Tag: challenges

Double payment for unpaid carers

Thousands of unpaid carers will receive a double payment this winter under legislation recognising the additional pressure they face as a result of the pandemic. 

If approved by Parliament, the Bill, published today, will mean more than 91,000 carers in receipt of Carer’s Allowance Supplement will receive an extra £231.40, doubling their December payment to £462.80.

This extra investment, forecast to be £21 million, will be the second time the Scottish Government has doubled the Carer’s Allowance Supplement.

The Carer’s Allowance Supplement (Scotland) Bill, a priority for action within the first 100 days of this government, will also give Ministers powers to provide eligible carers with additional financial support in future if the need arises.

Social Security Minister Ben Macpherson said: “Unpaid carers provide essential support to family, friends and neighbours. Their roles have been even more important during the pandemic, with many taking on additional tasks and facing higher costs of looking after people staying at home to prevent the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19).

“The Scottish Government is grateful to all carers for their dedication during this most difficult of times.

“We introduced the Carer’s Allowance Supplement in 2018 in recognition of the vital role unpaid carers play in our society, and because the UK Government’s Carer’s Allowance is the lowest of all working age benefits. The supplement, paid twice a year, is only available in Scotland and has already helped thousands of carers in recent years.

“Like we did last year, this December we want to provide a double supplement of £462.80 to support unpaid carers with the additional pressures they’ve experienced because of the pandemic. This will benefit carers on low incomes who already have some of the most intense caring roles. This financial assistance adds to the other ways we are helping unpaid carers, who can also access support through their local carer centres, such as information, advice, counselling and advocacy services.”

Paul Traynor, Head of External Affairs at Carers Trust Scotland, said: “There is significant evidence that unpaid caring impacts upon physical and mental health and this has been exacerbated by COVID-19, resulting in many unpaid carers having to significantly increase the hours of care they provide.

“This additional payment of Carer’s Allowance Supplement, which will provide additional financial support, has the potential to reduce some financial pressure and goes some way in continuing to recognise the immense contribution of unpaid carers in Scotland.”

Sebastian Fischer, VOCAL Chief Executive, said: “Unpaid carers have faced enormous challenges during the pandemic. They continue to prop up the health and social care sector and shoulder the impact of additional caring responsibilities through this difficult period.

“Creating measures of support which deliver real impact to carers’ daily lives is much needed. We believe the Carer’s Allowance Supplement is a positive step towards valuing the role of carers as equal partners in care and recognising their crucial contribution to Scotland’s economy.”

Winning SMEs to take the stage at national innovation summit

  • Three of Scotland’s most innovative SMEs secure a global audience at the CAN DO Innovation Summit with #SMEstage competition win
  • Further details of the Summit are released

Scotland’s CAN DO Innovation Summit takes place tomorrow and there’s still time to book your seat at the virtual event. The national event for innovation in business will be live from 8am on Wednesday 3 February.

The three winners of the competition, open to all small and medium sized Scottish businesses, were chosen from high-quality entrants who were asked to submit a short video demonstrating how they are building innovation into their daily practices.

The winners are rising stars from across Scotland – Edinburgh-based Scene Connect, Aberdeen-based Recycl8 and Edinburgh-based Space Intelligence. Getting a spot on the Summit’s SME stage gives the businesses exposure to a global online audience of over 800 investors, academics, entrepreneurs and innovators. 

The winners will also benefit from two days of support from an Innovation Specialist at Scottish Enterprise.

This year’s CAN DO Innovation Summit, a headline event of the VentureFest Scotland festival of innovation, has been carefully crafted to support Scottish SMEs to build innovation-led recovery, resilience and sustainable growth after recent national and global challenges. It will feature a speaker line-up of over 40 multi-sector SMEs and a range of innovation support agencies across 12 industry-led panel sessions. 

Panel discussions and live Q&A sessions will run throughout the day covering the following themes: Journey to a Sustainable Future; Recovery & Resilience; Workplace Culture; Advance manufacturing & Digitisation; MedTech/Health Innovation.

Speaker highlights on the day will include world class keynotes: Lolita Jackson, Special Advisor for Climate Policy and Programs, in New York City’s Mayor’s Office; Ivan McKee, the Scottish Minister for Trade, Investment and Innovation; Craig Foster, Art Director at Pixar Animation Studios; Chloe Demrovsky, the youngest and first female chief executive to oversee and expand the Disaster Recovery Institute’s international network; Dyan Finkhousen, founder and CEO of Shoshin Works in the US and John Reid, CEO of the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS).

It has never been more important for business to be agile and creative – and over 800 delegates have already signed up to this year’s event, from Scotland, the UK and beyond. They have given a range of reasons for getting involved, including aiming to make new connections; wanting to learn about progressive workplace practices and hoping to learn how new technologies can help them tackle business challenges. 

Enabling connections is a key objective of the Summit, at a time when networking can be difficult in a virtual world. With multiple opportunities to connect with new people, share knowledge and ideas and explore opportunities for partnership, the Summit makes it easier than ever to spark new connections online.

Delegates can meet innovation leaders, support agencies, investors, entrepreneurs and academics through live Q&As, speed networking, 1:1s in the Delegate Hub, drop-in sessions and the Summit’s virtual Support Village.

Dr Laura Bell of the CAN DO Innovation Summit, said: “Recent events have created huge challenges for SMEs, who will now be critical to tackling the economic and societal challenges we are facing. This year’s Summit has been carefully crafted to help SMEs explore opportunities to develop new and better business models and to drive sustainable competitive advantage. 

“Our virtual focal point for business will help SMEs adopt new technologies, build progressive working cultures and access the right support for innovation-led recovery and growth. We have a wide selection of world-leading experts and local talent lined up to speak at the event, as well as interactive sessions which can benefit SMEs across all sectors.

“I’d also like to thank our panel of judges for selecting three excellent winners to take their well-earned place in the spotlight at the Summit on the #SMEstage. We look forward to welcoming many more SMEs on 3 February.”

The #SMEstage competition winners were selected by an independent panel of judges made up of senior representatives from Scottish EDGE, Innovate UK and Scottish Enterprise.

The winners will have their moment in the spotlight at the Summit at 3.45pm when they will showcase how they are building innovation into their daily practices.

Evelyn McDonald said: “Judging the #SMEstage competition was a great way to start the year as it reminded us all that despite the challenges we are currently facing there are a wealth of entrepreneurs and businesses in Scotland creating new technologies to enable innovation led recovery and growth. 

“Winning the competition will give the businesses access to a wide audience which will hopefully bring useful connections and support as well as linking them into invaluable support from Scottish Enterprise.”

This is the second Summit, following a successful inaugural event in Glasgow, and is the first time it has been held virtually.

For more information on the event please visit: www.candoinnovation.scot

Delegates can register for free here: 

https://www.registerforevent.co.uk/candoinnovationsummit/

Covid-19 makes improving Scotland’s economy almost four times harder

 Dundee faces the biggest challenge in Scotland

  • Glasgow also faces a big challenge.
  • Better adult education, transport investment and improvements to Scotland’s urban centres needed.

Covid-19’s economic damage makes the task of improving Scotland’s economy and spreading prosperity almost four times harder according to Centre for Cities’ annual study of the UK’s major urban areas – Cities Outlook 2021.

30,900 people in Scotland’s largest cities now need to find secure, well-paid jobs to rebuild and improve the economy – compared to 8,600 last March.

 In Scotland, Dundee faces he biggest challenge, followed closely by Glasgow.

Scottish cities facing the biggest economic challenges post-Covid
RankCityPercentage point reduction in unemployment to rebuild and improve the economy
1Dundee4.1
2Glasgow4.1
3Aberdeen3.4
4Edinburgh3.0
Source: ONS, Claimant count 2020, population estimates 2019.

In addition to hitting some Scottish cities and the rest of the UK as a whole badly, Covid-19 has also hit many previously prosperous places such as Edinburgh, Aberdeen and London disproportionately hard.

The Government must act fast to prevent a levelling down of these places that the whole UK depends on to create jobs and fund public services.

The UK and Scottish Governments should announce how they will use their respective powers to deal with Covid-19’s short-term damage to cities and large towns. The plans should include:

  • Making permanent the £20 rise in Universal Credit.
  • Supporting jobless people to find new good jobs.
  • Consider the merits of a renewed Eat Out to Help Out scheme for hospitality and non-online retailers once it is safe.

Acting to prevent further economic damage by Covid-19 is not the same as levelling up. Once the health crisis ends, the Scottish Government will need to spend additional money on further measures to level up, including:

  • Further education to train jobless people for good roles in emerging industries.
  • Making city centres better places for high-skilled businesses to locate.
  • Improvements to transport infrastructure in city-regions.

Centre for Cities Chief Executive Andrew Carter said:  “Covid-19 has made the task of improving Scotland’s economy and spreading prosperity around its cities and towns much harder.

“Rebuilding and strengthening the economy of Scotland and its cities will not be cheap and will require more than short-term handouts. Government support and investment for new businesses in emerging industries will be essential, as will spending on further education to train people to do the good-quality jobs created.”

James graduates with distinction – the hard way

MBA journey included two redundancies and serious illness in the family

Determined James Homan was awarded a degree with distinction after an extraordinary journey which saw him twice made redundant and his wife diagnosed with cancer.

The dedicated student and dad-of-two refused to give up on his Master of Business Administration dream despite having to juggle his academic work and family challenges with living in Edinburgh and having demanding jobs in Dubai and London.

James collected his MBA this week – one of hundreds of Edinburgh Napier students to graduate after completing their final year during a global pandemic. He is still searching for work and his wife is undergoing chemotherapy, but he spoke today of his pride in securing an impressive degree in difficult circumstances. 

Sales and marketing executive James, 44, from Currie, had no idea of the obstacles which lay in wait when he set out on his online MBA in January 2018. Even though he lived in Edinburgh, he opted for distance learning due to work and family commitments.

However, just one month later, James – who is married to Lindsey, 48, and has two daughters, Olivia, 14, and Ruby, 11 – had to rethink his plans after losing his job in the capital.

He found new employment within weeks in the shape of a contract role in Dubai. Leaving his family in Edinburgh, he jetted out to the Emirate, landing in Dubai at 7.30am and starting his new job two hours later.

It was an extremely demanding job – long hours, big budgets, more than 120 staff and on call seven days a week – and his MBA work and visits home had to be crammed into any spare time he could find.

James said: “The job also involved plenty of travel around the Middle East and over to Africa. I remember sitting in Lagos airport completing one of my module assessments.”

The contract ended in August last year and he was able to return to Edinburgh to family life and some study at Edinburgh Napier’s Craiglockhart campus, but by December he was on his travels again after being offered a job based in central London.

James settled into a life of London during the week and Edinburgh at weekends, the carriages of the Edinburgh-King’s Cross service becoming his new study area.  Then came Covid-19 and lockdown, followed three months later by James being placed on furlough.

The anxiety didn’t end there though.  James said: “In June this year, my wife was diagnosed with breast cancer, which knocked us all sideways.  It was time to take stock and focus on what was important in life, which perhaps meant putting the final part of my MBA – the research project – on hold.

“After liaising with my wife, my tutor and even my kids, and after very careful deliberation, we decided I should continue the project, push through and hit the August deadline. As long as I could provide my wife and family with the necessary emotional support and be able to focus there was no reason to put the project on hold.”

James did push on and hit his deadline – but not without the added stressful complication of again being made redundant.

He said: “The decision had been made though, and with continued academic support from my tutor and emotional reinforcement from my wife, despite her condition and regular visits to the hospital to begin chemotherapy, I completed the project in August.”

James concluded: “My 32-month MBA journey has had its twists and turns, but despite being placed on furlough, made redundant twice, moving abroad and moving back and my wife being diagnosed with cancer and starting her treatment, I managed to obtain a distinction as my final mark.

“I guess undertaking a tough academic programme such as an MBA and expecting a smooth passage throughout would be naïve. Maybe the elements of adversity that popped up throughout the course actually helped me focus more. Whatever the case, I feel proud to have achieved my final mark which I could not have done without my family’s love, tolerance and support throughout.”

His wife Lindsey added: “He always made me smile because mid-way through each module he would complain that it was the hardest unit he had done yet – no matter what the subject was – yet every time he would pull it out of the bag and he managed to achieve an overall distinction.

“Through sheer determination and hard work he did it, and we’re so proud of him.”

Anna MacVicar, James’s MBA dissertation supervisor at the University, said: “James was always a highly motivated, focussed dissertation student.  I would have completely understood if he had wanted to pause his efforts and told him so, but I also reassured him that I was sure he could pass.

“I was absolutely delighted when his work achieved distinction level.”

Pictures: Allan Shedlock

City council wants your help to set it’s budget

When: Wednesday 21 August at 6pm 

Where: Craigroyston Community High School, 67 Pennywell Road

Sign up and join us for a cup of tea, a bite to eat and a chat with people in your area. We want to understand what services you use and value to help us spend and save in the right areas.

Help us shape your city’s budget and register for the session at edinburgh.gov.uk/change

How would you spend £1 billion?  What Council services would you prioritise where you live and citywide? This sounds like a lot of money, but it has to go a long way to meet the needs of our growing population. We want to provide the best services we can with the limited resources we have.

The Council are hosting open sessions where citizens will be invited to take part in group discussions with other people in your area, designed to raise awareness of where the Council invests its resources now.

So, what do you think we can do differently? What services are used and valued by you, your family, your community and fellow Edinburgh residents?

If you are interested in having a cuppa and a bite to eat with people in your area, and giving us your views about the future of Council services, please register using the link below.

Please note, spaces are limited and will be allocated on a first come first served basis.

Holyrood: Industry leaders must ‘take ownership’ in tackling construction challenges

Industry leaders should ‘take ownership’ when it comes to tackling longstanding challenges within the construction industry MSPs on the Economy, Energy and Fair Work Committee said today.

The call comes as a result of the Committee’s inquiry into Scotland’s construction sector. Continue reading Holyrood: Industry leaders must ‘take ownership’ in tackling construction challenges