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Letter to the Editor:-
"Homelessness"
"Homelessness is always a hot topic at this time of year. But, have
readers ever thought that there could actually be a solution to the
problem?
I’d like people to disregard the mountains of ‘pity press’ that
encourages people to work at a soup kitchen, for example, or give
hand-outs to beggars at Christmas.
There’s now a new kind of professional, lean organisation helping
people off the streets that is neither charity or ‘not-for-profit’;
it’s all about making money to make a difference.
A social enterprise is a business that uses its profit (preferably
lots of it) to tackle social problems. Good examples are The Big
Issue, Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen and Café Direct. By being innovative
and profitable, The Big Issue has helped thousands of homeless
people to rebuild their lives over the past 16 years.
This year, Big Issue Invest, part of The Big Issue group, is
involved in a new project called Spark. It’s an exciting
government-supported project designed to grow more organisations to
help even more people off the streets permanently.
I am asking for organisations which work with homeless people to
apply for a share of a £500,000 prize fund to help them grow an
existing or new social enterprise that benefits homeless and
vulnerably housed people.
If you’ve got a business case for a social enterprise that offers a
‘hand up’ for homeless people, rather than a hand-out, download an
application form from
www.sparkchallenge.org, before
18 February, 2008." Nigel Kershaw, Chief Executive, Big
Issue Invest on behalf of Spark.
Euro MPs vote for a better deal on consumer lending
THE European
Parliament voted on opening up Europe's consumer credit market. This
will help 500 million people get better and cheaper loans.
2 out of 3 Europeans use credit to buy furniture, washing machines
or cars. The average rate for consumer credit in the EU varies from
about 6% in Finland to about 12% in Portugal. Yet, at the moment,
consumers can only use financial products that are available through
their national market.
Arlene McCarthy MEP, Labour's Chair of the Consumer Protection
Committee, welcomed the new EU law:- “Consumers will now be
able to shop around and compare the best deals across the EU,
however, more choice must go hand in hand with consumer protection
and we are building in safeguards to ensure companies across Europe
don't lend irresponsibly and consumers are aware of their capacity
to repay debt.
The information
provided by the lender must enable the borrower to make a
responsible decision. The lender must also assess the solvency of
the consumer before lending."
The directive will make it easier for banks and other financial
institutions to offer their loans in other EU countries. Consumers
will be able to compare information about financial services from
different countries and benefit from competition in this area.
The consumer can also look forward to better information about loan
offers with improved information provided to consumers before
contracts are signed, and guaranteed EU wide rights including the
right to cancel and the right to pay off a loan early.
Arlene added:- "I am pleased that we also secured an exemption
for credit unions who will be able to do business as usual,
providing a valuable loan service to our most vulnerable and
deprived communities.
We've also maintained high levels of consumer protection for UK
credit card holders who enjoy a unique right under the consumer
credit act whereby the creditor pursues and assists the consumer
with claims against suppliers when problems arise with a purchase."
We would love to know
our readers views on this topic, so please email our news desk at
news24@southportreporter.com and let us know what you
thing should be done. |
Emmerdale’s Christopher Villiers launches LSC North West Learner
Awards 2008 in Greater Merseyside
OVER 40
business and education leaders gathered in Merseyside last week to
hear how they can nominate apprentices, employers and learners from
across Greater Merseyside for the prestigious Learning and Skills
Council’s (LSC) North West Learner Awards.
Christopher Villiers, who plays Grayson Sinclair in ITV’s Emmerdale,
launched the Greater Merseyside round of the awards at the Tate
Liverpool yesterday, saying:- "I'm honoured to be launching
these awards in Merseyside today as I'm a great believer in
developing skills and rewarding people who do well. As well as
acting, I run an extras agency, and I depend on my staff to make it
a success, and I've learnt that investing in employees is essential.
Any kind of reward on merit for people who stick their head above
the parapet is hugely important, for both employees and employers,
and that's why I'm here today."
Linda Dean, Partnership Manager, LSC Greater Merseyside, hosted the
event and said:- "These Awards are critical in highlighting
the hard work of our young learners, the quality of the training
provision you deliver and the important part played by employers.
The Apprenticeship Awards are a fantastic opportunity to applaud
apprentices who are taking their future in their hands, and also
employers who are taking control of the future of their business by
investing in the skills of their workforce. I think it is important
that we fully appreciate how important, and what a difference,
recognition and awards actually make."
Employers, learning providers and apprentices from around Greater
Merseyside are being urged to nominate individuals and companies for
the six award categories, which are:-
Apprentice of the Year, Young Apprentice of the Year, Personal
Achiever of the Year, Employer of the Year, Further Education
Vocational Learner of the Year and Further Education Academic
Learner of the Year.
The awards cover all the North West LSC’s 5 sub-regions – Cheshire
and Warrington, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Greater Merseyside and
Lancashire. Each of the sub-regions will host their own round
of the awards, which recognise and reward excellence in learning,
skills and achievement in individuals and organisations in their
area. They also develop links between local businesses and learning
providers.
The North West Learner Awards are held in conjunction with the LSC
National Apprenticeship Awards. Now in their 5th year, the National
Apprenticeship Awards recognise and reward both employers and
apprentices who are successfully using Apprenticeships. This could
be to improve their business performance and tackle skills
shortages; where a contribution to the workplace has exceeded
employers’ expectations and resulted in measurable benefits; or for
individuals who have overcome difficulties to succeed through their
Apprenticeship.
The quality of entries to the National Apprenticeship Awards, from
both employers and apprentices, has been outstanding, with over
1,100 entries received in 2007 alone.
The winners in each of the categories from the sub-regions of the
North West Regional Awards will go on to compete for the North West
Regional Award in their category and could then be short listed for
the National Apprenticeship Awards final, which will be held at the
Royal Horticultural Halls in London on Thursday 10 July 2008.
To enter the awards or make a nomination, go to
www.apprenticeships.org.uk/awards or
email. |
