Tag: competition

Competition to put girls at core of new generation of investors

Future Asset aims to boost number of women in investment management 

An educational initiative encouraging schoolgirls to become the next generation of investment experts gets out of the starting blocks next month.   

This year’s Growing Future Assets Competition, which aims to introduce senior girls to the world of investment, its impact and range of careers, begins on 6 September when teenagers from all over Scotland will vie to spot the next big investment opportunity.  

Financial educators Future Asset are challenging teams of 14-18-year-olds to research, analyse and pitch a company they think will be a great long-term investment.  

They will be paired with a mentor from an investment management company who will provide advice, inspiration and career insights, and have the chance to attend online masterclasses as they develop an understanding that good investing focuses on a company’s long-term prospects, profits and sustainability.  

They will also be advised by Executive and Voice Coach Susan Room, to help them feel, look and sound more confident and hear from author, broadcaster and financial journalist Iona Bain on how the younger generation can invest their way to a better future.  

At the same time they’ll hone transferable skills including research, analysis, communication, numeracy, working with others and presentation skills.     

Now in its second year, the competition is divided into a senior contest for years S5 and S6 and a junior challenge for S3 and S4.

The teams of three to six girls will present their case in a research report and three-minute elevator pitch by 30 November. The top teams will then deliver an extended pitch to judges at the final in March next year.  

At stake is: £1,000 for the winning senior team and £200-worth of vouchers of the students’ choice for each team member; £800 for the best junior team and £150-worth of vouchers each.  Senior and junior runners-up will also receive prizes for the school and team members.   

Helen Bradley, Future Asset programme manager, says: “Winning is wonderful but the real bonus of this sort of initiative is the wealth of additional skills and experience that it gives these young women and the window it opens onto a career they may never have considered.  

“Earlier this year an investment research firm reported that more UK investment funds were run by men called Dave or David than by female managers! Future Asset is aiming to change that and this competition is a tremendous opportunity to open up a new era in female-led investment.  

“We’re also very much aware that face-to-face work experience has been off the agenda for the last 18 months so we see this as a valuable chance to bring the world of work into school in a novel way.”  

Future Asset believes that being female should never be seen as a barrier to progressing in a chosen career. Their goal is to enable girls in the senior phase of high school to learn how investment can change the world for the better, gain valuable, transferable skills and consider the benefits of possible future careers. They organise conferences and workshops for girls across Scotland.

For more information visit https://www.futureasset.org.uk/   

Future Asset is sponsored by Baillie Gifford, Stewart Investors and Walter Scott and Partners. They are also backed by Member firms who provide volunteers and mentors, supporting the programme to engage and enthuse girls and increase gender diversity in investment management.  

FCA acts to protect insurance customers from loyalty penalties

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has implemented a package of remedies to improve competition and protect home and motor insurance customers from loyalty penalties. This includes new rules so that renewal quotes for home and motor insurance consumers are not more expensive than they would be for new customers.

These measures address the issues identified in the FCA’s September 2020 market study, which found that millions of home and motor insurance customers lose out if they renew repeatedly with their current providers.

In 2018, 6 million loyal policy holders would have saved £1.2 billion had they paid the average price for their actual risk.

Many firms increase prices for existing customers each year at renewal – this is known as price walking. This means that consumers have to shop around and switch every year to avoid paying higher prices for being loyal.

It also distorts the way the market works for everyone.  Many firms offer below-cost prices to attract new customers. They also use sophisticated processes to target the best deals at customers who they think will not switch in the future and will therefore pay more.

The FCA’s new rules will stop firms price walking. Insurers will be required to offer renewing customers a price that is no higher than they would pay as a new customer. It is likely that firms will no longer offer unsustainably low-priced deals to some customers. However, the FCA estimates that these measures will save consumers £4.2 billion over 10 years, by removing the loyalty penalty and making the market work better.

In addition to the new rules on pricing for home and motor insurance, the FCA is also bringing in new rules to:

  • give most consumers easier methods of cancelling the automatic renewal of their policy, 
  • require insurance firms to do more to consider how they offer fair value to their customers, and 
  • require home and motor insurance firms to report data to the FCA so that it can supervise the market more effectively 

Sheldon Mills, Executive Director, Consumers and Competition at the FCA commented on the new rules: ‘These measures will put an end to the very high prices paid by many loyal customers. Consumers can still benefit from shopping around or negotiating with their current provider – but won’t be charged more at renewal just for being an existing customer.

‘We are making the insurance market work better for millions of people. We will be watching closely to see how the market develops in the future and to ensure firms continue to deliver fairer value to consumers.’

The pricing, auto-renewal and data reporting remedies come into effect on 1 January 2022. The rules on systems and controls, product governance and premium finance take effect from the end of September 2021.

Alongside today’s Policy Statement, the FCA has also published research on how incentives affect consumers’ choices, focusing on purchases of motor and home insurance made through price comparison websites. The research was undertaken to inform our approach to the new pricing rules.

The FCA will continue to monitor the market closely to ensure firms are ready to implement the pricing changes on time. The FCA will also review the effects of the remedies over the course of 2022, ahead of a full evaluation in early 2024.

Welcoming the announcement Gareth Shaw, Head of Money at Which?, said: “For far too long, insurance companies have employed sharp pricing tactics to lure in customers before hitting them with eye-watering price hikes and exorbitant premiums, so it is right that measures will finally be introduced to help put an end to these unfair practices.

“It is vital that the regulator keeps a close eye on insurance firms to ensure they don’t find new ways to exploit customers and should be ready to take further action where necessary.

“Greater transparency is still needed on what factors insurance firms are using to set prices and the FCA should carry out further work looking at whether there are other practices firms should be prohibited from using.”

National competition offers £5000 prize to tradespeople hiring an apprentice

 National Apprenticeship Week: One in five tradespeople consider apprentices more important than ever despite Covid-19 decline 

  • Over a fifth of companies that regularly hire apprentices took on fewer in 2020 
  • A quarter of tradespeople and companies plan on hiring new apprentices in 2021 
  • Percentage of female, BAME and apprentices with learning difficulties continues to grow year on year
  • IronmongeryDirect launch competition to win £5,000 towards funding an apprentice 

A third of companies and tradespeople (31%)1 who regularly hire apprentices feel that the programme has been made harder due to the pandemic, as new ONS figures2 show a 30% drop in new construction apprentices between August and October 2020, compared to the same period the previous year. 

Demonstrating the effect of Covid-19 on the scheme, more than one in five (22%) companies that usually hire apprentices took on fewer in 2020, despite a fifth (19%) of tradespeople believing that the program is more important now than ever. 

Commissioned by IronmongeryDirect, the UK’s largest supplier of specialist ironmongery, in the run up to National Apprenticeship Week (8th to 14th February), the study also reveals that one in 12 tradespeople (8%) believe that the government has not done enough to support apprentices throughout the pandemic. 

Looking at the year ahead, the positive news is that a quarter (23%) of businesses and tradespeople plan to bring on apprentices in 2021. Building surveyors (34%) and electricians (28%) are the most likely trades to be looking for apprentices this year, while painter/decorators and landscapers are least likely (15% and 5%, respectively). 

Men in the industry are more likely than women to think that an apprenticeship is a great way for people to learn skills (31% vs 23%). Contrastingly however, it is tradeswomen and female-led companies that are most likely to be looking for an apprentice in the year ahead, with a quarter of women (25%) planning to hire a trainee compared to only one in five tradesmen (20%). 

According to the Office of National Statistics, female apprentices in construction are also on the rise, increasing by 19% in the 2019/20 academic year compared to the previous 12 months.

This represents a much larger trend in growth as there are a huge 333% more female construction trainees than in 2014/2015. So far in the 2020/2021 academic year, the percentage of female new starters has increased to 9%, suggesting that this growth is set to continue. 

The statistics also reveal a changing story for apprentices of colour. While BAME apprentices made up only 6% of new construction apprentices in 2019/2020, this represents a 16% increase to the previous year and an 82% rise since 2014/2015. What’s more, despite the challenges of the Coronavirus pandemic, the proportion of BAME trainees continues to grow as they make up 8% of new starters so far this academic year. 

The proportion of new apprentices with learning difficulties is also on the increase, making up 14% of the 2019/2020 intake. This is a 53% increase from 2014/15. This trend seems set to continue as 16% of the 2020/2021 year’s new starters so far have learning difficulties. 

Commenting on the research, Marco Verdonkschot, Managing Director at IronmongeryDirect, said: “It’s great to see many tradespeople and companies are still looking to make use of the apprenticeship program, despite the difficulty of the past year.  

“We think the apprenticeship scheme is an amazing way to help shape the next generation of tradespeople. That’s why we’ve launched a competition for a UK based tradesperson or company to win £5,000 towards funding an apprentice.”   

“There are so many people who do amazing work in the industry today who started out as apprentices, so it’s important that the program continues to be well-funded. More needs to be done to support apprentices throughout this pandemic to ensure that we continue to have great talent in the future, and we wanted to do our bit to help!” 

To enter the competition or learn more about this research, visit: 

https://www.ironmongerydirect.co.uk/blog/apprenticeships-and-covid-19-looking-ahead-to-2021

Greenpeace launches Edinburgh Art and Photography Competition

Edinburgh Pupils Celebrate Low Traffic Initiatives

We are asking Edinburgh pupils from 5 to 18 years to take part in our local Greenpeace competition to show Edinburgh councillors how much they love green accessible spaces and what they think the future of active travel should look like.

The Greenpeace Art and Photography Competition runs until 13th February. Posters and photographs should be emailed to greenpeace-edinburgh@live.co.uk.

This competition gives younger generations the chance to have their voices heard and celebrate what they like about the changes made so far.

Categories are age appropriate and entries will be judged by Councillors on the Transport and Environment Committee alongside local artists and representatives from cycling and wheeling organisations in Edinburgh.  The winning pictures will be used in future Greenpeace campaigns to highlight local transport improvements.

Full details are available on the Edinburgh Greenpeace Facebook events page at https://tinyurl.com/y35oyzls.

When – now until 13/02/2021 – pictures can be submitted until February 13th, 8pm

Where – Online – Posters and photographs should be emailed to greenpeace-edinburgh@live.co.uk

Why – Transport is the UK’s single largest source of greenhouse gas emissions. Greenpeace Edinburgh Local Group is calling on the local council and the Government to invest more money into walking, cycling and green public transport, rather than building new roads. 

The pandemic has helped us to appreciate our city with less cars on the streets and the corresponding reduction in noise, air pollution, or danger to cyclists and pedestrians. We want children to engage with this important topic as it will shape their future living spaces. 

During February half-term, we are hosting an art competition to celebrate our existing low traffic neighbourhoods, cycling paths and other active travel infrastructure. Pupils are asked to submit their ideas, solutions, or simply their favourite active-travel locations as a photo or in form of a poster.

Get in touch – greenpeace-edinburgh@live.co.uk

More information is available on the Edinburgh Greenpeace Facebook events page at https://tinyurl.com/y35oyzls

National competition launches to improve maths skills during Maths Week Scotland

Prizes to be awarded to winners in each category

To celebrate Maths Week Scotland, 28th September to the 4th October , students across Scotland will be competing in the M-Fluencer Maths Week Quest learning challenge to boost engagement in maths, improve attainment and win prizes for their school.

Now open for entries for schools with students from any year group, ranging from Reception to S6. Participants will be tasked with completing a series of online maths challenges, with each challenge adding to the school’s total score. Amazon vouchers and digital certificates will be awarded to the top 10 schools. 

All learning activities included in the competition are aligned to Scotland’s Curriculum for Excellence and support the Government’s commitment to ‘making maths count’; an initiative that is becoming increasingly important to increase Scotland’s maths attainment.

The competition, run by maths mastery resource provider Mangahigh, is open to all schools across Scotland, both existing users and non-users. From 28th September all schools registered for the competition can access Mangahigh math’s resource free of charge. 

Mohit Midha, CEO and co-founder of Mangahigh, said, “Each student from early years to upper secondary school age can take part free of charge. The maths activities on Mangahigh are designed in a fun ‘game’ format to really engage the students and encourage them to return for more while developing their conceptual knowledge of key maths topics.”

For full prize details and to register for entry free of charge, teachers and schools should visit:https://www.mangahigh.com/en-gb/competitions/maths-week-scotland

Could Claire Sweeney find an unsung hero in North Edinburgh?

Bingo fans reveal that their living rooms are in biggest need of a revamp

Lots of things have gone on hold this year, and despite spending more time at home, investing in revamping the house hasn’t made it to the top of the list for most people.

A poll in the meccabingo.com chat rooms last month revealed that 38%* desperately want to give their living room a makeover, with the sofa being the item that people want to replace the most.

And because it’s been a pretty tough year all round, the team at Meccabingo.com have teamed up with TV favourite Claire Sweeney to find the most deserving person in the country – and they could be coming to your town!  The prize will be for a real unsung hero – a life changing home makeover worth over £20,000.

Mecca and Claire will be scouring the land this month, asking people to nominate their unsung hero – someone who’s done something remarkable this year – whether that’s helping out in the community, raising money for a charity or being one of our much loved key workers – it could be anything.

All you have to do is head to Meccabingo.com and follow the instructions. Upload a video that’s 60 seconds long or less and at the end of September a shortlist of nominees will be announced.  A few days later, the unsung hero will be crowned and told about their amazing prize.

By Christmas, they’ll have a beautiful new lounge to chill out in, a dining area to enjoy meals together in and bedroom to get a good night’s sleep in. But who will win?

Do you know and unsung hero?  If so, get nominating now!

Visit www.meccabingo.com and follow the link.

Meet The DunBear

A pupil from Dunbar school has won the competition to name the sculpture of the bear, which forms part of the mixed-use Hallhill Development at Dunbar in East Lothian.

The bear is a five-metre high steel sculpture created by renowned Scottish artist Andy Scott (also creator of the much loved ‘Kelpies’).

Emily Hotchkiss, from S5 at Dunbar Grammar School, was awarded the prize after her bear name “The DunBear” was chosen.  One of Emily’s prizes was a picture of the bear signed by Andy.

Following the recent unveiling of the Dunbar bear in November, a competition was held with students from Belhaven Hill School, Dunbar Primary and Grammar to name the bear. The winner was chosen from nearly 3,000 entries.

The Dunbar bear sculpture, located off the A1 in close proximity to the Spott roundabout at Dunbar, represents the legacy of one of East Lothian’s most famous sons, John Muir.

John Muir, born in Dunbar in 1838, played a key role in the development of America’s national parks. He emigrated from Scotland in 1849 and is famous for petitioning the U.S. Congress for the National Park bill, establishing Yosemite National Park. The bear is symbolic of John Muir’s travels through the far-off wilderness of America’s west, in the Rockies and his advocacy for National Parks.

The sculpture forms part of the mixed-use Hallhill development, which started on site in 1999. It has already delivered sports facilities, 56 acres of community woodland together with 1,200 homes including over 200 affordable family homes with approximately 320 currently under development, as well as school provision and commercial and retail outlets.

“The DunBear” took the prize after students from Belhaven Hill School, Dunbar Primary and Grammar entered their own names to the competition. The top 10 names from each school were then selected by the head teacher and passed onto the prefects of the school to narrow down the selection.

The final name was chosen by Andy Scott and stakeholders from Hallhill Developments, who commissioned the piece.

Ken Ross, from Hallhill Developments, said: “I’m absolutely thrilled and would like to congratulate Emily Hotchkiss on her name for the bear. Every entry represented real enthusiasm for the project and, at the end of the day, community, history and talent is what this unveiling has been about. 

“The DunBear celebrates the incredible legacy left behind by John Muir. His advocacy for national parks and the environment in general is a lesson to us all that we must do what we can to protect our precious environment.

“Going forward, we hope that many more children, young people and adults alike take an interest, visit and take an interest in ‘The DunBear’.”

Pictures: Colin Hattersley

Youth rugby team scores prize fit for Pro’s

Ardrossan Accies under 16s won a rare opportunity to spend a day in the shoes of their sporting idols thanks to Courtyard by Marriott Edinburgh West and Oriam.

The four-star hotel, situated on Heriot-Watt University campus, joined forces with Oriam, Scotland’s national performance centre for sport, to offer one lucky team a money-can’t-buy training day – and the Ayrshire youngsters recently redeemed their prize.

The 16 boys spent 24 hours in the life of a professional player, which included a two-hour training session in world class facilities coached by Scottish Rugby Union professional Gavin Scott.

Following the high-octane training at Oriam, they relaxed in the hotel’s Heriot suite – often used by national visiting teams. The suite was kitted out with sofas, an Xbox, projector screen, table tennis table, arcade machine and lots more.

All players were given the VIP treatment including protein-rich lunch, dinner and snacks at The Avenue Lounge & Dining within Courtyard by Marriott Edinburgh West. They then enjoyed an overnight stay within the large, bespoke designed team bedrooms with breakfast before check out.

Team Manager Ali Cairns said: “I entered on behalf of the boys, I think they’re a special group and really deserved an opportunity to be treated like professional players. The team is embedded in the local area and is always looking at ways to help others – it was great to give something back to them.”

Comments from the team throughout their VIP day included; ‘wow’, ‘best experience ever’, ‘superb training session’, ‘I wish my bedroom at home looked like this’ and ‘if this is what winning gets you, I want to win more often’.

Ali added: “For me, it was amazing to see the boys being spoiled. The hotel team made every one of them feel special and the Oriam experience was superb thanks to our coach for the afternoon, Gav Scott.”

Will Macpherson, General Manager at Courtyard by Marriott Edinburgh West, said: “With world class sporting facilities next door, we regularly accommodate sports teams and travelling athletes in our custom designed guestrooms. We wanted to offer a youth team the opportunity to train like a pro and spend a day in the shoes of their sporting heroes.

“Our competition asked amateur teams to apply with an email explaining why their team should have this ‘professional athlete experience’ and the application from Ardrossan stood out to us. We’re delighted Ardrossan Accies had such a great experience with us – we hope they’ve been inspired and we wish them the best of luck for their future sporting careers.”

Courtyard by Marriott Edinburgh West is operated by RBH, the UK’s leading independent hotel management company.

www.rbhmanagement.com

Edinburgh students urged to take on the £10,000 Amazon Campus Challenge

Amazon has announced the launch of its new Campus Challenge competition and is encouraging students in Edinburgh to sign up for the programme to be in with the chance of winning up to £10,000 for their team. Continue reading Edinburgh students urged to take on the £10,000 Amazon Campus Challenge