You may have noticed that there has not been a JWB Newsletter for a while. It just so happens that not long after we had completed the total re-vamp of our website, the world's hedge funds and banking system went into meltdown taking with it all market confidence. This also meant that there were serious rounds of redundancies across all sectors (including Broadcast Technology).

We can say with confidence that we are now noticing an upturn in companies starting to put their toes back in the water and are begining to think about hiring again.

NAB has been and gone. It was much better than expected. Many people said the show felt like a real business event and real business was conducted.

Does this mean that IBC is going to be a very strong show in September? It certainly looks like it could be.

Erik Huggers - Director of BBC Future Media & Technology will be delivering the keynote speech and we are sure that there will be many questions regarding "Project Canvas" and he can provide some solid answers.

• REGION MANAGER - BROADCAST HARDWARE - UK
• REGION MANAGER - BROADCAST SOFTWARE - UK
• TECHNICAL PROJECT MANAGER - SET TOP BOXES - UK
• REGION MANAGER - BROADCAST SOFTWARE - USA
• CUSTOMER CARE DIRECTOR- CABLE TV - EUROPE

As you can see even though it has been quieter than usual, we are still making significant hires and we have a number of high profile offers that are being discussed as we speak.

Did you know that funds are available towards the cost of coaching and other training through the Train to Gain scheme. For CEO/MDs of organisations with 5+ employees (including volunteers) - your first £500 is fully funded with another £500 match funded. So you can claim up to £1,000.
Best of all it's pretty easy to apply. A good place to start is by contacting Business Link www.businesslink.gov.uk or Train To Gain www.traintogain.gov.uk
In October 2008, Skills Secretary John Denham announced that small businesses will be the focus of £350 million fund to help them get through the tough economic climate by building the skills and expertise of their workers.The new package of support includes funding for training, with the minimum level of bureaucracy or delay. This will be for subjects such as business improvement techniques or leadership and management, which are proven to provide skills to increase the productivity of individuals and firms.
As they say every little helps...