The U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Tourism, led by Commissioner Joseph Boschulte and Assistant Commissioner Alani Henneman, attended the 2023 Educational Seminar for Tourism Organisations (ESTO) in Savannah, Georgia. ESTO is the premier annual learning and knowledge-sharing forum for destination marketing professionals.

With students in England, Northern Ireland and Wales receiving their GCSE and vocational technical qualification results, which includes Level 2 BTec and Cambridge Nationals, it was revealed that they have fallen for a second year running in an effort to return grades to pre-pandemic levels.

In England, GCSEs are now graded using a numerical system, from 9-1 rather than A-E. Students need a 4 for a "standard pass" and 5 for a "strong pass", whilst in Wales and Northern Ireland, GCSEs are graded using letters, unless an exam taken in those nations comes under an English exam board.

For anyone who are unhappy with your grade, they have been advised to talk to their school or college. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, schools will contact the exam board and ask for the marks to be reviewed.

If necessary, further to a review, students can ask their school or college to appeal. Further still, they can request a review from Ofqual. In Scotland, SQA results (based on National 5s and National 4s) were published on 8 August, with pass rates down from last year but higher than they were before Covid.

For students with concerns about their final grade, they can appeal directly to the SQA for free, but are advised to speak to their school or college first. If the appeal is accepted, the exam board will look at the marks received.

Adult Education Wolverhampton’s English and maths students have recorded another good GCSE performance this year.

Severn Trent has announced plans to create 1,000 new jobs and will increase its existing financial support for up to 50,000 of customers who need it most. The Midlands FTSE 100 company has confirmed that in the next two years it will:

A University academic has been recognised for his research work and external review of an important parliamentary briefing about child food insecurity in relation to free school meals.

Jamaica’s Tourism Minister, Hon Edmund Bartlett, says the Tourism Enhancement Fund’s Summer Internship Programme (SIP) has reached unprecedented success in 2023, with a record-breaking 14,000 students registering to participate in the programme. Moreover, an impressive 1,100 students have secured job placements with 136 employers across the country.