Business
Sainsbury’s launches new graduate programme with AI focus
Sainsbury’s has announced it is launching a new graduate programme focused on developing skills in artificial intelligence.
The FutureMaker programme, which will take on nearly 50 graduates in the firm’s store support centre, will last for two years and aims to help graduates develop critical digital and artificial intelligence (AI) skills, which the retailer views as vital for supporting future business growth.
The decision to focus the new graduate programme on digital and AI skills was informed by “extensive research” into the future needs of the business, the company said.
Graduates on the scheme will also develop skills in areas including data and analytics, as well as business decision-making.
It comes after warnings earlier this year that UK graduates were facing the toughest job market in years, according to job search site Indeed.
The number of roles advertised for graduates was down 33% on the previous year, its lowest level in seven years.
By focusing its programme on these skills, Sainsbury’s hopes to open more accessible pathways for graduates, improving their digital confidence by demystifying AI and machine learning and enabling more responsible use of these tools.
A Sainsbury’s spokesperson said: “As a proud people-first business, our colleagues are at the heart of everything we do.
“We’re committed to investing in early careers and have spent time identifying the skills our future leaders will need to help us build a sustainable retail talent pipeline.”
In 2024, the retailer announced a partnership with Microsoft to enhance customer and colleague experience with AI, including “upskilling programmes for Sainsbury’s colleagues, helping them learn and grow in the new AI-driven economy”.
Clodagh Moriarty, Sainsbury’s chief retail and technology officer, said of the partnership at the time: “It’s one of the key ways we’re investing in transforming our capabilities over the next three years, enabling us to take another big leap forward in efficiency and productivity.”
But the supermarket stressed that the new graduate programme was not specifically connected to that partnership.
Applications for the graduate scheme open on January 9.
Over the past two years, Sainsbury’s has announced two rounds of job cuts, axing 1,500 jobs in February 2024 and 3,000 jobs in January 2025, as part of plans to simplify its business and cut £1 billion in costs in a challenging economic environment.
Part of its overhaul has also included increasing investment in automation and AI.
Business
Eli Lilly launches new form of obesity drug Zepbound with a month’s worth of doses in one pen
An Eli Lilly & Co. Zepbound injection pen arranged in the Brooklyn borough of New York on March 28, 2024.
Shelby Knowles | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Eli Lilly on Monday launched a new form of its blockbuster obesity drug, Zepbound, that offers a month’s worth of doses in a single pen.
Cash-paying patients can get the multi-dose device, called KwikPen, on the company’s direct-to-consumer website, LillyDirect. Prices start at $299 per month for the lowest dose level.
The pen could serve as a more convenient option for some patients, as it reduces the number of devices they have to use in a month to take the drug. Patients can use one pen to take four weekly doses of Zepbound.
Currently, patients on the treatment use a different single-dose autoinjector device each week. Lilly also offers single-dose vials of Zepbound, which requires users to draw the medication into a syringe and inject themselves.
The announcement comes as Lilly works to sustain the early success of Zepbound, which has exploded in demand since it first entered the market in late 2023. LillyDirect has been key to Zepbound’s growth, and rolling out a new form of the drug on the platform could attract even more patients.
The torrid growth of Zepbound has helped Eli Lilly seize a majority share of the weight-loss drug market from rival Novo Nordisk. In the company’s fourth quarter, Zepbound brought in $4.2 billion in U.S. revenue, a 122% spike from the previous year.
In a release, Lilly said the Food and Drug Administration approved a label expansion for Zepbound to include the multi-dose device.
The KwikPen is already used for other drugs, such as Lilly’s popular diabetes medication, Mounjaro.
“As part of our commitment to supporting people living with obesity in their weight management journey, we are introducing a new option with the Zepbound KwikPen, a device trusted by patients globally and in the United States for other Lilly medicines,” said Ilya Yuffa, the president of Lilly USA and Global Customer Capabilities, in the release.
Business
Govt to return unclaimed EPFO deposits, expand scholarships for unorganised workers’ children – The Times of India
The labour ministry has initiated a process to return unclaimed funds lying in inoperative Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) accounts to subscribers, a move expected to benefit over 3.1 million account holders, labour minister Mansukh Mandaviya said.A pilot phase covering about 0.7 million subscribers will be rolled out shortly after the decision was taken during a weekly review meeting chaired by the minister, according to an ET report.EPFO currently has around 31.86 lakh inoperative accounts holding deposits worth Rs 10,903 crore. Nearly 7.11 lakh of these accounts contain unclaimed balances of up to Rs 1,000, totalling Rs 30.52 crore.The ministry said several accounts are as old as 20 years and have recorded no transactions for the past three years, leading to their classification as inoperative.Accounts selected for the pilot phase already have Aadhaar-linked bank details available with EPFO, enabling the retirement fund body to directly credit the pending amounts to subscribers.Under provisions of the EPF & MP Act, beneficiaries must file claims to withdraw their provident fund savings. However, authorities observed that in many cases the balance amount is too small compared with the documentation required, resulting in a buildup of unclaimed deposits over time.
Scholarship scheme to be strengthened
Alongside the payout initiative, the labour ministry said its education assistance programme for children of unorganised workers will now include a merit-based scholarship of up to Rs 25,000 in addition to the existing welfare-based support.“In order to enhance equity, remove unintended exclusions and ensure policy clarity, the ministry is amending the scheme guidelines to allow a student who is availing the ministry’s welfare-based scholarship to also receive a merit-based scholarship from any central or state government agency, wherever eligible,” the labour ministry said in a statement.The ministry said about 0.16 million students have so far received welfare-based financial assistance amounting to Rs 77.9 crore this year, compared with 92,118 beneficiaries who received Rs 31.65 crore in 2024-25.According to the ministry, the initiative aligns with the Code on Social Security, 2020, which seeks to expand social security and welfare measures, including education support, for unorganised workers and their families.
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Noida international airport at Jewar next month, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath said during an interaction with the Indian diaspora in Singapore.Highlighting the state’s aviation infrastructure, Yogi said Uttar Pradesh currently has the highest number of airports in the country and that the upcoming airport at Jewar would be the largest in India.“Uttar Pradesh has the highest number of airports in India. PM Modi will inaugurate Noida International Airport, Jewar, next month. This is about to be the biggest airport in India,” he said.He added, “Uttar Pradesh has it and today Uttar Pradesh also has the maximum number of airports in India and next month, Noida International Airport Jewar of Uttar Pradesh, which is going to be the biggest airport of India, is also going to be inaugurated by the hands of Prime Minister Modi. It will emerge as the biggest centre not only for passengers but also for cargo. A very big centre is being built and we are taking it forward.”The Noidai international airport at Jewar is expected to serve as a major passenger and cargo hub for the region once operational.
US’ Section 122 tariffs trigger volatility in chemical markets
Eli Lilly launches new form of obesity drug Zepbound with a month’s worth of doses in one pen
Team USA hockey stars keep America’s heroes top of mind after grabbing Olympic gold
-
Entertainment6 days agoQueen Camilla reveals her sister’s connection to Princess Diana
-
Tech6 days agoRakuten Mobile proposal selected for Jaxa space strategy | Computer Weekly
-
Politics6 days agoRamadan moon sighted in Saudi Arabia, other Gulf countries
-
Entertainment6 days agoRobert Duvall, known for his roles in "The Godfather" and "Apocalypse Now," dies at 95
-
Politics6 days agoTarique Rahman Takes Oath as Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Following Decisive BNP Triumph
-
Business6 days agoTax Saving FD: This Simple Investment Can Help You Earn And Save More
-
Tech6 days agoBusinesses may be caught by government proposals to restrict VPN use | Computer Weekly
-
Sports6 days agoUsman Tariq backs Babar and Shaheen ahead of do-or-die Namibia clash