Amp up your Career Opting Out for a Lucrative Profession of an Electrician

December 18, 2020

With the advent of modern technology, there has been a change in the education system as well. The traditional four-year degree took students almost 5.5 years to complete, yet no practical knowledge. Indulging too much into theoretical knowledge while witnessing no ripening fruits becomes daunting for students, especially when they had no clear bent of mind about the future career path.

Finding an action path has become necessary in a situation like this, and thus students are opting for apprenticeship programs and thinking of going to trade schools. This option has been on their list owing to the opportunity of becoming job-ready after attaining training. One such exhaustive career option lies in becoming an electrician. Yes, this is a lucrative career choice owing to the competitive salary and multifaceted job opportunities after obtaining a license. Electricians offer an essential skill set for the effective functioning of modern life. They need to use technical knowledge, and the work involves risk. Thus, training becomes necessary in this profession. The experts recommend adhering to strict qualifications because becoming an electrician is no easy task. An expert electrician in Batemans Bay recommends adhering to strict qualifications and training because being an electrician is no easy task. It needs years of attending school, apprenticeship programs, and adequate work experience for attaining a license. Now that you’ve decided to pursue your dream career, it is vital to know the steps for embarking upon the journey of becoming an electrician:

Earn a licensed electrician:

A person who looks out to this lucrative career must ensure earning a high school diploma. Grabbing a job in a field requires obtaining specific skills specific to an industry. Electricians use some concepts in their day to day life. Several schools answer your question of how to become an electrician by imparting some valuable skills needed for this career. Some of the school subjects are:

Algebra and trigonometry: Electricians make use of mathematical skills to determine the lengths of wires. They calculate the force of electrical currents and measure the circuit angles.
Physics: The profession requires an understanding of some basic concepts for completing their work.
English: The technicians often need the need to read some technical documents.
Mechanical drawing classes: It becomes vital for electricians to gather some designing knowledge. This is for them to design the electrical systems in buildings and other construction structures.

Apply apprenticeship training:

The next step towards becoming an electrician lies in applying for an electrician coaching in Melbourne. You can either opt for a trade school or apply for an apprenticeship. The trade school will impart the knowledge of making you able to hands-on skills and training programs. This option seems to work wonders for the people eyeing at learning from an experienced teacher in classroom settings. The work associates with working alongside peers and instructors. The experts, yet, suggest seeking approval from the authorized association. If not, then appearing for a license examination for further taking up your work as an electrician. The second option lies with opting to be an apprentice. This lucrative choice requires a proper combination of work experience and training. You can complete your apprenticeship either from a trade school, a union or through a non-union.

Prepare for the test:

After adhering to the following steps, you need to study the national code, which applies to electricians, so that you are in a position of taking a test. Trade schools permit you to study the national code for the licensure test before completing your graduation. You can also take the test after completing your trade school training. But for that, you need training and work experience before obtaining a license.

Licensure Requirements:

Now that you’ve completed all the steps, you now need to pass the state electrician exam. You need certification from an authorized authority; a paid work experience for becoming an electrician with a license. The experts in this field suggest that you can also work with your T-Card along with your hour accumulation. After obtaining a license, you’ll be in a position of working as an electrician who doesn’t need the supervision of an expert.

Note that the licensing and certification requirements vary by each state, so ensure indulging inadequate research. This will help you in knowing the qualification you need for working in the area of your house. If your area has some different requirements, ensure clarifying and passing the electrical exam. The exam you appear for will test your eligibility and comprehension for the safety protocols, the National Electric Code, some building codes, and the electrical concepts. Thus, this license would be proof of the completion of the apprenticeship.

Final Takeaways:

Now that you know the steps of becoming an electrician, why resist a lucrative career option. All you’ve to do is play your cards well and grab the opportunities that lie ahead for a successful yet trending career path.

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Using the cloud to help you to run your business more efficiently

December 18, 2020

For any business efficiency is important. In fact, for most it is critical. It can make the difference between being profitable and folding. The tighter your margins are the more critical running efficiently is.

Firms that are in the habit of constantly reviewing their processes, honing their skills, and looking for ways to do things better in less time are the ones that succeed. They beat their competitors when it comes to both lead times and price.

Using the cloud for onboarding and ongoing training

Making full use of cloud computing is a great way to join the dots. For example, you can use connected HR systems to onboard a new employee. Potentially you can set things up so that when you add them to your system and key in the department they will be working in, a tailored induction program is automatically created for them.

They will be given access to all of the normal induction materials, such as the health and safety video, diversity awareness training and an introduction to the firm. As well as material that is specific to their role. For example, a new member of the canteen staff could be asked to complete food safety training. At that point, they can then be automatically sent to the relevant test facility to complete a test and gain the necessary certification. While someone who is going to work as a welder will be walked through the safety equipment and protocols for that area, instead.

Over time their direct manager will potentially be able to use the same system to schedule further training sessions for them. Using a Learning Management System (LMS) to feed them with materials that will address any skill gaps they may have. Or, better still to teach then new things that will help them to grow and become even more invaluable employees. As you can see here, taking this approach is an effective way to futureproof your business.

Using the cloud to shave time off of your processes

Studies show that firms that follow clearly defined processes are more efficient. The more time that elapses between one step and the next the more likely it is that the process will stall. It is just human nature. So is getting bored and moving onto a fresh task without completely finishing the one that you were assigned.

Potentially you can use cloud-connected apps to help you to break these bad habits. For example, you can require your workers to issue invoices before the job they were working on is flagged as complete and the next one is automatically issued by the system.

If you connect how many jobs they complete to how big of a bonus they are paid they will be highly motivated to issue the invoice, so they can get to the next task without leaving the previous one incomplete. The fact that the customer has the invoice on their screen as soon as the work has been completed is a great way to prompt them to pay immediately. They are standing there in a happy state of mind, grateful the job has been done, so it is almost automatic for them to click the ‘pay now’ button. This is also great for your cashflow.

Once you get used to using cloud-based systems in your business, you will wonder how you ever managed without them. The list of possibilities is almost endless.

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Forecast: Will Canadian Online Gambling Industry Keep Growing in 2021?

December 18, 2020

Every single end of the year, the stock markets for casinos undergo a review, to understand the current figures and use them to predict where they will be going in the 12 months that are to come. To create budgets, the stock figures and predictions are a necessity for any business-even the gambling industry. However, with the year that has pretty much affected worldwide business and day-to-day life, it does seem odd to think that any industry could have seen growth this year.

However, the year 2020 has been reasonably ok to the online gambling industry (as a whole). Sure, the offline industry has certainly suffered with closures of casino venues etc. up and down the globe and it may actually seem foolish to think that there is any reason to look up for the year 2021, as we are all at the mercy of the pandemic, aren’t we? Nevertheless, the announcement of a vaccine came at a pretty much good time during the year; and gives us the reason to look ahead and hope for a silver lining to growth projections for next year and so on. Of course, not all projections will be correct, some may be wildly optimistic, however it has not stopped people from making those predictions.

If you yourself are looking for online gambling sites in Canada then take a look at www.online-gambling.com/canada/ . You will be able to see what it is that platforms are offering customers in order to keep the industry growing.

Mergers and acquisitions

Peter Nolan of Digitain made predictions on his guest show interview on GI. There he made predictions on the mergers and acquisitions for 2021. He believed due to the vaccine hopefully being underway and in full-kick, 2021 will show greater significance of it. Although in these difficult times, it can be one that is difficult to imagine. Yet, during these recent months, huge bodies have in fact shared agreements with one another and confirmed deals to take place amongst themselves for the years to come. Examples of these include the Stars Group and Flutter Entertainment, Eldorado Resorts and Caesars Entertainment, and of course the big one between Evolution Gaming and NetEnt.

The online gambling community has thrived during 2020, there is no doubt about it. While many people were restricted to their homes in isolation, online gambling was there to provide entertainment and a general pickup to morale over these past few months. Therefore, it is only right to believe that moving forward, the year 2021 will continue to look up for the larger online gambling corporations. In fact, the pandemic has seemed to accelerate M&As much quicker than usual.

Sports betting

Sports betting was certainly disrupted during the past year, there is no doubt about that. With all major sports calendars delayed and cancelled for the majority half and more of the year, there was nothing really that sports betting firms could do but sit and wait. With nothing to trade and provide to the community, this saw a majority of sports betting online bodies and offline establishments drop in revenue. However, in the later months of the year sports did start to pick up, as they found ways to go about it to ensure that social distancing was upheld, and that sports teams were continuously being tested, to and from destinations. Due to the regulation upkeep, sport picked up and became a constant within the pandemic, which did pick up the numbers a bit as sports betting was back on.

Many sports betting facilities were forced to evolve and try to adapt to provide other services as alternatives to the sports but there are only so many alternative gambling services you can provide if you are a sports betting platform. Of course, many of the big providers like 888 holdings, do cater to alternative gambling services, so that is one of the reasons we saw their stocks treble this year, due to their flexibility and adaptability.

The postponement of Euro 2020 was a big blow to the sports industry, being that it is such a huge event within sports history, it would have brought back the trade and revenue that was originally lost. Nevertheless, with the continuation to the sports calendar 2021 may look up just yet as sports become more flexible and get back on track for continuation. Huge international sporting events have had the issue of clashed schedules for 2021 however, with the NBA and the Olympics clashing together, it may see a struggle of player participation.

Digitalisation

Digitalisation of general casino gambling online has thrived during the pandemic. Online poker for example was the biggest revenue performer in the global markets to date. More and more people turned to online gambling retail and the digitalisation of once land based gambling facilities turned online, was a pretty smart move to make prior to 2020. Although digital marketing and marketing in general was a huge factor in advertising gambling establishments and bringing them to the public eye, digitalisation has proved to be very important for any business within 2020, and not just gambling.

The trends that have been shown for online gambling across Canada and globally is very positive. Predictions are that online gambling is and will continue to grow, being so easily accessible and digitalisation has very much now become the future. Who knows, if the vaccines are distributed with success, we may see the return of the traditional brick and mortar casinos. Yet, until then we best all just hold on tight for the show of 2021.

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3 Reasons for Students to Never Skip Proofreading

December 17, 2020

It’s impossible to imagine a semester at college without loads of academic works. Exams, tests, group projects – they all require time and concentration. Besides, students must hand in numerous essays too. Professors like this type of assignment. Why? To write a brilliant work, you need creativity, logical thinking, and in-depth knowledge.

The process of paper writing is usually divided into several stages. At the very beginning, we read other author’s books and articles to broaden our horizons. Next, we come up with the main idea and make a plan.

When the paper is finished, it seems like you can finally relax. However, there is one last thing to be done before submitting an essay. And this is proofreading. Students often neglect this part, not being aware of its great importance. If you tend to do the same – this article is for you!

What Is Proofreading?

Proofreading can be easily confused with editing. Both of them aim at improving the text. But what is the difference between these two processes?

Editing comes first. When we edit the text, we change it at a deep level. We can swap parts of the paper, remove unnecessary details, or add something that was missing.

When editing is done, there comes proofreading. People believe that the editor makes major changes while the proofreader makes minor ones. However, this stage is essential for a perfect paper. The proofreader’s task is to eliminate typos and errors. Attention is also paid to the citation style and references.

Moreover, the goal is to make sure the essay is consistent. If there’s an inner voice that says to you «I need someone to be a professional essay editor», go to Studyfy for professional assistance. A fresh look of an experienced proofreader can help you notice those mistakes that you might miss. Specialists are always ready to help you with the last crucial step before handing the paper in. And if you have any doubts about the service you can always read the reviews of users on Studyfy reviews.

Mistakes Spoil Any Text

It is no secret that even an outstanding essay can lose its attractiveness because of errors. Those can be different – grammatical, punctuation, or spelling ones. Errors of any kind have a negative impact on how readers perceive the information. It’s obvious that errors affect one’s grade.

There are many reasons why there may be some occasional mistakes in your work. Maybe you had little time to finish the text and skipped proofreading. Sometimes carelessness and fatigue make it hard to stay focused. Among other reasons there are:

Lack of knowledge and/or practical experience;
Poor translation from another language;
Copying the texts that already contain mistakes.

If you can refer to any of these situations, use Grammarly. This platform is a great proofreading tool. It cleans up all grammatical or spelling mistakes, highlighting them in the text. It pays attention to the misuse of vocabulary too.

Apart from that, Grammarly detects plagiarism in the text. It’s also useful when it comes to adapting the paper to a specific writing style.

The service gets rid of extra commas, shows you misspelled words, and makes the sentence structure better, too. With Grammarly, proofreading becomes easy and pleasant.

The Sentence Structure

Imagine reading a text containing only short sentences. You’ll soon get bored of it due to its monotony. At the same time, long sentences are hard to read, as well. So, is there a way to capture the reader’s attention?

Try to strike a golden balance. Sometimes short sentences are great for showing key points. Long ones can shape the main idea and lead to some conclusion.

Some people read their texts out loud when proofreading. Why? It can give insights on sentence length, whether some parts are too short or long. After that, it’s easy to understand which sentences need to be divided. You can detect awkward word orders and weird word choices this way too.

Linking words can definitely improve the text’s flow. There are transition words for various goals: concluding, adding contrast, highlighting similarity, etc. If the statements are related, the reader will feel the logical connection and understand your ideas better.

Experienced proofreaders easily get rid of unnecessary words that don’t make any difference. Redundancy is another widespread problem. The repetition of words doesn’t make the text any better. Besides, it is recommended to use the active voice – it improves readability.

Fortunately, there is an amazing service that can help with the sentence structure. Hemingway highlights sentences that are long and hard to read. It also gives tips about the words’ alternatives. Hemingway detects the use of passive voice, too.

Consistency Is Key

When the ideas and thoughts are presented in the correct order, we get the overall idea of any text better. The elements have to be linked. Then the text can be called consistent.

The text divided into paragraphs is better perceived by the human brain. To ensure consistency, take a look at the headings and subheadings. Do they reflect what will be discussed in the following parts? These parts should be simple and precise.

If you are using lists, be consistent about them, as well. Once you start using a bullet or numbered list, stick to one type throughout the text.

Choose one formatting style and tone for the paper. Spelling is of great importance too. To improve consistency, pay attention to such aspects, as:

Paragraphing;
Spacing;
Capital and lowercase letters in titles;
Citations and reference lists.

Final Thoughts

While proofreading, it is recommended to take breaks. Let your brain forget the draft for at least ten minutes – it will give you a brand-new perspective. This simple approach will help you be more attentive and focused.

Try reading the text out loud, it helps to track logical connections between paragraphs and realize which parts can be improved. Try to avoid overly complex sentences – they can scare even the most loyal reader.

All in all, perfection has no limits. Good luck with making your papers outstanding!

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7 Benefits of College Life That Will Convince You Not to Drop Out

December 17, 2020

Unfortunately, dropping out of college has been suspiciously greatly romanticized recently. There are lots of success stories about college dropouts circulating on the web, showing how successful people with no formal degree can be.

Of course, chances are that you will succeed without a college degree. In the 21st century, everything is possible. However, you should come up with a brand-new product and market it globally to make it to the league of millionaires.

How many people are lucky that much? Quite a few. They make these success stories that we hear everywhere. At the same time, how many college dropouts find themselves on the edge of life with no opportunity to provide for their families? This is an open question.

However, such arguments can hardly stop a young person determined to quit education. We’ve decided to list some college life benefits that may convince them to stay. Here they are:

College Education Earns Respect

Society still relies heavily on people with degrees. Even though many self-made specialists with no degree can be even more qualified than those with college certificates, society still respects the latter more.

It is possible to find a job with no diploma if you already have experience and references. However, if we talk about the very first workplace, the odds are that a college graduate will have a better chance of landing a nice position.

You should follow your heart rather than listen to what society expects from you. However, it is much easier to do that with a certificate rather than without it.

Student Experience

There is no better time and place to discover things about your personality and talents than college. No matter how difficult studies get sometimes, you still have an opportunity to follow your passions and learn something new about yourself.

Interests and hobbies do count – you can try lots of things while you are a student. Also, it is much easier to find like-minded people around when you are at college.

You may claim this is impossible because of the ever-growing academic burden. The truth is that many students have already been using external help to enjoy their college experience. You can find an essay writer in PaperWriter for you as well to have more time for your passions and discoveries.

Communication and Networking Skills

College benefits you in different ways; some of them you may not even recognize at once. It is a community of people who may help each other in pursuing their goals. Some of them share your passions, others don’t. However, you learn from both in the most unexpected ways.

At college, you learn to communicate, express your ideas, argue, and prove somebody wrong. Also, at college, you learn to accept defeat and celebrate a victory. This is the time to make friends and network so that you could make use of these connections later.

Cohabitation Skills

College is a period between your childhood with parents and adult life with a family of your own. It is a transition from living with your parents to a new life with new people around.

Such a transition can help you lose some of your self-centeredness, gain survival skills, and learn that people around you are free to do whatever they want without you agreeing with it.

Living in a dorm or a shared apartment is great for a young person. This is a chance to learn to respect people around recognizing that it’s their flaws and talents that are making them who they are.

No Confusion

At the same time, college life helps you not to get confused with your life choices. When you finish high school, getting enrolled in college seems logical. When you are doing your college degree, you have a few years to adjust to an adult life before you dive into work and commitments.

College dropouts usually feel confused with their life choices when they quit school. They start looking for a job, often taking low-paid options or involving themselves in a risky business. College students usually have more certainty in their lives.

You Become a Fighter

Even if college life becomes tiresome, not quitting teaches you a valuable lesson. You learn to prioritize, delegate tasks, find a way out of difficult situations, etc. Often, your college experience becomes a light version of real-life situations we all have in our adult lives.

Quitting means failing to withstand challenges. It does not usually end well for people. Most of them quit with no clear plan for their future. Instead, if they decide to stay, high chances are that they learn to cope with difficulties better.

Independence and Fun

College life teaches you to bear responsibility for your actions and choices. You have no one to respond to, no one to compare yourself with but yourself. You build up your character, define your principles, and learn to get over difficulties.

At the same time, college life clearly demonstrates that lots of troubles and difficulties can be handled if you join forces. A team of friends can make a task easier and bring some light into your life. College life is impossible without having fun with people you feel comfortable with, and this is truly the best part of it.

The Bottom Line: Why Drop Out If You Can Transfer?

Unfortunately, the decision to drop out is often emotional. Students quit and leave everything behind without properly thinking of the consequences. Obviously, this ends with a huge disappointment and broken expectations.

We highly recommend seeking other ways to resolve the problem if you feel that college life is not something you were looking for. You can try to change subjects if you believe that you are learning something that is not useful. Also, you can transfer to another college if it is the atmosphere that ruins you.

Transferring between electives or colleges is a lot more painless experience than quitting and starting everything from the beginning. Try all options available before deciding in favor of dropping out.

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Seven Reasons Why Cryptocurrency Is So Popular

December 17, 2020

Cryptocurrency is something that has been a hot topic of discussion for many years now. Most people are aware of what cryptocurrency is and you might even buy Bitcoin now and then. Even so, you might not know much about why cryptocurrency is so popular at the moment. There are actually multiple reasons why cryptocurrency has become so relevant and you can explore seven of those reasons by reading the information below.

1. Fees Are Very Low

One of the biggest reasons why cryptocurrency is popular around the world is that there are very few fees associated with using it. When you’re using various other types of online payment options, you’re often going to incur large fees. The very low fees that you have to deal with when using various cryptocurrencies will be a much better deal for you. It makes sense for many people to use cryptocurrencies to pay for items online and lots of people also find it to be safe. Digital currencies like Bitcoin are easy to buy on a crypto exchange like Independent Reserve.

2. Cryptocurrencies Aren’t Associated with World Governments

Another good reason why people place faith in cryptocurrencies is that these currencies aren’t associated with world governments. This means that cryptocurrencies have the potential to remain stable even when there is turmoil in a specific country. Some investors see cryptocurrencies as a good way to protect their wealth and this is one reason why cryptocurrency has continued to rise over the years. The potential that cryptocurrencies could be safer than some official government currencies makes them more appealing.

3. There Is Potential for Profit

Of course, the potential for profit is another huge reason why people get involved with cryptocurrencies. If you buy Bitcoin while it’s at a low price, then you can potentially profit when that price rises. Lots of people who invested in cryptocurrencies before they got super hot wound up making huge profits. Investors are still making money from cryptocurrencies because the market has not cooled in recent years.

4. It’s Getting Easier to Use Cryptocurrency

Using cryptocurrency is getting easier all the time, thanks to more online companies adopting it. You’ll find that more websites are starting to accept cryptocurrencies as payment and this will only become more prevalent in the future. It’s also interesting to note that there are now things such as cryptocurrency debit cards popping up in certain places. This might not be widespread right now but it is something that is very much happening.

As cryptocurrency continues to become more common, it’s going to reach more and more people. This leads to an increase in awareness and an overall surge in popularity. More people understand that this is an option now and many of the questions about what cryptocurrency is are being answered. Lots of people have at least a bit of knowledge about what things such as Bitcoin are and this makes it more desirable.

5. Overall Security Is Important

Protecting your identity and your money is important, and you know how hard cybersecurity has become in modern times. Using cryptocurrency to pay for things online is actually a lot safer than many other traditional payment options. If you’re at all worried about cybersecurity issues, then deciding to use cryptocurrency might be a good idea. The security of cryptocurrency is one of the things that has helped it to become so popular over time.

6. It’s Easy to Get

Getting cryptocurrency isn’t some difficult thing that you’re going to have to jump through a lot of hoops to do. It’s actually possible to get the cryptocurrency that you want from reputable sources and the ease of getting cryptocurrency has helped it to grow in popularity. In the past, people might have thought of cryptocurrency as some type of shady and unknown entity but it’s become a common thing in many circles now. If you have yet to purchase cryptocurrency, then you’ll find that the process is decidedly simple and customer-friendly.

7. It’s Seen as the Future

Finally, you could say that cryptocurrencies are seen as the future of money by many individuals. People who adopt crypto trading and cryptocurrency now are also adopting major technological innovations such as blockchain. This allows you to be on the cutting edge and it makes sense for many to get ahead of the curve. Blockchain technology is supposed to change the world in many ways and it’s going to make trading a much more transparent process.

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Legal Compliance With Health Guidelines-How Canadian Employers Can Stay Safe

December 17, 2020

The pandemic has brought hard times for businesses, and the stress goes beyond only sustaining their sales and operations. They are also struggling as employers because the situation has made them vulnerable to employment lawsuits. Thankfully, the Canadian government is doing its bit to help businesses recover and stay safe from civil claims for COVID-19 exposure liability.

According to Bill 218 announced recently by the Ontario provincial government, employers are not liable for people being infected at their workplace if they have made a good-faith effort for compliance with public health guidance. Once the bill becomes law, you can stay safe with some practical steps to comply with the guidelines. Here are the ones you can start following right now.

Keep track of changing guidelines

If you want to stay on the right side of the law, you need to be extra conscious about staying ahead of the guidelines. It can get a bit tricky, considering that you will have to keep track of them because they keep changing time and again. Moreover, implementing COVID-19 guidance from federal, provincial, and municipal is easier said than done. But the effort is worthwhile because it ensures the safety of your employees and a smooth sail for your business.

Document your initiatives

Protecting your business from litigation becomes a tad easier if you have proper records. Documenting your initiatives to comply with the recommended COVID-19 protocols is a viable measure to protect your organization from liability. Having a written COVID-19 Safety Plan is the best place to start. Ensure that it documents the policies and procedures you have in place to curb the risk of exposure in the workplace.

Have clear and formal processes

A crisis of this magnitude requires clear and formal processes that can eliminate confusion and maintain order for your organization. Ensure that you have a formal process for reporting infection if an employee gets infected. Consulting a Toronto Employment Lawyer before establishing a process is a good idea as experts can guide you about the legal aspects such as leaves and benefits for the sick employees. Revisit and realign regular operational processes such as remote meetings and doorstep delivery for extra safety.

Ensure clear communication

Signage and communication are vital to establishing that you have made the best efforts to curb infection among your employees as an employer. Place visible signage for aspects such as physical distancing rules, workstation protocols, restrictions regarding the use of communal areas, and cleaning and disinfection of high-touch areas such as washrooms, elevators, and meeting rooms.

Invest in employee training

Apart from communicating information, you can go the extra mile with employee safety training during the pandemic. Conduct training sessions to educate employees on possible COVID-19 transmission points at work so that people can avoid them and prevent the spread of infection. Ensure that the information gets through in an easy-to-understand form. Including graphics and visual presentations is a good initiative.

The pandemic has opened up unprecedented risks for employers. Ones who aren’t proactive with the compliance of COVID-19 safety protocols can expect to face litigation if employees get sick. Moreover, such a situation can result in the loss of productivity and lower employee morale. So it is vital to do everything possible to keep your employees and workplace safe from the virus.

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Will the reduction to stamp duty rates be extended?

December 16, 2020

In an effort to reinvigorate the housing market in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, announced a temporary reduction to stamp duty land tax rates in July 2020, whereby the property threshold for stamp duty was raised to £500,000 for main residence properties bought from 8 July 2020 to 31 March 2021 inclusive, saving buyers up to £15,000 and making many properties exempt from the tax. For properties priced over £500,000, buyers have only been taxed on any amount above £500,000 during this period.

Since this incentive was introduced, there has been a significant increase in both property transactions and, concurrently, in house prices. Traditionally a quieter month for sales, even November 2020 has seen a rise in house price growth to 6.5%, which is the highest rate since January 2015. Whilst this may have initially been due in part to a backlog of properties and new buyers who had been unable to proceed during the first lockdown period, we are certainly still seeing the impact of buyers rushing to complete their property purchases before the March 2021 deadline for stamp duty reductions.

Currently, the Government remains firm on the deadline of 31 March 2021. When questioned on the possibility of an extension at the end of October, Housing Minister Chris Pincher noted that “The government does not plan to extend this relief and will continue to monitor the property market.” This means that stamp duty rates are due to return to the pre-relief rates below from 1 April 2021.

Price of property	Stamp duty payable
Up to £125,000 (or £150,000 for non-residential properties)	0%
The portion from £125,001 to £250,000	2%
The portion from £250,001 to £925,000	5%
The portion from £925,001 to £1.5 million	10%
Anything above £1.5 million	12%

First-time buyers will also continue to receive a discounted rate if they, and anyone else they buy with, are first-time buyers and the purchase price is £500,000 or less. Shared ownership, leasehold and buy to let properties will also be subject to stamp duty as normal.

However, at the beginning of November 2020, a group of industry insiders including 14 trade bodies made up of estate agency, conveyancing, surveying and removals associations wrote a joint letter to the Chancellor requesting a 6-month extension to the stamp duty deadline. The group asked for the extension to ease the current burden on the sector and avoid the negative impact on the property market and wider economy of thousands of property sales not meeting the deadline and potentially falling through altogether. They have asked for an announcement on the matter to be made before Christmas.

To put the current state of the property market into context, the property portal Zoopla has reported a conservative estimate of around 140,000 on-going property transactions, which is twice the usual number for this time of year, with the vast majority seeking a completion date prior to 31 March 2020. But whilst Rightmove is still reporting sales prices at an all-time high, this doesn’t necessarily give an accurate gauge of what buyers are actually paying.

Given that we expect to see the economic impact of Covid-19, the end of the job retention bonus and job support scheme plus the impending Brexit fall out in the not too distant future, and with unemployment and redundancy figures at an all-time high, predictions of a recession could become an all too familiar reality. Indeed, a decrease in house prices of anywhere from 5% and 14% in 2021 has been predicted whilst the labour market recovers and the uncertainty around the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic begins to subside (we hope). For those buyers who are overpaying now to secure a house in a competitive rush to beat the stamp duty deadline, this could mean being left with a property whose value decreases in the next 6 to 12 months, or worse, leaves them in a position of negative equity.

But is a stamp duty extension likely? Given the Government’s volte-face on an extension to the furlough scheme it may be possible that they take on board recent calls for an extension to the stamp duty cut, but there has been no indication of this to date and some keen developers have even taken the matter into their own hands to offer subsidised stamp duty until October 2021 to incentivise cautious buyers going forward.

However, potential buyers are advised not rush into buying a home now based solely on stamp duty incentives or a currently buoyant property market at the risk of losing out in the long term with a property which has decreased in value or with unfavourable interest rates from cautious lenders.

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Italian Dual Citizenship- Know Your Legal Obligations If You Live Abroad

December 16, 2020

Italy is an amazing country to live in, which is the reason why a large number of Americans aspire to get dual citizenship to the country. It opens a range of benefits for you, from the ability to reside, work and travel to Italy and other EU member states to the simplified purchase of property in the country, automatic Italian citizenship for your children and more. But with the benefits come some obligations that you have to fulfill to maintain the dual status. Here are the legal obligations you have to execute even when you love in another country.

Register and file AIRE

If you are a citizen of Italy but reside elsewhere, it is your responsibility to register with the Italian registry system. Anagrafe degli Italiani Residenti all’Estero (AIRE) requires the country’s citizens who reside abroad to register and file their residency and living abroad status so that the government can maintain their citizenship records. While it is an obligation, registration is vital as it ensures that you get the benefits that are available for the citizens of the country at the Italian consulate office. These include the renewal and replacement of the Italian passport. AIRE registration is a simple process. All you need to do is visit an Italian consulate office in the U.S.

Pay taxes in Italy

With dual citizenship, you have to pay taxes in the country even if you live abroad. However, the calculation of taxes due depends on your residence status and where the income is earned. Since taxes for people with Italian Dual Citizenship can get confusing, it is best to consult an expert. For instance, if you earn this income in Italy, but you reside in the U.S., you will have to pay your tax in Italy only on the income earned here, provided that you lived here for less than 183 days in the year. Conversely, you will have to pay tax on your entire income in Italy if you were here for more than 183 days, even if it was earned elsewhere.

Vote in Italian elections

Italian citizens with dual-status have the privilege to vote in the country’s elections, even if they reside abroad. Such people must exercise this right, either by being present in the country in-person or voting back home at the Italian consulate. Your residence in Italy or the U.S. decides which national elections and municipal elections you can cast a vote in.

Report for military duty on being called

Young men holding dual citizenship status and residing in the U.S. are required to register for the U.S. Selective Service. At the same time, they must also report for military duty in Italy if there is a national emergency in Italy and the government orders the country’s citizens to report for duty. Despite the obligation, it is notable that Italy has never recalled its citizens residing in other countries to report for military duty.

Abide the laws of both countries

Anyone holding an American-Italian dual citizenship status has to abide by the laws of both countries, regardless of where they reside at any time. For example, if there are some travel restrictions for some countries on U.S. citizens, you are obligated to adhere to them. The condition is applicable even if these travel restrictions do not apply to Italian citizenships, and the same works vice versa.

As a dual citizen, it is crucial to understand your responsibilities and obligations towards both countries. Following them protects your status and ensures that you get the applicable benefits.

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What Should We Expect From Legal Education In The Era of Globalization

December 16, 2020

Globalization the process by which businesses or other organizations start operating on an international scale and develop international influence. By accelerating exponentially during the last decades, it has been involving massive movements of people, products, services, and capital.

Main global risks brought by globalization:

Global environmental risks.
Income and wealth disparity
Populisms and nationalisms
Weakening of mechanisms of global cooperation among countries.
Technological disruption

Even though these risks cannot reverse globalization, they can shape it in various ways.

At the same time, globalization generates opportunities that call for institutions, norms, and processes. Law schools, among others, also realize the need to innovate at a systemic level. The key reason why innovation is so important is that modern legal education models were originally developed to train legal professionals for the industrial revolution of the XIX century and not the technological revolution of the XXI century.

In order to practice law in a specific jurisdiction, that law schools are closely tied up with, (at the very least convenient) future legal industry workers need to survive and graduate from a law school, find best BAR prep to prepare for the bar exam, and then undergo an internship within that jurisdiction.

Law schools nowadays fail to produce “practice-ready” law graduates, passing this task to employers that are forced to spend time and resources in order to train recent graduates. The law school management of course is aware of this problem, and some efforts are being reacted, and the majority are struggling to liquidate this issue, even though it’s clear that this process will take decades, and no one knows what new problems legal education will have to deal with in the future.

Strategies for enacting innovative change in legal education at a systemic level

Most of these observations outlined below could be implemented at a relatively low cost, still requiring law school leaders and administrators to have a strong innovation spirit. And better if it will happen at the global level.

Active learning methodologies – project-based learning is particularly suitable for this, allowing students to take control of their own learning in small groups.
Developing soft skills – by forming multicultural classrooms, soft skills develop smoothly and seamlessly.
Promote research on global and comparative law – high quality, and multidisciplinary.
Strategic cooperation and agreements with law schools in other countries – to maximize student´s exposure to different legal systems and legal traditions.
Strategic cooperation and agreements with other schools from all over the world, particularly noon-law, like political sciences, philosophy, economics, etc.
Promote cooperation between students-entrepreneurs – by creating or collaborating with venture labs, incubators, and accelerators.
Promote cooperation, on the other hand, with law firms, and corporations will help the curriculum remain relevant and students tuned to legal practice.

Final thoughts

Law schools need to accept responsibility for constantly offering professionals the opportunities to adapt their knowledge and skills to the rapidly changing conditions and factors of the legal world. But is achieving all this even thinkable? Many experts believe that 4 – 5 years is enough to place strong foundations on which students will later build upon.

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