Pixel Kicks, the Manchester based full-service digital agency, has been appointed by One Week Intensive Driving which offers short term driving courses across England, Scotland and Wales.

Pixel Kicks’ focus will be on designing and developing a modern, responsive and informative website that will encourage enquiries and bookings nationwide. It will feature bespoke animated artwork from Mancunian illustrator Barney Ibbotson.

Headquartered in Manchester, One Week Intensive Driving is one of the largest established providers of intensive driving courses in the UK. It covers 95% of the country, has access to thousands driving instructors and has helped thousands of people to successfully pass their driving test.

Paul Tansey, operations amanager at One Week Intensive Driving, said: “We wanted to work with a digital agency that really understood us and our target market which is predominantly young people. We were impressed with Pixel Kicks’ approach and we’re looking forward to seeing the site evolve over the coming months.”

Matt Hartley, principal sales and account manager at Pixel Kicks, added: “One Week Intensive Driving is a young, growing and successful organisation so for us it’s about giving them a platform which reflects that.”

AJ Bell, the investment platform headquartered in Salford Quays, has strengthened its position in the Sunday Times Top 100 Best Companies to Work For, jumping up to 28^th position in the 2019 list from 86^th in 2018.

In addition, AJ Bell has been awarded a three-star accreditation, which Best Companies class as ‘extraordinary levels of workplace engagement’.  This is the highest accreditation that can be achieved and is only awarded to businesses that truly excel.

The Sunday Times Top 100 Best Companies to Work For has been recognising excellent employee engagement for almost 20 years.  It measures how engaged people are at work and how they feel about their employer.

AJ Bell is one of the fastest growing investment platforms in the UK and completed a successful listing on the main market of the London Stock Exchange in December 2018.  To accommodate this growth the company moved into its new Exchange Quay head office in 2017.

The workspace was designed in collaboration with staff in order to ensure employee engagement and create a collaborative working environment focused on providing first class service to AJ Bell’s customers.  As well as a state of the art working environment the office includes a gym, a roof terrace and a dining area and lounge which transforms into a bar for staff once a month.

Andy Bell, chief executive at AJ Bell, commented: “An engaged workforce is absolutely vital to our business.  It is our staff that ensure we provide first-class service to our customers and happy customers fuel the growth of our business.  We have invested significantly in this area over the years and it is particularly pleasing to see our Best Companies ranking improve at the same time as our workforce has grown considerably in line with our business expansion.”

National initiative InnovateHer is pledging its commitment to assisting more than 55 schools and reaching over 1,000 girls by 2020, to help improve equality in tech and address the digital skills gap, with the help of new partners.

The social enterprise, which has launched in 26 schools across the North West in 2018, will work with Greater Manchester Combined Authority and Liverpool City Region Combined Authority to deliver an eight-week after-school programme in the region.

The programme is designed to encourage greater equality and diversity in technical roles by giving girls aged 12-16 access to the skills, self-belief and confidence to pursue a career in technology.

InnovateHer has worked with over 240 girls in 12 schools to date, enabling them to interact with leading employers and industry role models, alongside providing careers coaching. Specialising in technical education for girls, the company is on a mission to make a significant impact on gender inequality in tech globally.

Other private sector partners such as Co-op Digital and Code ComputerLove, will assist the InnovateHer team in delivering the programme in a wide range of schools across the North West. The InnovateHer team are simultaneously working with digital and tech companies through a membership and consultancy offer, to create more inclusive workplaces for the next generation to work within.

Jo Morfee, co-founder of InnovateHer, said: “It’s critical that young people are given the opportunity to learn key digital skills from an early age, as the majority of roles now require digital skills. We also have a gender gap in the industry – just 20% of tech roles in the North West are taken by women.

“That’s why we’re on a mission to change the narrative, because we believe that everyone, regardless of background or identity, should be given the opportunity to follow the path that they choose. It’s great that the Combined Authorities in both Liverpool and Manchester are supporting this ambition as it enables us to reach over 50 schools and hundreds of girls across the North West region.”

The Greater Manchester programme will be delivered as part of a strategic programme backed by the Mayor Andy Burnham. InnovateHer has joined a partnership consortium under the name of GoDigital, which aims to reach up to 50 schools in the area by 2020, to deliver a package of digital skills training and careers coaching to year eight pupils.

Cllr Sean Fielding, GMCA lead for education and skills said: “To be able to dedicate specific funding to developing the digital skills of your young people is a significant step-change in preparing them for the world of work and making them aware of the opportunities in this rapidly growing sector.

This is a fantastic opportunity for young people in Greater Manchester and the programme will reach over 10,000 pupils in 200 schools. This in turn benefits all of us in the city-region and can contribute to us having a thriving economy with the right skills for jobs in the digital sector and opportunities for everyone.”

In the Liverpool City Region, the programme has been backed by Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram and will reach six schools by 2020, working with one school in each borough. The schools will have a choice of themes to pick from; Web Development, Tech for Good and Gaming, and students will have the opportunity to showcase their work at The Big Bang festival in July.

Councillor Ian Maher, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority portfolio holder for education, employment, skills and apprenticeships, said: “Ensuring that everyone in our city region has the opportunity to fulfil their potential is a vital part of the Combined Authority’s work, which is why we are working to tackle harmful gender stereotyping that effectively shuts off whole sectors to our young people.

“Programmes like InnovateHer are so important because they challenge stereotypes and raise aspirations, which will help ensure that girls in our city region feel able to consider a rewarding career in the tech sector.”

Centre of Excellence is set to celebrated its 7th Birthday on the 27 February at Stanneylands, Wilmslow. Established in 2013, Centre of Excellence offers over 1000 courses to over 160 different countries.

During the celebration Sara Lou-Ann Jones, founder of Centre of Excellence, will be presenting a generous cheque of £2,000, on the company’s behalf, to East Cheshire Hospice. April Green, Key Relationships Manager for East Cheshire Hospice, will be collecting the cheque on behalf of the charity.

“Centre of Excellence are thrilled to be presenting a donation to the East Cheshire Hospice to help them with all the amazing work that they do. The East Cheshire Hospice is close to our hearts and we’re happy to support such a great cause,” said Sara Lou-Ann Jones, founder of Centre of Excellence.

11Altrincham-based litigation specialist, FS Legal, has become a member of the Government’s Northern Powerhouse Partnership Programme.

The law firm is one of a growing number of businesses from across the North that is part of the network. Through the scheme, partners work towards building a Northern Powerhouse in four main areas; connectivity and transport, skills, science and innovation, quality of life and culture, and devolution.

Julia Norris, Partner at FS Legal’s Manchester office, said: “We are committed to supporting the development and economic growth of the North and proud to announce our partnership with the Northern Powerhouse Programme.

“We will be championing the initiative throughout 2019 and are focused on forming meaningful collaborations and alliances with organisations and businesses across the region.

“A big priority for us is to grow by attracting and recruiting the best legal talent from across the UK to encourage the growing devolution to the region.”

The law firm recently launched the FS Legal Mentoring Scheme, which allows newly qualified lawyers to shadow senior members through case work and client relations. It is designed to support individual staff development and encourage career progression.

This year, the scheme will be launched to disadvantaged and minority school and college students across the North West, who might otherwise struggle to get a foothold in the legal profession. Students will be offered work placements at the firm and can access an ongoing mentor programme to enhance their professional development and future career prospects.

FS Legal is already flying the flag for the region, with Partner Kit Sorrell becoming the first and only lawyer in the North West to be inducted into the Legal 500 Hall of Fame for professional negligence work. He was also one of only seven lawyers in the North West awarded Hall of Fame status for commercial litigation at the end of 2018.

The awards are the Legal 500’s highest accolades and credited FS Legal as, “The only pure financial services litigation firm outside London.”

Minister for the Northern Powerhouse, Jake Berry, MP said: “I’m delighted to welcome FS Legal to the Northern Powerhouse Partners Programme. With their commitment to attracting young talent through their mentoring scheme, they’re well placed to develop the next generation of legal professionals across the Northern Powerhouse, and contribute to our shared ambition to boost jobs and economic growth across the North to rebalance the economy and build a Britain fit for the future.”