Skip to main content

Member News

North East Norfolk Futures Event 2017 – More choice for Norfolk students.

On Tuesday 11th July 2017, Paston Sixth Form College is teaming up with Beacon East Careers and North Norfolk District Council to host the 2017 North East Norfolk Futures event. This year the event is significantly larger than previous years with more Universities and Employers attending. School pupils, sixth form students and their parents from all over the local area are invited to attend.  The event is designed to inspire and motivate students to research their future career goals. This year’s event will feature over 30+ Universities with students able to talk to representatives about the different courses on offer at each University, and also find out how to apply.  In Norfolk we are lucky to have a wealth of industry right on our door step and KLM Engineering, British Sugar and OPITOY oil and gas industry including many more have agreed to attend the event. Norwich, is the 4th largest contributor to medical research in the country after London, Manchester and Birmingham and with Norwich Research Park and STEM NET attending the event alongside a number Science and Technology stands, it will be a good event for those interested in science. A number of national companies such as Tesco, Lloyds Bank, McDonalds, Aldi and Marriott Hotels are also attending. Students and pupils from local schools will have over 50 employers to visit, where they will be able to find out about careers in all sorts of industries from NHS to Construction, to Music and Engineering, Law and Accountancy, Hair dressing and Hospitality.  In addition to this the Army, RAF, Navy and Police will be attending to answer questions about careers in the forces.  Apprenticeship Norfolk will also display information on careers and give out advice on apprenticeship opportunities in the local area.  All students attending will have access to a Careers Hub where they will receive advice and guidance from staff.  Kevin Grieve  – the Principal at Paston said:- ”The North East Norfolk Futures Event is now in its fifth year and it is set to be even bigger and better this year. This event will provide young people with a great opportunity to meet representatives from colleges, universities, apprenticeship providers and employers.” 

Service Desk technician – be part of something great

Norwich, Norfolk

12 hour 4 Day/Night shift rotation

£17,000 – £25,000 per year

MIGSOLV is an award winning world-class commercial data centre in East Anglia providing ultra-secure, high-quality, flexible colocation services. We are looking for a committed, self-motivated Service Desk Technician to join our Operations team based at our Norwich data centre.

Purpose of Role

The Service Desk Technician is responsible for the day to day operation of the data centre technical (white) space and the Service Desk. To ensure that good relationships are built and maintained with its clients and to ensure that there is a safe working environment at all times.

Responsibilities:

  • Installation and patching of any component within the Gatehouse facility in accordance with procedures and cabinet dressing standards.
  • Rack level cable management/dressing and patching.
  • Comprehensive customer support and troubleshooting.
  • Routine operational tasks throughout the site.
  • Service Desk administrative duties.
  • Processing of deliveries/collections in accordance with customer requirements and written procedures.
  • Understanding and adherence to Change Control Processes.
  • Compliance with ISO 9001, 14001 and 27001 written standards.
  • Comprehensive understanding and compliance of all MIGSOLV HSE related procedures.
  • The understanding and processing of Access Requests, Permits to Work and Risk Assessments.

Experience:

  • 1-2 years’ experience within an IT environment.
  • Comprehensive knowledge of Microsoft Office Productivity software.
  • Understanding of Network fundamentals.

Applicants must also be able to:

  • Be a self-starter and delivery focused.
  • Demonstrate good team work and organisational skills.
  • Be enthusiastic and flexible in your approach and attitude.
  • Show good communications skills, both verbal and written.

Qualifications:

  • GCSEs in English and Maths at Grade C or above.
  • IT associated accreditations preferred.
  • Full UK driving licence preferred.

Any applicant must be in a suitable position to work a 12 hour 4 days on, 4 days off (Day/Night) shift rotation.

Any successful applicant will be subject to a Basic Criminal Records check.

Apply here

Freebridge unveil new homes across West Norfolk

Freebridge unveil new homes across West Norfolk

Freebridge unveil new homes across West Norfolk This month sees the latest in a number of new homes in West Norfolk being unveiled by Freebridge Community Housing.

The latest development, on the former site of an old police house in St Edmundsbury Road in King’s Lynn, will see work completed on three two-bed houses, two four-bed houses and one shared house, which will be leased and operated by the YMCA. Tenants are due to move in at the beginning of next month. This follows keys being handed over to the tenants of seven brand new homes on Priory Road, North Wootton earlier in the year.

Tony Hall, Chief Executive of Freebridge said: “Our mission is to develop homes and create opportunities for people in West Norfolk and the developments at St Edmundsbury Road in North Lynn and Priory Road in North Wootton are great examples of this.

“We are passionate about providing people with good quality homes to live in and are delighted that we’re able to continue to support the needs of the community by providing much needed housing in places where people want to live.”

In addition to these two developments work has also just begun on transforming the long closed Rampant Horse pub in Gayton into two one-bed and two two-bed houses and the site of the old Blockbusters Video site in King’s Lynn into eight flats and two commercial units.

Ruben takes on dare devil plunge to raise money for Norfolk’s The Big C

Pure’s recruitment consultant Ruben Davis was one of the brave fundraisers to take part in a 160ft bungee jump challenge on Sunday (11 June) to raise money for Norfolk and Waveney cancer charity The Big C.

The event, held outside The Forum in Norwich, was organised by The Big C in partnership with the UK Bungee Club. The Big C is this year’s nominated charity for Pure’s Norwich team and Ruben volunteered for the daredevil challenge to play his part in raising vital funds. Surprisingly, despite being his first ever bungee jump, he said the nerves didn’t really kick in until the last moment.

He added: “In the lead up to it all I was quite nonchalant about the whole thing. It was only when I got there, saw the crane and realised just how high it was that the adrenaline started pumping. Luckily the team organising the event were so engaging and really helped to put me at ease. There was a fantastic view of Norwich which kept me reasonably distracted while I was up in the crane, and then I just had to take a leap of faith!”

The supporters, who gathered on Millennium Plain to watch the brave fundraisers, included Ruben’s wife and his nine-month old daughter, both of whom were glad to see him safely back on the ground afterwards. 

Ruben added: “Doing a bungee jump was one of those things I’d always thought about, but the right opportunity had never come up until now. It was an amazing experience and I would definitely do it again. One of the first things I did when I got home was to research the world’s largest bungee jump, just in case I can tie it into a holiday in the future! There was a fantastic atmosphere among everyone taking part and I’m delighted to have been able to help raise funds for such a fantastic organisation.”

The Big C provides drop in support and information centres across Norfolk and Waveney. These are used by thousands of people affected by cancer every year and provide valuable information about diagnosis, treatments, side effects and recovery. The support also includes trained staff who can provide emotional help, support and complementary therapies.

Pure had already raised over £2,700 for The Big C through its annual quiz night earlier in the year. Now Ruben’s fundraising plunge has raised a further £340 for the charity, with donations still coming in. There is still time to donate to Ruben’s fundraising efforts through his Just Giving page: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Ruben-Davis1

Could your business help prepare young people for the world of work?

Norfolk businesses are being urged to help support young people to be better prepared for work by offering work experience placements. Norfolk County Council’s Work Experience Norfolk campaign is asking for employers to pledge a work experience placement for a post-16 student in Norfolk. Giving students the opportunity to experience work while still at school is key to ensuring their work readiness as well as helping them to decide on a future career path. Creating work experience opportunities for students and school leavers also has great benefits for employers and can help towards achieving their own objectives. It gives the business the chance to gain access to local talent by seeing first-hand what young people in Norfolk have to offer – which often includes fresh ideas and a different perspective – particularly when it comes to the likes of using social media. Offering a work experience opportunity that a young person truly values can also help to raise the profile of a business with their family, friends and the local community. This can be a powerful recruitment tool for businesses as people will then recommend them as a good firm to work for. Placements can positively impact on existing staff too by boosting morale and raising confidence through offering mentoring opportunities and supervisory experience to staff. Cllr Penny Carpenter, Chair of Norfolk County Council’s Children’s Services Committee, said: “For employers, work experience is about giving back to society and helping the future economy by preparing young people for the world of work. Having a work experience programme where young people can work on real projects – not just some of the more mundane tasks – means they get a true picture of what it is like to work in an industry. “Businesses in our community are often willing to offer work experience as they are part of our wider community and can support a young person as they enter such an important stage of their life. I’d urge Norfolk businesses to help our young people by offering a work experience placement – it’s a two-way process and they can also see great benefits.” Work experience placements can be of varying lengths and take place at different times of the year; schools and colleges will work with the employer around the needs of the business so that both the student and employer will benefit. East Norfolk Sixth Form College student India Biocec completed a week-long placement in the accounts department at Proserv: “Spending time at Proserv allowed me to experience real-life work, which will help me feel more confident about starting a job when I leave college. I got the chance to sample office life, and was able to use some of the knowledge I’d learnt on my AAT course. I’d say it was an excellent all-round experience and I’m very grateful to everyone involved for giving me the opportunity.” If you’re an employer interested in inspiring and motivating local young people to help them be better prepared for work, complete the short form to let us know the opportunities you can offer to a Norfolk sixth form or college student. Please complete the form by 23 June if possible as this will give schools a chance to contact you before they break up for the summer holiday.

Bigfork design new website for Inspiralis

Bigfork designed the new website for Inspiralis, based on the Norwich Research Park, who supply Topoisomerase research products to the pharmaceutical and academia markets. The brief was to position Inspiralis as supplier of high quality products, we achieved with a modern, clean design and creative photography.

For the full story please click here

UEA appoints Relationship Manager for Business, Financial and Legal Services

The University of East Anglia welcomes Anna Douglas as their new Relationship Manager for Business, Financial and Legal Services, a role newly created to meet the growing needs of these areas within the University. Our Relationship Managers are highly experienced professionals who bring together expertise of working with a wide range of organisations and an in-depth knowledge of UEA.

Anna’s focus is to promote collaboration and partnerships between UEA, its academics and Schools of Study, with external organisations within the business, financial and legal services sectors.  Where businesses and professional firms are looking to grow, diversify or overcome a business challenge, UEA can help by providing access to academic expertise including consultancy, research, CPD and training, as well as introducing student and graduate talent via recruitment and internship programmes. Anna will be responsible for helping to create these partnerships through reinforcing existing and developing new relationships, whilst working closely with academics to help raise awareness of UEA’s research capabilities through knowledge exchange and engagement.

Anna joins the University from grant-making charity Norfolk Community Foundation, where she was Director of Marketing and Development, and worked with businesses, professional advisors, charitable trusts and individuals to support them with their corporate social responsibility and charitable giving.  Prior to that, Anna worked as Business Development Manager for Top 100 UK law firm, Birketts LLP developing sector and practice led focus groups, bids and tenders for legal services and legal directory submissions.

Contact Anna Douglas on:

Anna.Douglas@uea.ac.uk

Tel: 01603 597076

Our Relationship Managers across the sectors are:

Chris Blincoe – Digital, Heritage and Creative

C.Blincoe@uea.ac.uk

Tel: 01603 593445

Richard Clarke – Healthcare and Social Science

R.Clarke@uea.ac.uk

Tel: 01603 593178

Dr Karen Smith – Medical and Life Sciences

Karen.L.Smith@uea.ac.uk

Tel: 01603 593147

Dr Ruth Welters – Environment, Marine and Agriculture

R.Welters@uea.ac.uk

Tel: 01603 591569

Andy Whilding – Engineering

A.Whilding@uea.ac.uk

Tel: 01603 591488

For more information on working with UEA visit www.uea.ac.uk/business.

Comm-Tech Acquires Fine Line Communications

After an exciting 2016, Norwich business Comm-Tech Voice & Data Ltd has started the new financial year with the acquisition of Great Yarmouth based Fine Line Communications. The move see’s both businesses continue to operate under their own brands, combining resources to deliver enhanced communications solutions to their clients with the highest levels of support and service.

Comm-Tech Managing Director Justin Millar said:

“This is a strategic acquisition that makes business sense for both Comm-Tech and Fine Line. It is great to see both multi-million pound businesses be so successful for the past 30 years, consistently adapting to the technological advances in a forever changing and fast paced communications industry. With the skill sets and assets both business can bring together, this is the natural choice to continue the legacy of both Fine Line and Comm-Tech, that will only enhance our already exciting service delivery of being our clients one-stop hub for all things communications, connectivity and I.T.”

Owner of Fine Line Communications Kenny Leak said:

“This is an exciting time for Fine Line, our staff and most importantly our customers. Having made the decision to retire I firmly believe that Judith and I have left the business in very good hands and Comm-Tech will undoubtedly strengthen every aspect of the business. The acquisition will offer Fine Line customers even greater support, expertise and new opportunities with their telecoms requirements. Comm-Tech are at the forefront of hosted communications and I.T and with their accreditations and connections with the UK’s largest network providers, they really can take Fine Lines solution portfolio and customer experience to the next level.”

The acquisition of Fine Line Communications follows up on a highly successful year for Comm-Tech celebrating 30 years in business with the re-sign of key accounts which included the largest mobile Vodafone partner managed account in the UK worth over 9.7 million* and a 4.3 million deal on fixed line services.

In addition to this Comm-Tech have been awarded the Vodafone Total Communications Partner  status (one of only fourteen in the UK) for their knowledge and customer service skills, seen huge growth in their hosted telephony proposition, and have extensively grown their Solution Advisors, Communications Consultants and Support Teams to ensure service levels continue to meet the businesses high standards and expectations.

TaxAssist Accountants wins prestigious award for its local digital marketing campaign

The Local Campaign of the Year award at the UK Biddable Media Awards 2017 was accepted by TaxAssist Accountants’ digital marketing partners, Crafted, at a special ceremony in Marble Arch, London

Both organisations work closely with the network to advertise TaxAssist franchisees at a local level, with marketing campaigns that capture the best possible client leads who require an accountancy and tax service.

TaxAssist currently supports more than 65,000 clients, including sole traders, partnerships and limited companies, by providing them with expert advice and accountancy services ranging from tax returns and payroll to tax savings and advice.

The efficiency and performance of the localised online marketing gives new and existing franchisees confidence that the TaxAssist support infrastructure will continue to help them grow their own accountancy practice into a profitable business, becoming a saleable asset for the future.

James Mattam, Group Business Development Director, TaxAssist Accountants, said: “Crafted has been instrumental in driving online marketing success for our accounting network, creating a digital strategy that delivers against our business objectives.

“The number one concern most accountants have when starting their practice is how they will find new clients. We remove that worry by delivering well-funded advertising campaigns to help each franchisee succeed.”

Ian Miller, CEO, Crafted, said: “Through continuous refinement and expansion, our online advertising team has successfully delivered a localised digital marketing strategy that works.

“By ensuring visibility in Google and Bing in their local area, we can drive a greater quality of business leads to franchisees, further strengthening the TaxAssist business model.”

If you’re an accountant that’s dreamt of running your own business, why not see what a TaxAssist franchise has to offer? Call us today on 0800 0188 297 to arrange a confidential chat or drop us a line using our online enquiry form.

May 2017

KLM UK Engineering adds CASA Part 145 approval to maintain Australian registered aircraft

KLM UK Engineering is delighted to announce the addition of CASA Part 145 approval to its portfolio from June 2017

A European leader in the regional jets & narrow body aircraft market and having an internationally acknowledged expertise on the Embraer 170/190, BAe146/Avro RJ, Fokker 70/100, Boeing 737 & Airbus A320 Family, KLM UK Engineering has extended its services to include CASA Part 145 approval to meet the growing demands from its customer base. This latest offering complements the existing portfolio at KLM UK Engineering’s base maintenance facility, where it can maintain 5 lines of heavy maintenance, provide onsite workshop support and operates a technical training college delivering Part 147.

Peter van der Horst, Managing Director commented “We currently hold EASA Part 145, FAA and many other worldwide approvals and we are delighted to be adding CASA Part 145 to our extensive portfolio. We will continue to offer a competitive rate, high quality product & short turnaround times to this new market.  We have a wealth of experience delivering heavy maintenance services and it will enable us to broaden our customer base to new regions. We look forward to welcoming our first customer that will benefit from this latest approval addition”. 

JMS Helps Anglian Water to celebrate WORLD OCEANS DAY

JMS helped Anglian Water to celebrate World Oceans Day with the production of a 90 second promotional video on how to keep beaches and bathing waters clean in the East.

Anglian Water were keen to ensure the video was fun and engaging, encouraging people to share the tips online.  JMS developed a theme song and sea creature characters in their video to demonstrate how home owners and beach users directly affect the sea and its creatures through actions such as littering, poor plumbing maintenance and dog fouling.  Key elements that impressed Anglian Water in the development of the video included having a seal’s birthday party and crab’s first date ruined, and the addition of animated dog poo!  It was a great project for the whole team to work on, developing the characters, the song and the musical theme, as well as having the opportunity to be a bit naughty!  

Finn Geotherm installs the region’s first communal domestic ground source heat pump to benefit Flagship customers

The first installation of a communal ground source heat pump for domestic use in the East of England by housing association Flagship Group, is set to cut its customers’ heating bills by hundreds of pounds a year.

The system at Watton, South Norfolk, was installed by Attleborough-based Finn Geotherm, to ultimately improve the quality and affordability of customer heating systems and living conditions in the 30 flats at Orchard Close.

Previously, the residents at Orchard Close had electric economy 7 storage heaters which were inefficient and expensive to run. The new system, which draws energy from the earth, will not only cut people’s energy bills by two thirds, but it also results in zero carbon emissions.

Customers started using the system in April, and although it is communal, each home is individually metered and customers are only charged for the energy they use.

The installation qualifies for the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI), a Government scheme which assists with the project’s capital cost allowing Flagship to roll out the much-improved heating system into other homes in the future.

Strategic Director for Asset Management at Flagship, Stuart Longbottom, said: “Ground source heat pumps are a low maintenance, sustainable way of heating our homes which are a fantastic solution for our customers. We are committed to continually improving our renewable energy sources to help tackle fuel poverty and reduce our carbon footprint, and this system does that. Capital investment by Flagship as well as the RHI provides a positive and sustainable return for us and our customers.”

Renewable heating experts Finn Geotherm worked in partnership with Aaron Services Ltd to install the system.

Finn Geotherm’s Commercial Director Guy Ransom said: “I’m delighted that Flagship have decided to use the technology for their customers. Heat pumps are a well tried and tested technology. Finn Geotherm have been installing systems in the UK, in all kinds of properties, for more than 10 years. The systems themselves are made in Finland where they experience extremely cold weather conditions, so we know how efficient it can be. Ground source heat pumps are extremely reliable as they should last for more than 30 years. This provides additional reassurance for Flagship and their customers.”

The system is also connected to the Finn Geotherm offices which allows it to be monitored wirelessly to see how much heat is being used.

Key benefits of the project include:

  • Reduced energy bills – immediate and long term
  • Zero CO2
  • Encourages customers to heat their homes, positively impacting on their health – reduction in damp and improved air quality
  • Low maintenance requirements – cost and frequency
  • Less intrusion for customers as equipment is stored in an external Plant Room
  • Lasts three times longer than a conventional boiler