Business News


Sponsored by: Trinity College London


BCRS to manage Midlands Engine investment fund


Trinity College London is approved by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) & Transport for London (TfL) to provide Secure English Language Tests (SELTs).


By Lisa Donald Head of Business Development Trinity College London


SELTs are taken by people who need to demonstrate their required English language level for the purpose of obtaining British Citizenship, Settlement or a visa for work or study. The SELTs Trinity offer are:


• GESE: Graded Examinations in Spoken English – a 6- minute (A1), 7-minute (A2) or 10-minute (B1) face-to- face conversation with a Trinity examiner for British Citizenship, Settlement and Further Leave to Remain visa applications.


• ISE: Integrated Skills in English – a contemporary four-skills qualification widely recognised by UK universities for Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 4 visa applications.


Trinity’s ISE I (B1) SELT is also approved by TfL for new and renewal private hire driver licence applications. Trinity has 10 SELT centres


across the UK in Belfast, Birmingham, Cardiff, Glasgow, Leeds, London Croydon, London Hammersmith, London Holborn, Manchester and Peterborough. Further information about the


tests Trinity offer can be found at trinitycollege.com/SELT. We have a wide range of free learning resources and preparation materials available to help candidates prepare for their test.


Our friendly advisers are available on 0333 358 3183 from Monday to Friday, 8am-6pm, and Saturday from 9am-4pm.


12 CHAMBERLINK October 2017


BCRS will manage the Small Business Loans fund in the West Midlands and will oversee the delivery of £17m to small-and- medium-sized businesses over the full life of the fund. Loans will be available from


£25,000 to £150,000 for a wide range of projects, including start- up businesses, working capital, expansion projects, leasing commercial premises and asset acquisitions. The Midlands Engine Investment


Fund (MEIF), operated by the British Business Bank, has been established to support start-up and existing businesses in the Midlands that are looking for funding to grow, develop and prosper. The Midlands Engine Investment


Fund project is supported financially by the European Union using funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds


Growth Programme 2014-2020 and the European Investment Bank. The initiative is also supported by


the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy as well as ten Local Enterprise Partnerships across the region’s geography. Patrick Magee, chief commercial


officer at the British Business Bank said: “MEIF will play a pivotal role in


plugging the gaps currently present


in the funding landscape, seeking to ensure that all businesses have access to the finance they need to grow.” Paul Kalinauckas (pictured), chief


executive of BCRS Business Loans, said: “We are delighted to have won the competitive tender to deliver Small Business Loans across the West Midlands for the Midlands Engine Investment Fund. “BCRS Business Loans and the


MEIF initiative have a shared passion of liberating small businesses that are unable to access finance from traditional lenders. “Not only do we believe in what


our local SMEs do and meet their needs through a relationship-based approach to lending, but we also have an aim of leaving no viable business unsupported. “With robust systems in place,


we are well positioned to meet the targets of this initiative and support even more businesses.”


In Brief ISO Quality Service Limited has


appointed of Beth Furniss and Courtney Lewis to roles within the firm’s busy Worcester office. ISO QSL specialises in


delivering high quality, cost effective solutions to help businesses run more effectively. Beth joins the client services


team as an account manager assisting clients with queries relating to certification to the various ISO standards. QSL’s Jennifer Appleton said:


Value for students


Birmingham is the second most cost-effective place for university students to live in the UK, according to new research. The survey was conducted by leading student network UNiDAYS, who


created a list of the top 10 items students buy every month. UNiDAYS, who polled more than 3,000 students from its network, mapped these costs across the country’s biggest university towns and cities. The top 10 items purchased by students were chicken korma and naan


(61 per cent), cheesy chips (23 per cent), 12” margarita pizza (48 per cent), three-mile Uber journey (17 per cent), latte (31 per cent), large glass of house rose (18 per cent), club entry (27 per cent), spin class (24 per cent), pint of lager (23 per cent) and spray tan (21 per cent). Not surprisingly, London came out the most expensive place to live, with


a total cost of all 10 items coming in at £91.90, followed by Bath £80.65 and Oxford £74.93. Leicester was the best value university town, with items in the shopping


basket costing a mere £50.11 – £41.79 less than the most expensive city. Birmingham came in as the second most cost-effective at £50.94 – a saving of £40.96 against London.


“Both Beth and Courtney are already proving to be fantastic additions to the team.”


Lord Digby Jones, known as ‘The Face of British Business’, is to present a talk at Aston University championing the power of profit as an important part of creating a better society. The Birmingham-born House


of Lords peer and former minister of state for UK Trade & Investment will argue that profit ‘isn’t a dirty word’ but an important part of socially inclusive wealth creation to improve every aspect of society. Lord Jones will be selling


signed copies of his recent book at the event on 12 October, 12pm to 2pm, which is free to attend. All proceeds will go to Ovarian


Cancer Action and The Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity.


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