Theo Paphitis says 'I'm in' for Apprentices With 'National Apprenticeship Week 2012' next week, Theo Paphitis, former apprentice and retail expert, is calling on UK companies to continue to invest in apprenticeships and training despite the economic slump.

Ben & Jerry’s launch competition to find socially responsible start ups Ben & Jerry’s are calling for socially responsible entrepreneurs to make themselves known for their latest competition, Join Our Core, which encourages entrants to put their business ideas forward for the chance to scoop a €10,000 cash prize, mentoring and the opportunity to see their name on tubs of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream.

Businesses are feeling neglected by the energy industry Nearly half of UK medium-sized businesses do not believe current energy products meet their needs, yet energy is ranked as the second highest risk they face.

Workplace stress hits four-year high Workplace stress is at a four-year high, according to a new report which reveals that 35 percent of UK employees are now experiencing an unreasonable level of stress at work.

Time Out expands online portfolio with Whatsonstage.com Time Out Group, the leading source of information for arts and entertainment, has acquired Whatsonstage.com

Insolvent businesses can be resurrected to make great businesses The unfortunately high number of small companies that are currently becoming insolvent can present excellent business opportunities for others and also help save jobs and help recover supply chain debts.

Freelancer.com becomes the worlds largest outsourcing marketplace Freelancer.com have announced today that it has rocketed through 2,000 projects posted and 3,000 new user registrations per day to become the world's largest outsourcing marketplace.

Salisbury heads UK economy buoyed by growth in high-tech SMEs Despite the current uncertain financial future, data published today is revealing today that 40 per cent more SMEs are accessing high-speed business broadband connections and next generation applications such as the cloud in the last 12 months alone.

Lord Sugar & Hilary Devey top list of most searched directors New analysis released by Creditsafe reveals that Lord Sugar has been named as the most searched for company director in the past twelve months.

Grasp the web for your business with British Library's Web in Feb Over 41m people in the UK are online and over 70% have bought online. With so many SMEs struggling to capitalise on the online market The British Library Business & IP Centre has put together a series of workshops called 'Web in Feb' to help businesses harness the power of the web to grow their businesses.

Rise of the partypreneur: Middletons spark huge boost to event businesses The Duchess of Cambridge's family have helped inspire a new breed of partypreneur research suggests, with the Middleton's party business reportedly earning them a handsome sum, thousands of Brits have been striving to emulate their success.

Optimism low as redundancies & skills shortages top concerns for 2012 Nearly half of UK managers are expecting further redundancies in 2012, and over a third of managers feel insecure in their jobs, with over half surveyed felt that they would be unlikely to get another job if they were to be made redundant. according to the annual end of year research from the Chartered Management Institute (CMI).

Henley Business School identifies a new breed of small British Business This new breed of small British business, dubbed TOTs - Twelve month old, Optimistic and Technologically-minded - by the Henley Business School, could add £360 million to the UK economy and create over 70,000 new jobs over the next 12 months it is claimed.

New Intellectual Property Attaché in China will support UK businesses The UK’s first ever Intellectual Property (IP) Attaché has been appointed and will start work in China on 14 December. The position is an important part of the Government’s plans to strengthen trade relations and unlock the growth potential of UK businesses abroad.

The entrepreneurial journey is tough, so accept support when available Working 12 hour days, six days a week, becoming an entrepreneur means turning your job into your whole life, but loving every minute. Since its launch in 2009, the PoolMate has positioned itself at the forefront of a wave of innovations in performance-enhancing athletics technology, across over 60 countries. Lisa Irlam, (pictured centre) founder of Swimovate and creator of the PoolMate, discusses her inspirations and challenges and gives practical advice to aspiring entrepreneurs.

Bosses value experience over qualifications Research has revealed that when considering hiring a new member of staff, small businesses across the UK value experience over qualifications. The study also found that interviewers value ‘cleanliness’ more so than ‘politeness’.

The traditional face-to-face business networking model is dead Traditional networking is no longer sufficient for SME’s as gone are the days of ‘pressing flesh’ in the hope of reciprocal business months down the line.

Entrepreneur offers employment ‘leg-up’ to 50 unemployed self-starters The news that one million 16-24 year olds are now unemployed has prompted serial entrepreneur Lyndon Wood to propose a solution to the problem, backed by the firm offer to provide jobs for a minimum of 50 people.

Plumber named Britain’s best entrepreneur in Pitch 2011 final The creator of an ingenious way to deal with burst pipes took to the dancefloor with four other entrepreneurs and emerged victorious in Britain’s biggest business pitching contest.

Campaign to help businesses work with social enterprises launched In the current economic climate, some businesses have been forced to realign their strategy to the detriment of their corporate social responsibility objectives. In response, the Social Enterprise Mark Company has launching its first national campaign, 50 in 250, designed to support businesses’ use of certified social enterprises within their supply chains, and in the process dramatically improve the benefit they deliver to communities.