Resilience is not just the ability to act quickly to immediate problems, it is also the strength to visualise and deliver the change that is required through a long-term lens. In this blog, Dr Koushik Das Sarma, Programme Facilitator for the Small Business Leadership Programme (SBLP) at the University of Derby (@DerbyUni, @DerbyUniPress), explores how business resilience feeds into business strategy, and draws on some of the questions and feedback he has heard from SME leaders currently on the programme.

@DerbyUni- The UK is committed to making a ‘net zero’ contribution to the world’s carbon emissions by 2050, and businesses will play a big part in that process in the decades to come. But there are already ingenious ways that firms here in Derbyshire can not only reduce the environmental impact of their operations now, but cut their costs too, as Dr Gary Wright, Senior Researcher in Low Carbon Technology at the University of Derby, explains.

‘Off the Job training’ is defined by the government’s Education and Skills Funding Agency as “training, which is received by the apprentice, during the apprentice’s normal working hours, for the purpose of achieving the knowledge, skills and behaviours (KSBs)”. As the University of Derby marks National Apprenticeship Week (8-14 February), Andy Dowling, Apprenticeships Business Development Manager at the University, explores why a blend of ‘off’ and ‘on the job’ training is proving to be a winning formula for students and businesses alike.

Lockdown measures intended to control the spread of Covid-19 have significantly changed the way we live our lives. A substantial proportion of the UK workforce has been furloughed or required to work from home, schools and universities have been closed, and locations for socialising, recreation and exercise have been shut. Such significant changes to daily life have inevitably led to an increase in pandemic-related psychological side effects. Here, Dr William Van Gordon,Associate Professor of Contemplative Psychology, University of Derby looks at one of them – the concept of ‘time blindness’, whereby a person’s perception of time becomes distorted due to prolonged periods of lockdown – and discusses some strategies for reducing the impact.

A role emerging placement is when students go into work environments where their profession has never been before and carve out a role for themselves. This blog details how four Occupational Therapy students did this within the Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Wellbeing team and contributed hugely to the University’s wellbeing agenda. @DerbyUni