t2 business solutions blog

Former Wales Rugby Captains to Scale Kilimanjaro

An article on WalesOnline tells how fifteen former Wales rugby captains are to scale Mount Kilimanjaro next year in a bid to raise £1m for lung cancer research.

They will be accompanied by Welsh coach Warren Gatland in the most ambitious fundraising event ever organised in aid of the Stepping Stones appeal by Velindre Hospital in Cardiff.

Lung cancer is Wales biggest cancer killer and almost 2,000 people will be diagnosed every year.

Gareth Thomas, Ieuan Evans, Mark Taylor, Mike Hall, Bleddyn Bowen, Jonathan Davies, Rob Howley, Rob Jones, Jonathan Humphreys, Bob Norster, Eddie Butler and Colin Charvis will all make the five-day climb to the top of Africa’s highest mountain. Current captain, Ryan Jones, will act as a figurehead and chief whip for the event but is unable to take part because of playing commitments.

To support your favourite captain taking part in the Brains SA Captains Climb, visit www.justgiving.com/brainssacaptainsclimb

Copycat Chimpanzees?

After watching video demonstrations chimps build their own tools.

The animals were shown footage of a trained chimp combining two components to construct a tool that enabled it to reach a food reward.

When given the same two components, the chimps made their own tools and used them to drag over a tasty treat.

The chimps were then placed into 5 groups during the test each shown progressively less information with one group just shown the chimp eating the grape.

The set-up was then re-created for the groups to interact with.

Click here to see how they did and to read more about this study.

Welsh Man Attempts To Break World Record

Dale Taylor, from Caerphilly, Wales, is going to attempt to break a World record by almost half, starting this August.

Dale, who is a semi-professional rugby player, plans to walk around the world! The trip covers 18,000 miles, which he plans to complete in 800 days.

The current world record is held by David Kunst, who, in 1970 took four years and four months to complete the walk. 

 

The trip will cost Dale £8,000, based on £10 per day. He aims to raise £18,000 in total to cover travel costs and to donate £10,000 to the school where he works. Miles are being sold for £1 each and you can buy a mile for Dale at his website Toward the Sunrise.

 

Dale will have to walk through:

Wales, England, Netherlands, Germany, Czech Republic, Poland, Ukraine, Russia, Kazakahstan, Uzabekistan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Burma, Malaysia, Australia and the USA. The walk will require Dale to walk a marathon a day for over 2 years.

 

We wish Dale the best of luck and will be cheering him on to complete the task in the 800 days! Good luck Dale!

Unemployed Managers to Get Support from ILM

A free support package to help unemployed managers get back into the workplace has been launched by The Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM).

The ILM have said that the recession has hit managers hard in recent months, with unemployment in the rising. The scheme offers managers who have been made redundant six months free professional membership to the ILM.

This includes a number of measures aimed at helping people find work, including access to current vacancies through jobs boards, CV support and interview training. Also included is an online resource which features 42 learning modules on skills such as budgeting, negotiation and innovation.

Recent studies suggest that the number of people losing their jobs could be levelling off. The research also highlighted that prospects for managers and professionals in the UK are better than the global average.

For the full article, click here.

Ouch! by the BBC

Ouch! is a website that reflects on the lives and experiences of disabled people. Including blogs, podcasts, message boards and a downloadable radio show, Ouch! is aimed at those who deal with disabilities every day such as families, friends and, more importantly, disabled people themselves.

 

Read more about Ouch!

 

Ouch! is really into using humour positively so there’s plenty to chuckle at, in fact the Ouch! team are themselves disabled and make clear they never laugh at disabled people; they only laugh with them.

 

Artist Andre Jordan, using Ouch’s positive humour, often creates small simple doodles using humour to cover issues with disabilities in public areas to creating his own Motley Zoo of disabled animals. Click here

 

Example of Andre's work - Motley Zoo - The Owl

2 Million People Unemployed

An article on ILM explains how unemployment has broken the 2 million barrier for the first time in more than a decade.

The Office for National Statistics revealed that the number of people out of work during the quarter to January 2009 hit 2.03 million, the highest figure since 1997.

According to the Office for National Statistics, unemployment will get worse before it gets better, as it always does even after economic recovery begins.

Also, the British Chambers of Commerce recently predicted that unemployment will peak in the second half of 2010 at 3.2 million.

To read the full article, click here.

Pixar Animated Feature Film to Launch Cannes Festival

Pixar’s latest animated feature 'Up' will be screened in digital 3-D and marks the first time an animated movie has opened the event.

 

The film tells of a man who spent his life dreaming of exploring the globe and living his life to the fullest.  Now at 78 believes life has past him by that was until fate and an 8 year old Wilderness Explorer gives him a new lease on life.

 

Pixar's 'Up' will be released in the UK on 16th October. Take a sneak peak! or read more about the story here.

Youngsters to Design Official London 2012 Education Logo

  Youngsters in full- or part-time education are invited to create a new design to infill the London 2012 Olympic logo. This identity will be supplied to schools, colleges and local authority education providers who join the 'Get Set' network, the official London 2012 education programme.

The closing date for the entries is 5th June, where four to six finalists will present their designs to a panel of judges including BMX World Champion Shanaze Reade. The winning logo, which will be used in print and digital media, will be unveiled in September.

For more information on the competition, visit www.london2012.com/logocompetition

Comic Relief 2009!

 

It’s Red Nose Day on Friday 13th March... which means it’s time to Do Something Funny for Money!

Looking for inspiration on how you too can raise money for this worthy cause then look here for some inventive ideas that may even spark off an idea of your very own.

Keep up-to-date with events from the BBC (click here).

Scheme to Battle Long-Term Sickness Introduced

ILM website recently published an article discussing the newly launched scheme to battle long-term sickness.

The £13 million scheme launched by the government is aimed at getting people back into work following sickness.

The 'Fit For Work' pilot scheme looks at various ways of offering help and support to those who are off work due to ill health, with the aim of aiding their recovery.

Among the things on offer will be skills and employment advice, vocational rehabilitation services and conciliation to overcome disputes between employees and workers.

For the full article, click here.

Wallace & Gromit Exhibition Aims to Encourage Creativity in Children

Aardman Animation is designing a £2m exhibition at the Science Museum titled Wallace & Gromit Present a World of Cracking Ideas.

The exhibition, due to open in March, has been commissioned by the UK Intellectual Property Office as part of its "Cracking Ideas" programme. The project aims to encourage creativity in children.

Aardman's live events agency SGA Productions is building the interactive, sound and lighting elements to the exhibition at the Science Museum, which will include a mock-up of Wallace & Gromit's house.

The animation company has created two minutes of film featuring the duo working on a new invention.

Around 80 interactive idea stations will be in the house allowing people to create their own inventions.

Other elements include a giant water wheel, a slide running from the house to the garden and a soft play area.

Work past retirement age to boost health

An interesting article on the ILM website explains that working past the statutory retirement age could boost health!

According to the article, remaining in work allows people to keep mentally and physically active. It has also been recommended that employers should give those coming up to retirement age the option to stay in work.

It also explains that earlier this week, a number of peers from all parties expressed support for an end to the default retirement age during a debate in the House of Lords.

To read the full article, click here.

£2,500 for employing jobless

An interesting article on Wales Online explains how employers are to be paid up to £2,500 for every person they recruit and train who has been out of work for more than six month.

The move is part of a £500 million package to support the long-term unemployed as the number of jobless continues to rise.

The money will also go towards additional training places to equip people with new skills, as well as 'intensive' support from JobCentre Plus advisors.

This is due to be rolled out in April, with the money to be spread over two years. To read the full article, click here.

Happy New Year from t2 business solutions

t2 business solutions would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year and wish everyone the best for 2009!

The Importance of a Christmas Party

An article on the ILM website advises that while some office managers may think it is necessary to cancel the office Christmas party due to the current economic climate, it has been claimed is more important than ever to motivate employees.

ILM advise that it is 'crucial' for management to make sure their team feels valued and help boost morale.

The groups chief executive advised that even though holding a Christmas party may seem like a small gesture, it goes a long way toward recognising team achievements over the past year, showing them that their work is not being taken for granted.

ILM advises that Christmas parties can be cost-effective and fun, and it notes that holding the party in the office or booking a venue which is free to hire are other money-saving ideas.

So the question is...where are you having yours?

2011 Census Form To Include 'Welsh'

Wales Online published an article today announcing that a 'Welsh' tick-box will be included in the 2011 census, the Office for National Statistics confirmed yesterday.

In the 2001 census, people were able to define themselves as Irish or Scottish on the official government survey, but there was no option to tick Welsh.

This sparked widespread protests, and the Western Mail led a campaign for the form to be changed.

Peter Benton, the deputy director of the 2011 census yesterday said: “There has been a very strong demand for people to be able to state their own identity, especially to say they were Welsh. We looked for the best way for people to express this.”

In other changes, each Welsh household will receive a bilingual copy of the census form. People will also be able to complete the form online for the first time.

To read the full article, click here.

Success of Business Could Lie With Training

According to an article on the ILM website, studies have shown that it is vital for businesses to offer adequate training to employees. The Learning and Skills Council have advised that training can improve not only the productivity and efficiency of workers, but also staff retention rates.

Jaine Clarke, director of communications at the Learning and Skills Council, claimed that "progressive" companies are able to understand the importance of training staff, which can help them to outstrip their rivals in the marketplace and survive economic difficulties.

"Training is key if businesses are to prosper and grow - whatever the economic circumstances," she remarked.

Statistics from Evaluation of Train to Gain showed that 43% of workers received pay rises as a result of training, while 42% of employers claimed it boosted their productivity and profitability, Ms Clarke added.

Learning strategy director Kevin Lowell wrote for Personnel Today last month that companies should not cut back on their training budgets as a result of the credit crunch.

Managers Struggle To Raise Workplace Spirits

ILM have posted an interesting article explaining how managers will have to work even harder to keep morale high in their workplace as the economic downturn bites.

Apparently, research by Accenture reveals that 61% of business leaders believe that employees are concerned about losing their jobs or that their spirits have fallen.

While job security is a major worry to staff members now, managers might find themselves having to let people go. Because of this, managers must work hard to ensure those who remain behind are happy in what they do.

According to David Smith, Managing Director of Accenture, managers failing to do this could find they face another employee exodus when the economic situation improves as workers looks to change jobs.

t2 business solutions, one of the leading Welsh training providers, offers a 'Motivating Yourself and Others' bespoke training course to companies, which could help in these uncertain times. Key topics for this course include getting the best from people and dealing with the all important de-motivation. For more information on this course, or any others, visit t2's website.

More Recycling Needed For UK

An interesting article on the ILM website looks into how the Local Government Association has said that the UK needs to do more about recycling, even though rates are moving in the right direction.

Apparently, figures have shown that household recycling and composting rates have risen from 30.9% in 2006-07 to 34.5% in 2007-08, but the UK is still behind the rest of Europe.

Paul Bettison, Chairman of the LGA Environment Board said "Britain is still the dustbin of Europe, throwing more waste into landfill than any other country in the EU."

While recycling has increased, other countries on the continent recycle twice as much. Local authorities and council tax payers face fines totaling £3 billion if landfill waste is not reduced.

Mr Bettison added that for this reason new ways of improving recycling levels must be investigated and the LGA has called for the law to be strengthened so councils can punish people who throw rubbish from cars.

Wales' New Hi-Tech Rugby Kit Launched!

WalesOnline today announced that Wale's new rugby kit has been launched and is now on sale! Nearly a year in the making, the kit was put to the test by Warren Gatland’s men trying to rip it off each other’s backs, and it is claimed that the Welsh rugby team’s new kit  could be the most technologically advanced in the world.

The kit features slinky, “anti-grab” material and in-built sun protection, to team socks with added charcoal to stop them smelling, its creators say it is a genuine feat of engineering. The jersey, which was created by up to 100 people, is made from polyester and nylon and contains several features to help finely tune performance.

The home shirt has anti-microbial properties and an ultraviolet protection factor to guard against the sun’s harmful rays. The shirt – which will get its debut against South Africa on November 8 – is designed to keep the players’ core body temperature at the optimal level, and to keep them dry. Its tightness helps remove sweat in seconds.

It also features “dragon scale grippy” technology on the inside of the sleeves and to the side of the chest for enhanced ball-handling ability and can even withstand being pulled in different directions.

Its durability was put to the test when Wales coach Warren Gatland told his team to try and rip the shirts off each other’s backs during a training session.

The company behind the new kit is US firm Under Armour, the flagship sportswear provider for American football and basketball, which has also provided equipment for soldiers on the frontline. Its bosses admit they had considered designing kit for other nations, but chose Wales because of its passion for the sport.

Under Armour’s representative in the UK, Mike Dods said: "If the kit makes a 0.1% difference, like semi-fitted shorts, that might help Shane Williams not get caught a metre from the line, that’s when we know we’ve done our job.”

Throughout production, Under Armour also visited rugby clubs and schools across Wales to get into the mindset of the average Welsh fan and what they wanted.

The new kit is on sale now from £70 for the professional jersey and £40 for the fans’ shirt. It will also be sold online at www.wru.co.uk