RAPID RESPONSES
DNA of innovation
I’d like to draw Tim Hammond’s [Innovation first, Rapid Responses, yesterday] attention to the computer, transistor and integrated circuit. Together they have transformed the world far more than the jet engine did, and are all more recent inventions.
Then there are new technologies in the life sciences, such as DNA sequencing and tissue engineering. I’d expect these to have a massive impact in the future.
Graeme Sutherland
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Birth not worth
Evidence suggests the costs associated with taking on unpaid internships, such as travel and accommodation, are not affordable and are a disincentive to applicants from lower income backgrounds. A voluntary code, which we helped produce, suggests internships be fair, high-quality, and advocates interns be paid the national minimum wage. ICAEW has gone a step further by paying its interns a living wage, as it recognises the role of the professions in tackling the cycle of “birth not worth” as a determinant of career aspirations.
Maura Owens, director of human resources, ICAEW