Business News


Sponsored by: Trinity College London


New bike-share scheme pedals into Birmingham


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.


Export expert: Gary Baylis 12 CHAMBERLINK November 2017


Suppliers are being sought for a bike-sharing hire scheme to be launched across the West Midlands which will need up to 5,000 cycles. West Midlands bikeshare could be


up and running as early as next year, with between 3,000 and 5,000 bikes available for hire in cities and towns across the region. The scheme, similar to that


operating in London and other cities across Europe, has been approved by members of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA). The WMCA is now looking for


suppliers to bid for a five-year contract to provide the bikes and run the scheme, with commercial sponsors being sought to contribute to the running costs.


‘Cycling has a hugely important role to play in tackling issues such as congestion and pollution’


The sponsorship deal could be


worth between £1m-£3m a year depending on the size of the scheme. Cllr Roger Lawrence, the


WMCA’s lead member for transport, said: “Cycling has a hugely important role to play in tackling issues such as congestion and pollution. “If you look across Europe you’ll


find these schemes are in place in the vast majority of urban centres there, and it is high time that the town and cities of the West Midlands were doing something similar.”


Cllr Lawrence said no formal


date was in place for the scheme to start but he hoped that it could begin to be rolled out as early as summer next year. A feasibility study commissioned


by the WMCA earlier this year concluded areas where the scheme would be most successful included Birmingham, Coventry and Wolverhampton city centres, the town centres of the Black Country and Solihull, and the National Exhibition Centre. It is proposed that between 3-


5,000 bikes based on the study and potential for the region be initially purchased. The bikes, some of them battery-


powered, would be stored in docking stations and the public would pay a fee to use them. The cost of hire has yet to be


decided but the Santander bike scheme in London costs from £2 to access a bike then the first half hour is free. Longer journeys cost £2 for each extra 30 minutes. The bikes will contain smart


technology for tracking purposes, a built-in coded locking system, and bespoke parts to deter efforts to sell them by thieves. West Midlands mayor Andy


Street has pledged to massively increase investment in cycling in the West Midlands from 25p per head to £10 per head to boost health and tackle congestion. He wants to see upgrades to


cycle routes, more use of the canal network towpaths and off-road routes, and accelerate existing plans for cycle superhighways and increase cycle parking provision at railway stations.


Dr Julie joins WMCA team


The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) continues to build its leadership team after appointing Dr Julie Nugent as its new director of productivity and skills. Julie (pictured) joins mayor


Andy Street and chief executive Deborah Cadman at the WMCA. She has extensive


experience in the productivity and skills sector having held a range of senior roles across government and the further education sector. Julie joins the combined


authority from the Design and Technology Association where she was chief executive. Julie has expertise in financing further education and has led on developing new funding systems for the Skills Funding Agency and the Learning and Skills Council.


Export business offers insight


A new Birmingham Chamber member had created his own business after working in the shipping and forwarding industry for 49 years. Export Access has been set up by Gary Baylis, who says he has seen


exporters continually venturing into overseas markets “without understanding the principles of international trade, knowing how to export or investigating any barriers to trade that might face them”. Export Access has been appointed the authorised agent for UK & Ireland


for Registrar Corp, USA – the leading global provider of compliance services for goods entering the USA which are subject to regulation by the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA). Gary said: “The USA is a very enticing market for UK exporters, but FDA


regulations are complex and compliance is very challenging, not least because regulations are continually evolving and increasing in scope. “Over the last 13 years, Registrar Corp has helped more than 30,000


companies across 160 countries achieve continuing compliance with FDA regulations. As the UK & Ireland agent for Registrar Corp’s comprehensive and cost-effective FDA compliance solutions, Export Access hopes to help UK and Irish exporters to not only venture into, but successfully gain access to, the huge US market.”


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