businesses to come alongside us
and we can go forward together.”
CHANGES: The
team at GF
Electrical,
based at
Holton Heath
DORCHESTER-based Dorset
Cereals has been sold for a
reported £50m.
The proposed change in
ownership is not expected to
affect the company’s current
manufacturing base in
Poundbury.
Associated British Foods,
which owns the Jordans and
Ryvita brands, has clinched
the takeover in the face of
competition from industry
giants Kellogg and Weetabix.
Dorset Cereal is currently
owned by Wellness Foods,
which is based at Chertsey.
Wellness is a subsidiary of
Erbium Capital Partners
and is backed by
horseracing tycoons JP
McManus and John
Magnier.
Wellness Foods Limited, a
health food group,
purchased the award-
winning firm in 2008.
A spokesman for
Associated British Foods
said: “We can confirm that
the Jordans & Ryvita
Company, part of Associated
British Foods, has reached
an agreement to purchase
the Dorset Cereals brand
from Wellness Foods, subject
to regulatory approval.
“Until the acquisition has
been cleared by the
regulatory authorities,
Dorset Cereals will continue
to operate as a part of
Wellness Foods, and it is
inappropriate for us to
comment further at this
stage.
“We can confirm that our
intention would be to
maintain Dorset Cereals'
existing manufacturing base
in Poundbury, Dorset.”
Darren
Slade
CONTACT ME
t: 01202 411297
e: darren.slade@
bournemouthecho.co.uk
twitter: @echodaz
Dorset Cereals sells for £50m