A chance to share business ideas with a group of like minded small business owners, all looking to grow and expand. We always have an interesting and packed agenda, covering all aspects of sales and marketing – practical easy to do things that will make a difference.
I can promise an action packed start to your day, plus the chance to meet some great local business owners. No need to book, just turn up and we have free tea and coffee too!
We meet in Poringland with an 8am start, finishing by 10.
Despite all the uncertainty in today’s current climate, the UK jobs market for specialist positions is still extremely competitive and fast moving. Which is why Ben Lurton, a consultant at Pure, is advising employers to be agile like a hare, and not tortoise like, when it comes to competing for top talent.
Ben explained: “As an example, a candidate I am currently working with was put forward for redundancy a week ago. Having immediately put out feelers about new roles, they are already at various interview stages for five different potential positions. This is becoming increasingly common. When a good employee comes on to the market, we often find a range of businesses keen to hire them.
“This is where the Tortoise and the Hare come in. It has long been believed that rushing any kind of process can lead to inaccuracy and poor decisions. Whereas a well thought out and thorough process will create a more robust and reliable outcome. While I agree with this in principle, when the competition for high calibre employees rises, as it has done, it is often the first organisation to the finish line who will win the race to employ the top talent. There needs to be a balance between being agile and quick, without being rushed. Here are some tip tips to achieving this.”
Be confident in knowing what you want
Make a conscious effort to always be aware of the additional skills and expertise your organisation could benefit from. Where are their gaps now? What resources do you need to achieve your business objectives and future growth plans? In knowing this, you will know when it is time to act quickly if the right person comes along.
Have a concise yet effective hiring process
Make your hiring process appropriate for the specific role rather than having set company-wide recruitment procedures for every position. This means you can just choose the appropriate processes to gain the information you need to make a good hiring decision quickly. For example, if team fit is paramount then include a staff meeting within the interview process. If the role is more centred on knowledge and experience then organise a panel interview, appropriate tests and request detailed CVs.
Make yourself available
Always remember that another organisation may have been able to meet someone on the Monday, do a second interview on the Tuesday and have made an offer by the Wednesday afternoon. If you don’t prioritise making the time to meet with high-quality candidates, they could already have accepted another job before you have even read their CV. Making yourself available shows commitment. It will make candidates feel wanted and will demonstrate that you are eager to get them on board.
Understand why the candidate wants to move
Get a clear understanding as to why the candidate is looking to make a career move. There are many different reasons it could be, from increased progression opportunities through to a better work-life balance or a desire for a different organisational culture and working relationships. Understanding the reasons why will help you to create the most attractive job offer. It will also help to you spot if you need to be wary about the motives behind the move. For example, if it is mainly money orientated, there is a strong possibility they may get a counter offer from their current employer and end up staying anyway.
Be prepared to compete in different ways.
Whilst money shouldn’t be the only priority for any good candidate, they will be aware of their market value and what their knowledge, experience and expertise is worth to an organisation. Be prepared to offer a fair and competitive salary, and also look to compete in other ways. This could include employee benefits and elements which impact on a candidate’s working lifestyle, such as the organisational culture, working environment and flexibility. People realise that they can still be ambitious without having to be in an office for over 12 hours a day. Look for ways, suitable to the role, which could give the candidate more time outside of work to do the things that are important to them. For example, reducing the time they spend commuting by offering the option to work from home some days or the offer of working flexible hours.
Flagship is a housing association with over 22,000 homes across East Anglia. We are a strong business looking for inspirational leaders to help us turn our aspirations into reality.
Director – Legal
c£80k (plus package)
Permanent, Full time
Based in Keswick, Norwich
We are seeking an experienced, highly motivated property lawyer to set up and lead a new in-house legal team, providing property and housing management legal services across our business. As an experienced property lawyer with a strong commercial focus, you will also lead on our ambitious growth plans with our private lettings ans sales portfolios. Working as part of the Senior Management Team, you will have responsibility for the operational direction of the day to day business.
Essential requirements for this role include:
Being a qualified solicitor with compehensive post-qualification experience in property law.
Experience of developing strategies and influencing Board decisions.
Experience of leading, supporting, educating and developing teams.
Managing and delivering complex operational issues on time with quality and to budget.
Constantly seeking conntinious improvement.
Being prepared to question the current way of doing things and taking managed risks in the pursuit of excellence.
If you are interested in this new and exciting opportunity, for more information and to apply, please visit: flagship-housing.co.uk/director-recruitment.
As part of National Apprenticeships Week (4-8 March), Flagship Group are celebrating their first Apprenticeship Ambassadors in trade.
Electrician Charlotte Savage and Plasterer Tayla-Jayne Johnson have now completed their apprenticeships with Flagship’s in-house repairs and maintenance company – RFT Services, becoming the only females in those roles at RFT.
Charlotte and Tayla recently joined the Norfolk Young Ambassador Apprentice Network (YAAN) to help pass on their knowledge of what it is like to undertake an apprenticeship and promote it as a positive career choice.
Tayla, who is 23 from Bradwell in Norfolk said: “I would definitely encourage others to take on an apprenticeship as you gain hands on experience and knowledge of the job role but also you gain a qualification at the same time. This means that you get a better understanding of the work entailed and will help you progress further.
“The most enjoyable aspect of being a young ambassador is meeting new people and knowing that I’m passing on my knowledge and experiences of apprenticeships to help others.
“I would recommend this to other apprentices as it opens you up to a community of people that you wouldn’t necessarily meet at any other time who are doing an apprenticeship but are from different jobs.”
Charlotte, who is 20 and from Norwich said: “So far I’ve really enjoyed meeting the other people on the training day (as part of YAAN) who do apprenticeships in so many different fields and hearing their apprenticeship story.
“I really believe that apprenticeships are the future. You can earn whilst you get a qualification and also you get the experience that employers look for.”
Head of Learning & Development at Flagship, Nadine Tapp, said: “We are passionate about growing our own talent which is why we invest in our Apprenticeship Programme. We are proud to have offered so many opportunities across our business areas to individuals to learn and develop.”
Flagship Bright Futures apprentices Matt Levesley, 19, and Ellie Colk, 20, both from Norwich, are also Young Apprenticeship Ambassadors. They started their Housing Policy and Practice Apprenticeship in 2017 and will complete the course in 2020. At that time, both will have gained a degree and have permanent employment with Flagship.
Flagship Group has recruited 44 apprentices to date through its Apprenticeship Programme with 28 people currently on apprenticeship programmes.
Greater Anglia’s Revenue Protection team has been awarded the prestigious ‘Investor in People’ Silver status in recognition of its progressive approach to business improvement through its people.
Around 350 members of staff work in the train operator’s Revenue Protection team, the team is made up of Revenue Inspectors, Making Travel Safer officers and Gateline Operators.
The team was able to demonstrate that they have achieved the 39 requirements needed to secure the standard IIP Status, which they have held since 2009, plus an additional 76 points of evidence that led to them achieving the Silver Status. The award shows that the Revenue Protection team takes a forward thinking and expansive approach to cascading best practice through every level of the organisation.
In his report, the IIP Assessor commented that: “There has been excellent development of a more appreciative culture throughout Revenue Protection. Employees at all levels acknowledge the efforts made to show appreciation for their contribution to the success of the organisation.”
Abellio Greater Anglia’s Head of Revenue Protection, Kim Gorman, said: “The award of ‘Investor in People’ Silver Status for our team is another key milestone in our approach to offering customers a consistent, professional and high-quality standard of service. I am pleased to offer my warmest congratulations to the team, who have all worked extremely hard in achieving this award.”
Currently just 6% of UK businesses achieve the Bronze, Silver and Gold IIP accreditations.
Other teams within Abellio Greater Anglia to hold the accreditation include the Catering Team (Silver Status) and the Customer Contact Centre (Gold Status).
Ahead of next week’s Autumn Budget, Chamber members had the opportunity to highlight and discuss the challenges facing the local business community with Andrew Jones MP, Exchequer Secretary to HM Treasury today (Friday 17 November). The meeting was hosted at the premises of Norfolk Chamber’s Gold Patron, MIGSOLV.
Amongst the topics discussed were business rates; the need for better broadband and mobile coverage; road and rail improvements; and the skills and enterprise agenda.
On skills, the business community highlighted the challenge in recruiting and retaining skilled staff, particularly in the construction and hi-tech sectors. The businesses also outlined the need to improve the profile of Norfolk to help attract skills from outside of the county.
Mobile and broadband coverage was again raised as a considerable challenge to those businesses wanting to be able to take advantage of new technology developments and compete with the rest of the UK. They noted that unreliable connections act as barriers to growth, which put those companies most in need of support at a competitive disadvantage.
Road and rail infrastructure was debated. Businesses highlighted the need to see improvements happen as quickly as possible and the capacity on the rail lines, including freight, were discussed.
Commenting on the meeting, Chris Sargisson, Chief Executive of Norfolk Chamber said:
“We are really pleased to welcome Andrew Jones MP to the Norfolk and give him the opportunity to hear from the local business community. It is important that Government Ministers understand the needs of Norfolk businesses and the Chamber will continue to ensure our members views are hear loud and clear in Westminster.”
The Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, Andrew Jones MP said:
“Thank you to the Chamber for arranging and to MigSolv for hosting this event, and to all those who participated. It’s important to hear first hand the views of local businesses. We discussed infrastructure and skills and the top message is Norfolk is open for business and has a positive vision”
We understand what our clients need And more importantly, we understand our clients. Our belief is that everyone should be treated as we would like to be treated ourselves. This is true for clients, candidates and everyone who walks through our door.
Working with east anglian employment Service Service was formed in 1980 and is a privately owned, independent recruitment agency that specialises in employment throughout Norfolk. Concentrating on a huge range of sectors, our company has placed candidates throughout a wide variety of positions and contracts.
Industry based leadership After commencing employment in 2006, Andrew Pitt took over the leadership of the company in early 2013, then became the sole owner of the business in 2018. Featuring a team of dedicated, job-loving consultants, we have a very low turnover of staff. You will be able to establish a relationship with a dedicated person of contact in our office, allowing us to grow into better understanding your needs.
With twenty years’ experience in the recruitment industry and ten years working with Service Service, Andy is quick to recognise changes and trends within the Norfolk jobs market. As a result our company is able to respond and reflexively meet the needs of both clients and candidates.
Our understanding and ethos The company philosophy is based around longevity. Every one of our consultants is focussed on creating long term relationships both with candidates and clients, and has a considerable experience working in their chosen recruitment sector.
Honesty and communication are at the forefront of everything we do. If we cannot help a client find a candidate, or we don’t believe that we’re the right company to fulfil a contract, we’ll be upfront about it.
We want to communicate our services in the most effective way and encourage as many businesses as possible to engage with us. TMS Media have been commissioned to produce a communications and marketing strategy for the growth programme and you can help shape that by completing this survey. If you provide your name and contact details, you will be entered into a draw to win a £50 Amazon voucher*. The survey takes just 5 – 8 minutes to complete and will really help us develop and improve our services.
TenderHelp is a market leading provider of bid and tender management services, with a win rate second to none. We support customers to find and win contracts through a suite of services, including:
Professional tender, bid and grant writing
Fully outsourced bid management
Tender reviews and evaluation
Tender preparation
Sourcing relevant tenders
Policy and procedure development
Training
Our service offering is fully flexible and tailored to meet your specific needs. We support companies of all sizes, in all sectors and industries, across the UK and Europe to tender for public and private contracts.
Our extensively experienced, skilled and knowledgeable team of bid writers and bid management specialists work with you to develop the highest quality submission document, giving you the very best chance of being successful. The team have many years’ experience in a range of procurement, tendering, bid management, tender writing, buying and contract management roles. This insight into what specifically the buyer will be looking for and expecting to receive is extremely beneficial in making your tender stand out from the crowd, giving you an advantage over your competitors.
We can ensure that your submission is not only top quality and covers all requirements, but that other important aspects that a buyer will be looking for are considered. Such as…
What are the corporate objectives and priorities of the organisation you are bidding to? How can you not only meet their buying needs but also contribute to their wider objectives?
If you are bidding to a local authority, what is its political make-up and how could this impact on their buying policies?
What pressures are the buying organisation facing and could this impact on the value they will be looking to achieve? Keep in mind that public organisations are increasingly looking to achieve social value as well as economic value.
Are there any key local stakeholders or organisations that you need to engage with or mention?
Stats and Achievements
üOver 550 tenders, bids, business cases, and applications developed and submitted
ü Success rate of 73% for all tenders and bids
ü Success rate of 94% for framework applications
ü Over 120 grant applications developed and submitted
ü Success rate of 82% for all grant applications
ü Helped acquire over £2.75bn in contracts for our customers
ü Successful in tender submissions in 10 different countries
ü Supported over 120 companies to win their first public sector contract
We want to communicate our services in the most effective way and encourage as many businesses as possible to engage with us. TMS Media have been commissioned to produce a communications and marketing strategy for the growth programme and you can help shape that by completing this survey. If you provide your name and contact details, you will be entered into a draw to win a £50 Amazon voucher*. The survey takes just 5 – 8 minutes to complete and will really help us develop and improve our services.
At TEKPRO, weare passionate about creating and delivering high-quality test equipment for post-harvest sampling and testing. From our headquarters in the beautiful Norfolk countryside, our family-owned business has grown to become the UK’s leading sampling company, with a global reach of over 100 countries.
We started our journey in 1989, with a vision to help customers cope with the pressures of the global food markets. We have a dedicated team of electro-mechanical engineers who design our products in-house, using cutting-edge technology and British craftsmanship.
We understand the importance of food and ingredient traceability for the agricultural industry and policymakers. That’s why our equipment produces accurate and representative samples that meet the strict standards of food quality and safety. We also support the ‘farm to fork’ strategy, which aims to build a safe, secure and sustainable food system. We work closely with the industry’s regulators to ensure our products help them achieve their goals.
In Short – We value simplicity, reliability, and longevity in everything we do.
The Samplex range consists of Bulk Samplers which are distinctively designed to ensure quality testing via a patented gravity-fed UniSpear to effectively generate a truly representative core sample, and which complies with the standards as set out in ISO24333. This range is accurate and adaptable for site-specific requirements as the sample consistency eliminates the associated risks with manual sample collection.
The Holmen pellet durability tester range are exclusively designed, manufactured and marketed by TEKPROunder licence from Borregaard. It is important to understand the Pellet Durability Index (PDI) effect which assists with the control of pellet quality. The Holmen range of testers can provide quality insights which is capable of increasing productivity and profit, by reducing energy and time-consuming reworking.
Our InsectomatInsect detection machine quickly and efficiently tests for the presence of insects within Wheat, Oats or Barley. This equipment allows customers to quickly check 5kg samples from loads to prevent contamination and reduce the risk of infestation in stored grains. The product was originally developed in collaboration with the Home Grown Cereals Authority in the UK.
We’re continuing to analyse the responses we’ve received through the consultation, particularly the letter and email responses and the ‘free text’ elements of the consultation survey, so we don’t have a complete picture of the consultation responses as yet. We plan to publish the full results when we announce our preferred route, alongside all the other information which has informed our decision-making – the date is to be decided due to a change in the County Council’s constitution (which will see us move from a committee system to a cabinet system later this spring).
However, because we know there is likely to be significant interest in the consultation results, we wanted to share some of the headline facts and figures with you at this point. These are:
The consultation website was viewed by 3,475 people and a total of 1,245 people came to 17 consultation events staffed by members of the Norwich Western Link project team.
We received more than 1,900 responses in total, with 1,825 responding via the consultation survey available on the consultation website and 104 sending their responses by letter or email.
Initial analysis of the responses to the consultation survey suggests there is strong agreement among respondents that there is a need for a Norwich Western Link road, with Option D ranking as the most popular solution, Option C the second most popular and Option A the least popular.
As mentioned, there is still a lot of important information we need to consider which will help us identify a preferred route for the Norwich Western Link. The project team are continuing to work hard to gather and take account of all this information before any conclusions are made.