A study at the University of Liverpool has revealed that entrepreneurs are driven to start companies by their passion for ideas rather than the pursuit of wealth.

North West companies spent an all time high of £5.6 billion on training last year, up 17% from 2005 according to findings from the National Employer Skills Survey 2007 (NESS07), released by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC).

The findings in the latest skills survey by the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) indicate that a shortage in skills will continue to be a challenge for the construction sector, and one that will worsen as the demand for construction work increases.

The Forum of Private Business (FPB) is calling for better support for small businesses in England, following a study revealing that, when it comes to entrepreneurship and job creation, there really is a north-south divide.

Lie detectors could one day be used to spot people who are taking a "sickie" from work.

Up to 40,000 jobs in the UK's financial services sector could be lost over the next three years as a fall out from the credit crunch