Rt Hon Gregory Barker is a Minister of State at the Department of Energy & Climate Change (DECC). He will be speaking from the new UKIBC centre in Gurgaon, India, about the emerging opportunities in India for British Small and Medium Enterprises and the help available to help them win business.
Join this FREE webinar to find out about the opportunities for UK companies as Indian customers look for world-class technologies, expertise and brands in a variety of sectors, including:
Infrastructure
Energy
Professional Services
Healthcare
Education and Skills
Manufacturing
IT
Creative Industries
Environment
Please click here for more information, and to book your free place.
In this Chamber Session ‘Be Better at Managing People’, Rachel Blackburn, U2SU Consulting, gave delegates a strong insight into how to develop their management skills. With a strong turn out the delegates were eager to get started and were fully engaged throughout the Session. Rachel’s presenting skills were superb and gave the delegates top tips on managing. Rachel’s top tip to the delegates is to follow performance gaps method and the praise sandwich. For Rachel, the highlight of her Session was how involved all delegates were throughout, but she also enjoyed the feedback that was given to her. These Sessions give not only the speaker, but equally all delegates an opportunity to raise their profile and give each other an insight into their companies.
The BCC publishes its Skills and Employment Manifesto to address ‘skills mismatch’ described by many UK employers
BCC President, Nora Senior: “Although we believe that successive governments have failed our young people by not properly equipping them for their future careers, it is time to break away from the blame game.”
The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has today (Thursday) published its Skills and Employment Manifesto, setting out ways to radically transform the systems that educate our young people, and recommendations for training our adult workforce.
Employers consistently tell us that there is a mismatch between what they are looking for in their staff, and the skills, experience and attitude offered by too many prospective candidates. The Prime Minister regularly refers to a global race, yet the BCC believes that in the 21st century, it is the countries with the most skilled workforces – both young and old – that will be the ultimate winners.
The Manifesto calls for:
Ensuring that ’employability’ skills are at the heart of how schools are assessed and rated
Investing in quality careers education for all young people, including regular, quality contact with a variety of employers
Using Chambers to offer independent advice and support to SMEs to increase investment in apprenticeships and workplace training
Clear, universally understood qualifications for literacy, numeracy, computing and foreign languages
Qualifications to be consistent and clear, to enable employers to understand an individual’s competencies
Tax incentives for the development of foreign language and export skills
All employment policy to become the responsibility of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS)
Universities to work with Chambers of Commerce to promote enterprise among a wider range of students, and to ensure university courses are relevant to future job opportunities
The government to give employers a choice on how they receive government funding for apprenticeships – either directly through the tax system or via their chosen training provider
Commenting, Nora Senior, President of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said:
“Skills will decide who wins and who loses in a 21st century economy – yet employers across the UK constantly say they struggle to find prospective employees, particularly those leaving education, who have the right skills to succeed in the workplace.
“Although we believe that successive governments have failed our young people by not properly equipping them for their future careers, it is time to break away from the blame game. Various organisations and sectors continue to blame each other for a lack of ‘work readiness’ among young people, but it is time for everyone to accept some responsibility, and find ways to move forward.
Commenting Caroline Williams CEO Norfolk Chamber said:
“The world has changed at a rapid pace. If Norfolk doesn’t keep up, employers who are unable to access the skills they need or those unwilling to invest in training will lose business to other firms at home and abroad, putting us at a disadvantage. Simple measures, such as investing in quality careers education, making employability a key measure for schools, and supporting interaction between pupils and local employers, will deliver more jobs and growth in the long-term.
“Government, schools, colleges and employers must all work together in the coming months and years to ensure that the UK including Norfolk has a workforce that is ‘fit for purpose’. Failure to do so risks consigning generation after generation to a less prosperous future. Norfolk Chamber has made this a key priority for a number of years and it is great that we have our national network assisting us orchestrate change”
Growth Vouchers – a £30 million programme which will see around 20,000 small businesses receive up to £2,000 to help them access specialist support on financial management, recruitment, leadership skills, sales and marketing, and digital technology. The programme is now open for applications.
This government programme helps small businesses get expert advice on:
finance and cash flow
recruiting and developing staff
improving leadership and management skills
marketing, attracting and keeping customers
making the most of digital technology
Eligibility Your business must:
have 49 employees or less (including any employees of companies that own a stake in your business)
be registered in England
have been trading for at least one year
not have paid for business advice in the last 3 years
be independent (ie no more than 25% is owned by other businesses or organisations)
You’ll need the following things to complete your application:
Companies House registration number or unique tax reference
As part of their commitment to developing their partnerships with stakeholders, Abellio Greater Anglia have commissioned the independent research organisation – Jungle Green Ltd – to conduct an online Stakeholder Research Survey. This research involved a short questionnaire that will help Abellio Greater Anglia understand the areas in which they are doing well and where they need improvement.
Abellio Greater Anglia to shape how they work with stakeholders in the future by completing the online survey.
Commenting on the package of business rate and local support measures announced today (Wednesday) by the Rt Hon Eric Pickles MP, Dr Adam Marshall, Director of Policy and External Affairs at the British Chambers of Commerce, said:
“While the rate reliefs will help many smaller companies, anything less than a fundamental reform of Britain’s broken business rate system is just a sticking plaster.
“Westminster and the media seem to think that business rates are only a problem for retailers. Yet they are a huge, and rising, fixed cost for all businesses – and hurt firms on industrial estates and in offices just as much or more than the high street.
“The Prime Minister has recently committed to looking again at the business rates system. He and the Chancellor must set a clear timetable for this – and ensure that their own ministers, and Whitehall civil servants, do not yet again hide behind the excuse that fundamental reform of business rates is ‘too difficult’ to achieve.”
As a follow up to the Norfolk Chamber’s ‘Audience with George Osborne, the Chancellor of the Exchequer’ event on the 7 November, we submitted a number of questions from our members to the Chancellor. Responses to those questions are now starting to be received from the relevant Ministers within Westminster.
John Last, Vice Chancellor at the Norwich University of the Arts (NUA), asked two questions to the Chancellor, we have now received his second response.
John’s question to the Chancellor was:
“One if the enduring strengths of UK HE plc has been the influence we have had through overseas students coming to the UK to study, in terms of their contribution to our economy and then such students taking a UK-friendly way of thinking and openness to working with and buying from the UK back to their country of origin. At Norwich University of the Arts we appreciate the concerns about appropriate monitoring of entrants to the UK but nonetheless wonder if the Government might be able to do anything further to support Universities such as NUA in giving access to UK HE to suitably qualified students?”
Find on the attached document the written response from the Department for Business innovation & Skills.
Commenting ahead of the latest GDP results, Caroline Williams, Chief Executive of Norfolk Chamber of Commerce said: At present Norfolk business confidence is high and the Norfolk and East of England business communities are resolute in their determination to take the recovery from being good to being truly great.
The recent British Chambers of Commerce Quarterly Economic Survey (released 7 January), showed that firms from all sectors across Norfolk believe they can create jobs, invest, and export. It is especially pleasing that the spurt in manufacturing has proven not to be a fluke, which demonstrates the dynamism of our small, high value, manufacturing sector. But Norfolk businesses have major ambitions, and to be able to meet them, more support must be provided. Cashflow continues to be an ongoing concern, and may hold businesses back from expanding to meet the growing levels of demand. We must give companies the opportunity to get the finance they need to go out and trade in the world if we are to succeed in rebalancing the economy.
In the manufacturing sector, key balances are at all time highs, and domestic balances in the services sector continue to break new ground. The strong export and investment balances confirm that business in the East of England is set to play a key role in rebalancing the economy.
One such example is Great Yarmouth based, Dabbrook Services Ltd who has had great success in exporting. Their first successful large export was to Kuwait in 2010, where they supplied and commissioned remote solar power systems.
Anna Smith, Finance Manager for Dabbrook said “Being one of the few companies worldwide able to offer the expertise to the design, manufacture and installation of Remote Power Systems, we are very active in exporting worldwide and to the Middle East in particular, having just successfully completed a $1.2m project, we are in the final bidding stages for a further $3m contract. With the help of Norfolk Chamber of Commerce and UKTI we are exploring further afield for new opportunities.”
Prior Diesel Ltd, operates in oil, gas, marine, power and construction industries and is also based in Great Yarmouth. They too have accomplished export success. Chris Conroy, Managing Director said:”In the last twelve months we’ve exported to over sixty different companies across the globe and we expect that number to increase this year.”
Norwich City Council has now released its Economic Barometer for the final quarter of 2013. Findings show that the period November 2013 to January 2014 highlighted some very promising signs for the New Year and beyond. The end of 2013 saw a surge in consumer spending, which was to be expected over the Christmas period, with John Lewis reporting a 10% upsurge in online sales.
December saw a fall of £2.1 billion in UK government borrowing. It now stands at £12.1 billion. With the signing of the Greater Norwich City Deal, by Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, it is hoped that the city Deal will create 13,000 jobs and 3,000 homes in the area and sustain 6,000 construction jobs. Overall unemployment figures continue to fall for this region.
With the increased popularity of the summer flights schedule, Norwich International Airport achieved a year on year increase in passenger numbers of 11% and Loganair have announced that they will commence new services from Norwich to Edinburgh from the end of March 2014.
The £7.8 million expansion of Hethell Engineering Centre will be up and running from the start of March 2014 and is set to create 240 new jobs and will double the size of the current site by adding 16 new offices and workshop spaces.
The full Norwich Economic Barometer can be viewed here.
As a follow up to the Norfolk Chamber’s ‘Audience with George Osborne, the Chancellor of the Exchequer’ event on the 7 November, we submitted a number of questions from our members to the Chancellor. Responses to those questions are now starting to be received from the relevant Ministers within Westminster.
Gerard Mulqueen is Business Unit Director at the King’s Lynn based agricultural company Germains Seed Technology.
Gerard’s question to the Chancellor was:
“It is predicted, from various government papers and scientific journals, that a 60% increase in food supply will be required by 2050 to meet the needs of the nine billion global population, putting increasing pressure on the current global agricultural supply chain. This will also be experienced in the UK, where although we export in the region of £12billion of food and drink (2007), we are reliant on 40% of imports to supplement our internal food needs; an increasing trend.
As referenced in ‘A UK Strategy for Agricultural Technologies’, funding is ear-marked to support the commercialisation of research into sustainable intensification of agriculture. What proportion, and in what form, will this funding be available for the Agri-tech cluster in Norfolk?”
Find on the attached document the written response from the Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs.
As a follow up to the Norfolk Chamber’s ‘Audience with George Osborne, the Chancellor of the Exchequer’ event on the 7 November, we submitted a number of questions from our members to the Chancellor. Responses to those questions are now starting to be received from the relevant Ministers within Westminster.
Andrew Barnes is Managing Partner at one of the Chambers longest standing members – Howes Percival – having been members for over 20 years.
Andrew’s question to the Chancellor was:
“Following your trade visit to China last month, how likely is it that there will be significant Chinese investment in our Region over the next 5 years?”
Find on the attached document the written response from the Foreign & Commonwealth Office.
Commenting ahead of the Prime Minister’s speech on deregulation today, John Longworth, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) said:
“No business could disagree with the government’s commitment to reduce unnecessary red tape. Good progress has been made in removing domestic regulations, and the Prime Minister is right to lead a charge in Brussels to reduce European bureaucracy.
“However reducing regulation is as much about quality as it is about quantity. Removing hundreds or thousands of laws from the statute book will only have an effect if companies on the ground feel that the burden of needless regulation is lifting.
“Britain’s deregulation drive must also not be derailed by costly new laws affecting firms. At present, both tax changes and EU regulations are excluded from the government’s “One-in, Two-out” rule for new regulations. This loophole blunts the impact of the policy. All new regulations, from whatever source, should be scrutinised and their burden minimised as part of this system.”