News in Brief: Internship means business for diversity; Pearson Jones adopts Standard Life wrap; and more

A PAID internship for black and minority ethnic graduates run by Harrogate-based Northern Lights PR is helping regional business partners, including Hallmark and Northern Rail, to reach potential new customers from diverse communities.

The consultancy is working in partnership with Bradford University School of Management, industry experts and businesses to give BAME graduates hands on experience of working in corporate communications and public relations – a sector where these communities have historically been underrepresented.

Over three weeks, five interns attended a range of master classes led by industry experts covering media relations, press photography, social media in business and blogging.

They were also tasked by marketing and communications professionals to come up with creative ideas to encourage more use of the railways and a new range of greetings cards celebrating special occasions for different cultures.

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WEALTH manager Pearson Jones has joined a select group of UK wealth managers able to enter  a `wrap arrangement’ with financial services giant Standard Life.

Adopting the Standard Life wrap platform allows advisers at Leeds-based Pearson Jones to view `real time’ information on client’s entire investment portfolios, to monitor them more closely and, for those above £750,000, to buy into a far wider range of investments – not just those from Standard Life – faster and at discounted prices.

Standard Life wraps, which provide access to 2,000 funds and currently have £4.4bn funds under administration, combine dedicated wealth management software geared to the needs of high-net worth individuals, with an efficient administration process and a facility for Pearson Jones’ clients to view their entire portfolios from anywhere in the world where they have internet access.

Adopting the wrap platform means that Pearson Jones will be operating ahead of a Financial Services Authority (FSA) requirement that IFAs must offer clients a wider range of investments – some of which are currently unavailable outside wraps – after 2012.
  
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NEW businesses in Yorkshire are urged to enter The Startups Awards 2010, organised by startups.co.uk.

The awards comprise 16 categories, including Green Business of the Year, Women in Business Award, Product of the Year, Best Use of Technology and Business Plan of the Year.

This year there are five new categories including Home Business of the Year, Mobile Business of the Year, Franchisee of the Year, Angle/VC Backed Business of the Year and Craft Business of the Year.

Winners of each category will then compete for the Startups Business of the Year title.

To be eligible for entry, the business must have been trading for less than three years and be privately owned.

The closing date for entries is September 3 and finalists will be announced in early November. For details of how to enter and a full list of categories visit www.startupsawards.co.uk.

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SIX emerging healthcare businesses pitched for investment at the Healthcare Technologies Investment Forum held by the Yorkshire Association of Business Angels (YABA).

In partnership with Yorkshire Forward’s Investing in Health programme, managed by Grant Thornton, this was the second of YABA’s sector specific investment forums which have been added to the association’s calendar this year.

Each of the new forums focuses on an area of key strategic importance to the region, with the aim of stimulating greater investment in these sectors.

Diagnostics company Zilico is now positioning itself to launch its first product in 2011 after several years of development, and Leeds-based Image Analysis, having had some organic growth success, is now seeking its first funding round to enable it to increase its sales force and product development capacity.

Neotherix, which is involved in developing bioresorbable scaffolds for wound healing, is seeking funding to bring its products to market.

Other companies included Swellaway, Hull-based Avoco Medical, and Engineered Assistance.