North East-based training provider NC Group recently announced it secured formal approval from Pearson, the UK’s leading awarding body, to deliver Level 4 Higher National Certificates (HNCs) and Higher National Diplomas (HNDs) in Engineering, making it one of a select group of independent training providers in the UK with this status. It is now pleased to welcome twelve learners from global to regional employers, including 3M, Katmex, Ineos, Harrison Packaging, Ricor North East, Hydram, Pragmatic Maintenance & Reliability, and the Invest People Group. “We’re delighted to see such strong demand for the HNC in Engineering,” said Liam Noble, Managing Director…

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are facing a paradox: they must operate with agility and speed yet remain vigilant in the face of growing regulatory scrutiny and cybersecurity threats. For many, compliance feels like a burden. An obligation that diverts time and resources from growth. But what if the very tools used to meet compliance requirements could also become strategic assets? Marcin Pichur, Regional Vice President Sales (UK, Spain, Italy, Poland), DocuWare, explores further. One such tool, often overlooked and underutilised, is the audit trail. From back office to frontline defence Traditionally seen as a backend feature tucked away in…

Creative Nature CEO Julianne Ponan MBE wins Business Woman of the Year at one of the UK’s most significant celebrations of women in business. The Enterprise Vision Awards are a national platform highlighting female entrepreneurship across many industries. The awards celebrate innovation, resilience, and the growing impact of women in business. This year, the award ceremony was hosted at the Blackpool Winter Gardens on Friday, 26th September, where the winners of 19 categories were announced. Julianne Ponan MBE, CEO of allergen-free food brand Creative Nature, was nominated in the highly competitive category of Business Woman of the Year, alongside six other entrepreneurs. Julianne was announced as the…

Hiring the right talent is never easy. Does the candidate have the right experience? Will they fit in with your team? Can they actually do the job, or just talk about doing it? It’s a tricky, time-consuming process, and it’s only getting harder in today’s labour market. Chris McNamara, Founder and CEO of PathwayCTM, provides some advice on how businesses can benefit from the value of an apprentice. Vacancies are rising, but so is competition for the best candidates. According to the Office for National Statistics [ONS], there were 2.2 unemployed people per vacancy between February and April 2025 –…

The days of the traditional career ladder may be numbered as Generation Z enters the workplace and quietly reshapes what “success at work” looks like. According to  a recent Harris Poll reported by Forbes, 57% of Gen Z workers maintain a side hustle. This is more than any generation before them: 48% of Millennials, 31% of Gen X, and just 21% of Boomers. Alastair Greener, a keynote speaker, podcast host and forthcoming author of Generationally Speaking – How to Bridge the Generation Gap and Communicate with Confidence, believes this marks a cultural shift in how young people think about work. “Gen…

The CEO of managed IT provider WestSpring IT, Emma Carter, has warned businesses across the region to act now or risk destruction – with the end of Microsoft’s Windows 10 looming. On Tuesday October 14, Microsoft will cease providing free security updates, technical assistance or feature updates for any organisations using Windows 10 software. Recently WestSpring IT has onboarded several new clients, some employing more than 100 staff, who didn’t even realise that next month they could be exposing their whole IT system to hackers and cyber criminals. “This is a serious risk for any company which has not heard…

Start-ups and SMEs can only succeed if supported by learned voices within the food and drink arena.  For all their outer confidence and ‘take on the world’ bravado, no-one under-estimates the multi-layered ‘plate spinning’ complexity a new entrant faces carving out a distinct niche and standing one’s ground in the face of fast response brand rivals and an ever-changing landscape. Against this backdrop it’s important to share a small yet pertinent tale of collaboration between a ‘young pup’ start-up and a ‘wise owl’ retailer, Holland & Barrett.  It’s all too easy to think of retailers & brand owners sitting on…

Sam Andrew reveals the psychological insights that help him hire wisely as a small business owner Neuropsychologist turned SME owner Sam Andrew shares the psychological red flags and green lights that can help small businesses hire with confidence Hiring choices make or break small businesses. SME owners know that recruitment isn’t simply about filling a vacancy. Each new hire has the potential to shake up everything from customer service to company culture and even the bottom line. The wrong decision can be costly, but the right one can be the start of something very special. That’s why bringing a psychological perspective to…

Lara Fox, Managing Director of Objective, shares her insights with SME Today on how automation has shifted from being the preserve of large corporations to becoming an essential growth tool for small and medium-sized businesses. Once seen as the domain of big companies with the budgets and resources to implement complex systems, automation is now both accessible and indispensable for SMEs looking to scale and compete. A recent PwC report highlights that by the end of 2025, almost half of business tasks will be automated. This staggering statistic presents both a challenge and an opportunity for SMEs. The challenge lies…

IW Capital, a leading investment house specialising in venture capital for dynamic UK SMEs, has invested £4m into Navigator. This fast-scaling digital advertising platform is redefining how brands reach millions of travelling consumers in a privacy-first world.  Global policymakers and consumers have woken up to the multi-decade abuse of personal data through third-party cookies by advertisers where personal information is covertly shared, analysed and monetised untraceably. Regulations are tightening and according to CookieYes, the cookie consent management platform, Europeans are the least likely to accept them at around 50%. For advertisers, this has meant rising customer acquisition costs and declining campaign performance.…