pgs bulletin | november 2018postgraduate.focus-school.com/wp-content/uploads/...an apprenticeship...
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PGS BULLETIN | November 2018
PGS BULLETIN | November 2018
THANK YOU - from the National Leadership Team GO TO WORK ON AN EGG
For those studying Tax laws, the following demonstrates how important it is to follow the detail. In a recent article in PQ magazine, titled ‘Milkshake Wars’, there is a report on the troubles that Nestlé the confectionary giant has had over whether certain flavours of milkshake powder can be zero rated for VAT or not. Having lost its appeal at the Upper Tribunal, Nestlé is facing a £4m VAT bill!
They had argued that as the Nesquik powders encourage milk drinking and milk is zero rated, their powders should be as well. HMRC’s case was upheld based on the ruling that Nesquik fruit flavours were ‘powders for the preparation of beverages’ and should therefore not be zero-rated.
They do, however, make an exception for chocolate Nesquik, as it contains cocoa butter which is a zero-rated food. This is on the list of ‘exceptions to excepted items’. Life is complicated isn’t it?
WHAT IS THE FLAVOUR?...
Did you know that egg yolks are good for your studies?
Egg yolks contain Lutein a xanthophyll which is found in the brain and studies suggest that people with high levels may be able to process information more effectively. According to PQ magazine, here are some tips on looking after yourself when studying (and that’s every week day isn’t it?):
• Drink at least 1.2 litres of water a day • Avoid sugar highs • Keep active – aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate activity five times a week • Don’t skip meals • Eat foods for thought – fish, eggs, wholegrain cereals with fruit and dairy, and berries
GOOD NEWS!Curiosity can make learning enjoyable and studying more effective. Apparently according to an article in PQ magazine, if you take an active interest and genuinely want to find out more, your brain will reward you in a number of ways. First, you will become highly motivated, feeling that you want to study rather than have to. Second, your ability to retain information increases. Third, you feel happier and more satisfied as the brain, fired up by anticipation and novelty, releases dopamine, the happy hormone.
GOOD NEWS!
Roddy Cox, National Leadership Team, said that he would like to, ‘thank the team for the effort in the Campuses and out of the Campuses.
‘This is certainly a program that is here to stay and has had global endorsement. OneSchool is part of the global ecosystem, and the whole CAP & Postgraduate program is an integral part of this whole ecosystem, and is part of the learning pathway for the student’.
ROBOTS IN SERVICE
PGS BULLETIN | November 2018
What is happening to traditional jobs in accounting and law?
HMRC reports that it has now processed over 10M transactions using robots since 2015. It is claiming that AI has improved the accuracy and the customer experience. The robots are particularly being used in processing requests for tax rebates where the request has been submitted online and the response is generated automatically with a letter sent in the post the same day. Another use is where customers advice the Revenue of a change in their circumstances.
At the same time the Serious Fraud Office plans to use robots to sift evidence 2000 times faster than a human lawyer! They will begin managing all new cases in this way. It is hoped that OpenText’s automatic document analysis will reduce costs and speed up investigations, with a lower error rate than when using human lawyers. The robots can process more than a million documents a day!
TAKING ON AN APPRENTICE...20 things you might not know...?
The Government wants to create three million apprenticeships by 2020. To help achieve this, small businesses with wage bills of less than £3m can access co-funding for a proportion of an apprentice’s training up to a maximum of £27,000. Here are 20 facts about taking on an apprentice.
1. The apprenticeship levy scheme was introduced in England in April 2017. Employers with a pay bill of more than £3m a year pay into the levy through PAYE. This gives these employers access to funds to spend on training apprentices.
2. Employers who don’t pay the levy can take advantage of the scheme too. Those who offer apprenticeships for 16 to 18-year olds can receive 100% of the cost of the training up to a maximum of £27,000. There are 30 bands of funding available staring at £1,500 up to £27,000.
3. Non-levy paying employers only have to pay 10% per cent of apprenticeship training costs for those aged 19 and over.
4. Businesses with fewer than 50 employees are entitled to £1,000 for taking on an apprentice aged 16 to 18.
5. Employers who take on an apprentice under the age of 25 are not required to pay secondary class 1 National Insurance Contributions (NICs).
6. Existing staff can move onto an apprenticeship. The class 1 NICs savings would apply for those under the age of 25.
7. There are apprenticeships available in 1,500 occupations across 170 industries. An apprenticeship can last from between 12 months and up to four years.
8. An apprenticeship qualification starts at the equivalent of GCSE level (level 2) and goes up to Master’s degree level (level 7).
9. An apprentice is training on the job so you must allow some of their working time to be taken up with study.
10. The levy scheme helps pay for the training part of the apprenticeship. The employer must still pay the Apprenticeship Minimum Wage.
11. The apprentice must be employed for a minimum of 30 hours per week.
12. Apprentices must receive the same benefits as other employees at the same level, including holiday allowance.
13. To get funding and manage an apprenticeship you will need to find and use a course offered through a training provider. You can search apprenticeships available and find a training provider using the tool on the GOV.UK* website.
14. Once you have found a course which suits your business’s needs and a training provider you will need to advertise the opportunity.
15. You will need to draw up an apprenticeship agreement. This states what you are agreeing to do for your apprentice, the length of their employment, the training you are going to give, their working conditions and the qualification they will be working towards. A template is available on the GOV.UK website.
16. If an apprentice is your first employee you will need employers’ liability insurance. Most employers are required to have cover of at least £5m.
17. An apprenticeship can end early because you are making the position redundant. If you want to end an apprenticeship agreement early for redundancy or other reasons it is best to take legal advice.
18. An apprentice may learn some new techniques and best practices through their training that you have not tried or considered before and which may benefit the business.
19. Employers who take on apprentices can help mould the employee to suit their business by nurturing home-grown talent. Ensuring the business has factored the apprentice into their future strategy and a job is available post-apprenticeship can encourage loyalty.
20. Employers should support existing staff where necessary to ensure they have the right management skills to help inexperienced apprentices learn the ropes.
* We have an approved provider, Babington, who are featured on the PGS website on www.postgraduate.focus-school.com/apprenticeship-courses/babington/
Eagle Education and Training Ltd, a longstanding provider of courses for our students was taken over by Kaplan earlier this year, which strengthens their reputation and should be beneficial to the relationship that Focus students have with them.
KAPLAN TAKEOVER OF EAGLE
UBT TRAINING COURSES
For the past 7 years Leah has been studying Law. She has been working through the CILEx Law School as part of the Postgraduate Studies scheme. Leah has taken over twenty exams, and a short while back passed her final exam. Of course, the journey has taken a huge amount of overcoming, and has been far, far from simple! A while back her brother had the unfortunate experience of being the victim of a crash for cash claim. He was being sued for 7 whiplash claims. Leah took up the opportunity as a chance to prove her legal prowess. After preparing legal arguments, and a number of telephone conference calls with the judge, the op posing counsel, and the claimant, Leah informed us that she had not only got the case struck out of court by the judge, due to a waste of court time, but also secured a significant chunk of compensation for the hassle! In doing so she has successfully disproved the doubts and scepticism! So, maybe there are two messages here. Firstly, if you start a thing, make sure, whatever the cost and the effort, and however large and insurmountable the challenges appear to be, complete it... And secondly, if you need a lawyer, drop Leah a line!
Email: [email protected]
POSTGRADUATE IN ACTION - a real life story!
“You enjoy postgraduate when you leave school - you can actually stop learning to learn if you’re not
careful, by just doing the same thing over and over again - your brain gets dead. You never stop learning and you learn more ways how to learn as well by doing a postgraduate course.”
- Reece Büchner, ex Cottingham
“It’s definitely enjoyable - it feels like going back into your comfort zone at school because it feels
much more in control and you’re in control of your learning and it definitely builds that extra layer and the extra skills that makes you more valuable in the workplace. I’m doing structural engineering which is quite
interesting, it’s basically like sort of a bit like A-level Maths but it helps being able to understand more what your clients are talking about when you’re on the
phone to architects and that sort of thing, to be able to understand more; to give them the advice and knowledge that they need.”
- Greg Bodman, ex Stoke Poges
NOT YET CONVINCED?....
PGS BULLETIN | November 2018
TRAINING COURSE DELIVERY METHOD
Fundamentals of Negotiation F2F
LinkedIn Training (1/2 day) F2F
7 Habits of Highly Effective People F2F
Emotional Intelligence F2F
How to Become an Executive Assistant F2F
Managing Multiple Priorities F2F
Fundamental Management Skills F2F
Think Like a Customer F2F
Psychology Of Sales F2F
Countdown Project Management F2F
Effective Purchasing Skills (2 days) F2F
Clear Desk - Clear Head Interactive video
How to get Sales Results: Using Scripts Interactive video
Impact Sales Training Programme F2F & Online
Online Sales Evaluation Online
Flying Start Sales Programme Online
3MAC Online
Master Your Now Online
Influential Presenter Online
Productivity Academy Online
UBT Training currently provide a number of Training Courses to drive skills development in the workforce. The following is a selection:
Click HERE to view the range
Campus Campus PSCs
Campus PSC Assistants Email Address Mobile
NumberAtherstone Campus Reuben Ellett [email protected] 07848458648
Berkeley Campus
Barry Small [email protected]
Dave Smallridge [email protected] 07848002854
Brendon Pocock [email protected] 07557748641
Angus Pocock [email protected]
Charlie Turner [email protected]
Biggleswade Campus Bradley Ford [email protected] 07881357074
Georgia Fentiman [email protected]
Charlie Harvey [email protected] 07848452026
Roy Lyon [email protected]
Caledonia Campus Mike Brown [email protected] 07848455255
Michael Patterson [email protected]
Jeremy Burgess [email protected] 07848452660
Terry Shimwell [email protected]
Phil Brown [email protected]
Andrew Lindberg [email protected]
Russell Hardwick [email protected]
Neville Doughty [email protected] 07848455802
Dunstable Campus Lloyd Tuffin [email protected] 07848453901
Gloucester Campus Roy Knappett [email protected] 07848459371
Hindhead Campus Lauren Moggach [email protected] 07848451704
Hornby Campus Kevin Burwood [email protected] 07824437823
Kenley Campus Howard Payne [email protected] 07848453975
Ray Cooper [email protected] 07848453218
Graham Elsey [email protected] 07848454861
Knockloughrim Campus Leonard Quinn [email protected] 07825549051
Linton Park Campus Kevin Devenish [email protected]
Peter Ware [email protected] 07848454940
Rick McMullan [email protected] 07848002813
Long Eaton Campus Dick Dallow [email protected] 07848459708
PGS BULLETIN | November 2018
Campus Campus PSCs
Campus PSC Assistants Email Address Mobile
NumberEd Pearce [email protected] 07584702594
Newry Campus Wayne McMullan [email protected] 0879799777
Newtown Campus Clive Plant [email protected] 07468711580
Craig Hawgood [email protected] 01686622967
Plymouth Campus Simon Besley [email protected]
Ralph Burtenshaw [email protected]
Emil Douglas [email protected]
Craig Ellis [email protected]
Rideway Campus Sam Graham [email protected] 07584140353
Jake Martin [email protected] 07848459279
Stockport Campus Chris Simpson [email protected] 07848451825
Stoke By Nayland Campus Gary Hopkins [email protected] 07584102254
Simon Byne [email protected]
Caleb Hewison [email protected]
James Pooley [email protected]
Mike Smith [email protected]
Stoke Poges Campus Keith Robertson [email protected] 07469404841
Roy Pannell [email protected] 07848458907
Swaffham Campus Dan Fentiman [email protected] 07848460146
Jim Deans [email protected] 07848452969
Myles Cook [email protected]
Archie Tennent [email protected]
Swansea Campus Max Devenish [email protected] 07848459443
Wilton Campus John Beesley [email protected] 07848459698
Darrell Brown [email protected]
Edward Diffey [email protected]
Nathan Fowler [email protected]
Bob Pavey [email protected]
Rick Wakeford [email protected]
York Campus Rolf Smaldon [email protected] 0784845371