Report finds looming workforce crisis for charitable sector in North East England

The latest Third Sector Trends report from the Community Foundation Tyne & Wear and Northumberland and Durham University has highlighted the problem the North East voluntary, community and social enterprises (VCSE) sector is having recruiting and retaining employees and volunteers. This at time when the region’s communities need more support than ever due to the cost-of-living crisis.   Earlier this month the first Third Sector Trends report highlighted the size and value of the sector to the region employing 37,000 people supplemented by 152,000 volunteers. However 54% of North East organisations…

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Smart Hot Water: UK consumers to help balance the electricity grid every-time they turn on the hot tap

British households are trialing a new device which can help them save money and use energy more efficiently. The USER Project is adopting the energy storage potential of the everyday hot water cylinder installed in millions of UK homes to help balance the energy system. Funding from the Government is enabling the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to optimise a virtual community of 350 homes across the country. These will allow for transforming traditional hot water cylinders into grid-interactive water heaters that are context aware. They coordinate their operation in…

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