NW business briefs: Irwin Mitchell; Blackburn College; Berkson Family Law; Magenta Living; AZoNetwork

According to the latest report by law firm Irwin Mitchell, Greater Manchester is now the highest-ranking city in England, outside of London, for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) attractiveness.

The study, which incorporates analysis by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr), examines the attractiveness of the UK’s largest cities for foreign direct investment (FDI) by analysing 50 locations based on 10 key indicators.

The report says Greater Manchester has become potentially more attractive to foreign investment since the previous quarterly report, but adds there are warning signs for the future due to its slowing economy and poor online connectivity.

Greater Manchester moves up three places with an overall score of 47.1. The report says that the authority’s strong overall performance stems from skills, supported by its relatively large number of economically active individuals and strong university presence.

It adds however that Greater Manchester’s overall score faces some downward pressure due to its relatively poorer GVA forecast. Local Infrastructure is described as ‘an area for improvement’, primarily a result of relatively poor online connectivity levels.

The Top five UK areas for FDI are: Inner London; London; Outer London; City of Edinburgh; Greater Manchester. The city of Manchester lies in eighth place. Liverpool, along with Aberdeen, Cardiff, and Newcastle, emerged as the biggest risers in the latest quarterly report.

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Opening of Scholars

Blackburn College invited partners, stakeholders, students and friends to the grand re-opening of its famous Scholars Restaurant and its Food for Thought café earlier this month in partnership with new ambassador, Lisa Goodwin-Allen, Executive Chef of Michelin star, Northcote, who joins Scholars Head Chef and Chef Lecturer, David Lyon to continue industry-leading training that will meet the needs of the hospitality industry.

The event was held to officially unveil the new restaurant interior and state-of-the-art training kitchen, which has undergone an £850,000 investment made possible through funding through the Local Skills Improvement Fund (LSIF) and the College’s own commitment to local skills development.

Scholars is a celebration of Lancashire’s rich culinary background and a showcase for emerging talent in the region. Often fully booked, Scholars offers a unique and immersive fine dining experience while inspiring and supporting the next generation to pursue careers in hospitality through exceptional training from day one.

All dishes made and served at Scholars and the Food for Thought café – which is open to all students at the college – form part of student assessment. Students leave the college with far more than a qualification, they have the experience of working in a real-world hospitality setting, giving them a foundation for a career that offers endless possibilities.

Lisa Goodwin-Allen said: “I’m incredibly proud to support the launch of Blackburn College’s new kitchen and restaurant facilities. This investment is a fantastic opportunity for students to develop the essential skills, creativity, and confidence needed for careers in the modern hospitality industry.”

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Berksons and Tomorrow’s Women team

As part of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, Berkson Family Law Solicitors in Liverpool is partnering with Wirral charity, Tomorrow’s Women, to offer free sessions on domestic abuse and family law.

The sessions are designed to provide practical advice on matters like divorce, child arrangements (who a child is to live with and see), financial settlements and domestic abuse, helping women make informed decisions about their legal rights and whether legal aid might be available to assist them.

Running from Monday, November 25 (International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women), to Tuesday, December 10 (Human Rights Day), The 16 Days of Activism is a global campaign focused on eliminating violence against women and girls.

Adele Schofield, director and children’s law solicitor at Berkson Family Law, said: “These 16 days give us an important opportunity to discuss the serious effects of gender-based violence on families and individuals. Hosted at Tomorrow’s Women in Birkenhead, the sessions will offer women the chance to speak with experienced family law professionals in a welcoming and accessible environment.”

Karen Horner, CEO at Tomorrow’s Women, said: “Having a space where women can feel safe and supported is the reason we started this organisation. If these events and sessions with Berkson Family Law can help raise awareness of the issues surrounding Violence Against Women and Girls, that’s a step in the right direction.”

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JobsPlus scheme launch

Birkenhead-based Magenta Living has been named as one of 10 pilots in a national community-led employment scheme called ‘JobsPlus’. The scheme aims to help people into work through on-site employment services, community support and financial incentives.

The Department for Working Pensions is funding the pilot through HM Treasury’s Labour Market Evaluation and Pilots Fund.

Based on an American model which has a proven success record in increasing employment opportunities, JobsPlus uses a community focus and person-led approach to support people into employment or to find better employment opportunities.

The Magenta Living pilot is supporting those in Bidston Rise, North Birkenhead, an area selected due to high unemployment and increased barriers for people seeking employment.

Communities Director at Magenta Living, Rachel Bennett, said: “JobsPlus is an exciting project for Magenta to be part of. We know the value in providing support to help people into work and the overall benefits this brings to them individually and to the local community, including improved mental health, learning skills and supporting income especially with the current cost of living crisis.”

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Dr Ian Birkby

Manchester-based global content marketing platform for science, healthcare and engineering, AZoNetwork, has celebrated reaching one billion page views in a decade across its network of scientific websites.

It said this milestone signifies the platform’s success in delivering high quality, open access scientific content to a global audience. Coinciding with this milestone is the launch of Azthena 2.0, an enhanced AI-poweredscientific assistant.

Dr Ian Birkby, AZoNetwork CEO, said: “We’ve always prioritised providing open access to quality scientific content. Reaching one billion page views in just under a decade is a testament to our commitment to the mission.

“This level of engagement enables the analysis of massive amounts of data and interactions,fuelling the development of innovative tools like Azthena.”

COO, Andy Coveney, said: “These achievements belong to theAZoNetwork community. We’re grateful for the trust and collaboration of our clients, partners, and dedicated team.”