Chamber

With a recognized aging workforce within the energy sector there is no doubt that Norfolk’s young people are an important workforce for the future.  However currently there is a complete lack of coordination relating to how we can get our young people work- ready.

 The Coalition Government swept away Business/Education groups and all their funding; abolished Connexions which although did need reforming at least was a point of contact for schools and businesses and has changed the statutory duty for schools relating to careers.  Careers Education which was a statutory duty is no longer a priority and although most schools do give some time to it the quality is variable; Careers Guidance which is independent one2one advice is now a statutory duty but with no funding attached. Not a positive picture.

What always happens when there is a gap in the market is that commercial suppliers move in to fill the gap. Although many of them have great products, schools find it a real challenge to understand what is available overall and what would be right for them.  There is a danger they will buy a product to tick the Government’s boxes.

Is the message really getting through to our young people and their parents that on their door step there are and will be a vast number and types of jobs within the energy sector and so it an exciting career choice.  The answer is probably No.  The confusion of places to get information and the types of opportunities available is far from clear. The schools structures are changing and they no longer work as closely together as they have done in the past.

Norfolk Chamber has identified 2013 as the year to increase the potential of our young people. We are in the advantageous position of having within our Chamber network, schools, colleges, local authorities and of course businesses and have started to challenge the current situation. A recent meeting in GY between the GYBC cabinet, GY Chamber Council. GY College and GY schools identified that there were opportunities within the curriculum timetable to introduce improved careers information and the Chamber has challenged the GY School Heads to work together so the business community have a single group to work with.

Apprenticeships have improved considerably and many energy sector companies are showing real best practice but for many is it confusing and time consuming. Norfolk Chamber has secured funding from the Skills Funding Agency to set up a Chamber Apprenticeship Broker Service to help local businesses employ 40 apprenticeships aged between 16 -18, by the end of October 2013.

There are a number of different apprenticeship schemes now operating in Norfolk. The role of the Chamber will be to lend a helping hand to businesses to help them identify the most appropriate scheme and providers to meet their needs and get more young people into jobs. Chris Perry at the Chamber is the key contact on 01603 729707 chris.perry@norfolkchamber.co.uk.

The business community understands its responsibility to its young people and many local businesses are giving time and resource to explain the opportunities available to them. However a more coordinated approach needs to be taken across the Board and the Chamber and its embers will be at the forefront of making this happen. 

George Osborne got a number of things right in his Spending Round for 2015/16 this week. From a business perspective, longer-term commitments to infrastructure funding – including a clear nod to British Chamber of Commerce proposals for road maintenance and house-building – will yield both confidence and additional activity. So, too, will the Chancellor’s efforts to shield some business spending priorities from his well-honed axe, including export support, science and innovation, and defence procurement. A number of the things that featured on Chamber members’ wish lists, we are told, will be tackled in the near future – if not immediately.

Yet the Chancellor, and the political elite as a whole, also got some things very wrong. The overly partisan tone of his speech, and the debate which followed, was a sobering reminder of the fact that both sides of the House of Commons remain more focused on electoral advantage than the national interest. Questions remain about whether, and how fast, ministers’ promises of action and investment will materialise. But most importantly, the Spending Round represents a failure to more radically re-prioritise state spending on growth and competitiveness. Despite a clear effort to contain, if not slash, ballooning welfare and entitlement spending, the government’s failure to radically re-shape the state may be something Britain lives to regret in the second half of this decade.

For every win for national Chamber network lobbying – and there were many, from long-fought road improvements on the A14, A19, A303 or M20 – I cannot help but wonder what might have been if a truly ground-breaking course had been set with wealth creation, prosperity and competitiveness at its heart. Norfolk Chabmer was particularly disappointment that the A47 was not on the list for funding but we will continue to lobby for what we know the business community needs.

So we will continue the support BCC in their fight , led as of yesterday’s Annual General Meeting by a new BCC President, Nora Senior. You may have caught Nora’s first interview in this morning’s Telegraph, the first of many to come over the next two years. I know she will be a strong and effective champion for Chambers and business, just as her predecessor Martyn Pellew has been, and look forward to working with her. 

We are delighted that Nora will be one of our key note speakers at our Unlocking Potential Business Conference in Norwich on 22 November.

There is a lot of talk about the need to support SMEs (in English that stands for Small and Medium Enterprises) who are the engine of growth for the UK economy.

 But what constitutes a small business?  I started to do some research and it depends who you ask and why you are asking. The Government statistics defines small as employing less than 50 staff and Medium fewer than 250.

Interestingly 99.5 per cent of all Norfolk businesses employ less than 200 staff with 85 percent employing less than 10. As an aside in public sector speak businesses employing less than 10 are defined as micro- a term disliked intensely by small businesses who fall into that category.

So does size matter? Well yes and no. If you are after government funding it matters a lot as if you don’t fit the number of employee and turnover criterion set by the different funders you do not qualify.

However what is more important to an individual business is their size in relation to their own sector. A firm of a given size could be small in relation to one sector where the market is large and there are many competitors, whereas a firm of similar proportions could be considered large in another sector with few players and/or generally smaller firms within it.

At the Chamber we feel is it not necessarily the size, shape and age of a business that matters as much as their attitude, although we do realise that the number of employees does often determine the structure of the business.

 Although a small business ourselves, employing 12 staff, Norfolk Chamber due to the nature of our business and the expectations of our members has many of the structures of a larger business i.e. accreditations such as ISO9001 and IIP. This combination of accreditations and versatility works for us as it is a differentiator.

What is clear is that our Norfolk Chamber smaller members are living up to their reputation of being dynamic and successful.  We asked the question recently to our members “What is particularly exciting about your business right now?” The answers came back loud and clear!

There are too many quotes to include them all but comments include  Liftshare: “Signing up some huge new clients like Vodaphone, Serco and nPower” Deltic Training: “Increasing amount of business overseas” Right Angle Events ” We are currently in a state of excellent growth and have taken on new personnel” Paul Robinson Partnership “The implementation of BIM technology and collaboration across all projects is a real step forward. “AFA Projects “Changing delivery methods – we recently delivered training in South Africa from our converted cow shed” Britannia Fire “Double digit growth in turnover and in profit” Tax Assist Direct “International expansion to USA Canada and ANZ” and there were many many more.

As the economy starts to show promise it is really great that Norfolk’s smaller businesses are alive and very much kicking. The future will continue to be challenging but there is no doubt this sector of our business community is up to the challenge.There is a lot of talk about the need to support SMEs (in English that stands for Small and Medium Enterprises) who are the engine of growth for the UK economy.

 But what constitutes a small business?  I started to do some research and it depends who you ask and why you are asking. The Government statistics defines small as employing less than 50 staff and Medium fewer than 250.

Interestingly 99.5 per cent of all Norfolk businesses employ less than 200 staff with 85 percent employing less than 10. As an aside in public sector speak businesses employing less than 10 are defined as micro- a term disliked intensely by small businesses who fall into that category.

So does size matter? Well yes and no. If you are after government funding it matters a lot as if you don’t fit the number of employee and turnover criterion set by the different funders you do not qualify.

However what is more important to an individual business is their size in relation to their own sector. A firm of a given size could be small in relation to one sector where the market is large and there are many competitors, whereas a firm of similar proportions could be considered large in another sector with few players and/or generally smaller firms within it.

At the Chamber we feel is it not necessarily the size, shape and age of a business that matters as much as their attitude, although we do realise that the number of employees does often determine the structure of the business.

 Although a small business ourselves, employing 12 staff, Norfolk Chamber due to the nature of our business and the expectations of our members has many of the structures of a larger business i.e. accreditations such as ISO9001 and IIP. This combination of accreditations and versatility works for us as it is a differentiator.

What is clear is that our Norfolk Chamber smaller members are living up to their reputation of being dynamic and successful.  We asked the question recently to our members “What is particularly exciting about your business right now?” The answers came back loud and clear!

There are too many quotes to include them all but comments include  Liftshare: “Signing up some huge new clients like Vodaphone, Serco and nPower” Deltic Training: “Increasing amount of business overseas” Right Angle Events ” We are currently in a state of excellent growth and have taken on new personnel” Paul Robinson Partnership “The implementation of BIM technology and collaboration across all projects is a real step forward. “AFA Projects “Changing delivery methods – we recently delivered training in South Africa from our converted cow shed” Britannia Fire “Double digit growth in turnover and in profit” Tax Assist Direct “International expansion to USA Canada and ANZ” and there were many many more.

As the economy starts to show promise it is really great that Norfolk’s smaller businesses are alive and very much kicking. The future will continue to be challenging but there is no doubt this sector of our business community is up to the challenge.

When it comes to the economy, it feels like rays of sunshine are breaking out from behind the clouds that have been parked over the United Kingdom ever since the financial crisis of 2008. As the British Chamber of Commerce (BCC) brand-new Q3 forecast suggests, growth is likely to be higher than anticipated over each of the next three years. Recent economic releases, from net trade to retail sales, show an uptick in our national performance. Barring business investment, nearly every indicator monitored in the latest Bank of England agents’ report is trending positive – mirroring the trends the Chamber Network first spotted in the Quarterly Economic Survey this spring.

So there are real, and increasing, reasons for Norfolk business to be cheerful. It’s not just a long spell of warm and summery weather, but a recovery in real world conditions, that underlies the latest trends in the economy. But we’re not completely out of the woods yet. There are a number of factors that we at the Chamber will continue to keep an eye on that could affect the scale and pace of our economic resurgence. As John Longworth Director General at the BCC has said, recovery is precisely the time when the political class must be most alert and attentive, because any slackening of their focus on growth could hurt our prospects of moving the economy from good to truly great. Some of the factors we’ll be watching carefully:

• International shocks. With the potential for conflict in Syria, German elections, and the never-ending Eurozone drama, events overseas could impact us here – from inflation and energy price spikes through to impacts on demand in our key export markets.}  
• The UK’s public finances. Don’t believe the political rhetoric on either side; at best, we’re treading water. The markets have been benign and accommodating to date, but there’s no guarantee this will continue over the medium-term.  
• Monetary policy. Mark Carney, the new Bank of England governor, chose to make his first major public speech at Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Chamber  this week, and highlighted his commitment to forward guidance on interest rates and stability in monetary policy. Yet interest rates could rise faster than predicted if the recovery continues to gather strength. What’s more, there is an eventual reckoning to be had as quantitative easing is unwound and withdrawn from the market.  
• Business investment. As both our QES and the Bank of England’s figures show, businesses remain reluctant to undertake major investments. Amongst the new and growing, this may reflect tight credit conditions and discouragement.  Amongst established and larger companies, though, this is continued conservatism at a time of perceived uncertainty. Unless investment picks up, rebalancing may be some way behind.  
• Public investment. Our Westminster politicians have an innate ability to wobble at precisely the worst time, as behaviour over HS2 has demonstrated this week. Indecision and uncertainty on road, rail, energy and aviation projects could hurt our medium-term recovery prospects.  
• And finally, the UK’s trade balance. While Chamber exporters continue to power ahead in many markets across the world, particularly in services, we’re not seeing the kind of shift in the UK’s trade performance that meets market expectations (to say nothing of pushing the UK’s dire balance-of-payments track record into the black).

The fine balance between opportunities and threats makes our job at the Chamber complex, to say the least. But I am confident in saying that I feel better about the prospects for Norfolk businesses than for a considerable time. As a very wise person once said, “you can’t stop the waves, but you can learn how to surf”. Norfolk businesses are starting to hone their surfing skills – and we’re here to help.

Here’s an interesting quote from a man who knows a thing or two about marketing in the internet age. Pierre Omidyar, founder of eBay, said, ‘We have technology, finally, that for the first time in human history allows people to really maintain rich connections with much larger numbers of people’.

It’s obvious of course, and the vast majority of us now shop online, search for information there and connect with family and friends through the social media. At work we readily embrace the digital age, sending e mails every day, visiting websites and using computers, tablets and smart phones as simply tools of the trade.

But how often do we take a step back and ask ourselves if we’re really using the technology to do better business? In reality, and despite their sophistication, the digital and online opportunities that we have are media. No business would use what we now call the traditional media of press, radio and TV without a strategy. Identifying the audience you want to reach, getting the message right and requiring measurable results are prerequisites for planning.

It’s not that you have to become a geek, with the technical skills to write computer code, any more than you needed to be a skilled printer to place a press advertisement. It’s about knowing how to use the digital media to generate sales.

Do you for instance actively enhance your profile by planned on line activity? Do you target your e mail campaigns to ensure maximum returns? Is your company growing its database of contacts?

Aside from e mails and interaction with your website, the social media are now a vital element in the business marketing mix. By identifying the appropriate networks and using them strategically organisations can build brand awareness and create a dialogue with customers. 

Brand building doesn’t happen by accident however. SEO, the Search Engine Optimisation that ensures more people find you when they’re looking for your kind of products and services, is a critical part of a serious online strategy.

Most of us, at home and at work, are increasingly ‘savvy’ when it comes to the internet. But even now we’re capable of taking it for granted. When it comes to business we need to make sure that we’re using it to our advantage. To make them work for you requires a certain level of technical knowledge of course, but more importantly it needs an understanding of who your customers are, and how you can best interact with them. What are the words that will make them open your e mails? Are they part of the hugely significant 50% of online network users who subsequently took off line action? In other words, because they met you in a virtual place they then went to a real place to buy your product. The Chamber’s be better@online event taking place next week will answer many of my questions; I suggest you use it to help answer yours.

As Bill Schrader said, ‘Almost overnight the internet’s gone from a technical wonder to a business must’.