National Apprenticeship Week is a great time to celebrate apprenticeships and the huge benefits they bring for both employee and employer, not least because they are also a key driver of social mobility - crucial for delivering opportunity and boosting productivity and growth.

As election day in Britain draws ever closer and Labour’s lead shows no sign yet of weakening, the political forecasting industry is switching from debating whether Labour will win to the size of the incoming Labour government’s majority.

As Britain gears up for a general election later this year, recent polling by YouGov - released this week - shows a dramatic lead for the Labour Party, projecting a victory reminiscent of the 1997 landslide.

In the five years I’ve had the privilege of writing a monthly Saturday column, Britain has gone through huge change. When I first wrote we were entering what would be the dog-days of Theresa May’s turbulent premiership. Buffeted by Brexit winds, they ultimately caused her downfall.

Mandatory socioeconomic tracking and legislation on socioeconomic discrimination are key to making genuine progress on social mobility and ensuring that career opportunities are accessible to everyone.

The Purpose Coalition is proud to announce the shortlist of winners for the Purpose Coalition Awards 2023, Breaking Down Barriers, partnered with Sodexo.

An insight into how organisations can track their progress on social impact was published yesterday with the launch of Aldermore Group’s second Report to Society at a roundtable in the House of Commons.

UK Government Minister for Scotland John Lamont visited the headquarters of SMS plc in Glasgow to meet employees and apprentices and hear more about the company’s work to drive forward the UK’s Net-Zero agenda. 

A groundbreaking report which assesses students’ basic needs was launched today at an event hosted by Staffordshire University and the Purpose Coalition on the first day of the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt, has today met with Clive Higgins of Leonardo UK - a leading Purpose Coalition Member - alongside former Education Secretary Rt Hon Justine Greening, and former Skills Minister Rt Hon Anne Milton to discuss and explore reform to the apprenticeship levy.

Sir Keir Starmer may have pulled one or two punches by leaving all the biggest jobs in his Shadow Cabinet

unchanged, but the significance of the changes he has made to several mid-level roles should not be underestimated.

An estimated 340,000 people died whilst on a waiting list in 2022, compared to 240,000 in 2017 - a 42 per cent rise, which represents more than 60 per cent of all deaths in England. 

We all have a stake in fixing the regional and class-driven disadvantage that the exam results expose

While we see daily reports of the challenges that many people are continuing to face as they struggle with the cost of living, a slew of headlines is fast approaching on the huge profits that many of the UK’s biggest businesses are set about to announce.

Whilst many expected this week’s trio of by-elections to result in wipeout for Rishi Sunak and the Conservative Party, the results gave the leaders of each of England’s three main party leaders cause for hope ahead of the next general election.

Where exactly is the Conservative Party going? After this week’s by-election results, the flippant answer could be “into Opposition after the next General Election”. But in reality it feels like a much more fundamental question for the governing party.

Amidst the beauty of places like Devon and Cornwall, a pressing issue affects the people who form the backbone of these local economies.

Justine Greening interviews Sean Haley, CEO of Sodexo UK & Ireland.

The urgent need to level up the most disadvantaged areas of the country, particularly targeting women experiencing inequality, was highlighted by new research which shows that in 2021, a woman in the North East of England was 1.7 times more likely to die early as a result of suicide, addiction or murder by a partner or family member than the rest of England and Wales, an increase of 15 per cent since 2018.

The NHS is 75 years old this week and we should take a moment to think of all those who have worked in it in the past, and those that still work there today.