Service 'to offer training and recruitment advice to firms'.

Tom Hunt » Service 'to offer training and recruitment advice to firms'.

A service offering advice and support to businesses throughout the UK has been launched, which it is hoped will help companies through the eventual upturn.

Business Link and Train to Gain are working together as part of the government's Solutions for Business initiative, which will provide a comprehensive diagnostic, information and brokerage service.

Lord Young, the skills and apprenticeships minister, states that this shows commitment to providing real help for businesses during the downturn.

He says: "The challenging economic climate means it has never been more important to ensure that employers get access to the support and advice they need - quickly and easily."

Lord Young says the service provides free, impartial advice on the acquisition of a highly skilled workforce, which could be useful for members of the retail motor industry.

Earlier this month, Kay Carberry, assistant general secretary for the Trades Union Congress, called on the government to include apprentices in the national minimum wage remit, removing an existing exemption for those on this form of placement.