In this episode, M+A Partners Tax Senior Manager Andy Hart speaks with Jane Hannah, Race Director of the Norwich Triathlon.
With race day approaching on 21 June, Jane shares her journey into triathlon, her experience of organising one of the region’s most popular sporting events, and what participants can expect on the day.
As proud sponsors of the Norwich Triathlon Relay Race, M+A Partners are delighted to support this fantastic local event and the community it brings together.
The UK’s welding and fabrication industry is set for a digital revolution as The Validation Centre (TVC) Limited and EngEPA Ltd join forces to officially launch the Dig in Vision VR Welding Simulator. This strategic partnership combines world-class monitoring expertise with industry-leading assessment and cutting-edge virtual reality to address the growing skills gap in British manufacturing.
A New Era of Welding Training
The Dig in Vision Welding Simulator is not just a training tool, it is a high-fidelity XR (Extended Reality) platform designed to replicate the physics of a real-world workshop and, unlike traditional methods that require expensive consumables and pose safety risks to beginners, the Dig in Vision system allows trainees to master MIG, TIG, and Stick welding in a risk-free virtual environment!
Key features include:
Real-time physics in lifelike weld pool and puddle simulation that responds to speed, angle, and distance
Integrated AI provides instant, multilingual feedback to guide students through complex exercises
Instructors can track performance and progress via a digital dashboard, ensuring every student meets industry standards before ever striking a real arc
By eliminating the need for scrap metal, gas, and electricity during initial training, the system significantly reduces the carbon footprint and overhead costs of vocational programs
Click here to watch the full Dig in Vision video walkthrough.
Backed by Established UK Engineering Companies
The launch is backed by two established UK companies in the UK engineering sector.
Established in 1995, TVC is a global leader in welding monitoring, data logging, and NDT equipment. Based in Norfolk, our ISO-accredited expertise ensures that any technology they bring to market meets the highest safety-critical standards.
EngEPA Ltd is a premier End-Point Assessment Organisation (EPAO) and specialises in engineering and manufacturing apprenticeships. Their involvement provides a seamless bridge between virtual practice and professional certification.
The Dig in Vision VR Welding Simulator is now available for demonstration and integration across UK colleges, training centres, and industrial facilities.
We offer a range of high-quality venues across campus, including lecture theatres, seminar and meeting rooms and foyer spaces – the largest of which can seat 500 guests. All rooms have integrated audio visual and PC facilities, with WiFi available in all buildings.
Prices start from £200 per day and we can create a bespoke package tailored to your needs, including overnight accommodation, with all conference spaces and campus facilities (including SportsPark) just a short walk away. UEA’s catering service can supply a variety of menu options to meet your needs, whether that is an informal buffet lunch, an elegant dinner at the Sainsbury Centre, or a rooftop drinks reception with canapés.
Should you want to explore further afield, Norwich’s vibrant city centre is just a short bus ride from UEA, with public transport readily available from campus.
Our Events team has extensive experience facilitating and managing a wide range of academic and cultural conferences and events. We will work closely with you from preparation to delivery to support your unique vision – whether that be a residential conference spanning several days or a shorter one-day event.
Contact us to discuss hosting your next event with us – we look forward to hearing from you.
Despite the rise of social media recruiting and AI tools,
traditional job boards are still playing a key role in connecting employers
with active job seekers.
The challenge isn’t reach – it’s managing application
quality. Clear, optimised job adverts, targeted placement, and multi-board
strategies can make a big difference in attracting the right candidates.
In our latest blog, we explore why traditional job boards
still matter and how to use them more strategically.
As a company based in West Norfolk and working on projects across the UK, joining the Chamber is an important step for us as we continue to grow our network and strengthen our connections within the regional business community.
The Chamber brings together businesses from across Norfolk, providing opportunities for collaboration and local economic development. By becoming a member we look forward to engaging with other organisations, building new relationships and supporting the continued growth of businesses across the county.
At CCN we deliver traffic management, groundworks and jetting services nationwide, supporting highways, utilities, commercial and domestic infrastructure projects. While our work takes us across the UK, Norfolk remains our home and we’re proud to be part of the local business landscape.
Becoming part of the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce allows us to stay connected with other businesses in the region while continuing to expand our services and partnerships nationally.
We look forward to meeting fellow members and contributing to the strong and supportive business community that the Chamber represents.
This was the question we explored on Tuesday 20th January at the Maid’s Head Hotel, there was a buzz around the room as Dean Pierpoint, Skills Director at the Norfolk Chambers of Commerce provided an explanation, using the employers voice gathered from our survey, into the complex skills system that has been developed and why a brokerage system could help businesses to navigate and help to simplify the system. Katy Dorman, Apprenticeship Strategy Manager for Apprenticeships Norfolk, followed up and explained how a brokerage system has brought success to Apprenticeships Norfolk.
Employers and training providers were made to earn their breakfast as roundtable discussions got underway. Engaging conversations were had throughout the room as 3 key questions were put forward and the 3 top answers:
What part of the brokerage service would make the biggest positive difference to your organisation?
Single point of contact & visibility of the service
Signposting and awareness of opportunities
Full-service knowledge e.g. grants, funding, sharing of knowledge and understanding of terminology
What barriers or challenges should the brokerage solve first to be genuinely useful for employers?
Lack of connectivity – available providers, flexibility, support
Understanding what the business really needs – more focus on upskilling
Collaboration between training providers
What does success look like for you if brokerage becomes fully operational?
People in learning, in the correct courses, with the correct output
A simple to navigate, understandable skills system
Focussed brokerage for specific industries – supported through the whole process
Employers are clear that brokerage only adds value if it simplifies an otherwise fragmented system. Guidance and support through the system are the biggest challenges that need to be addressed and a hub of individuals that understand what’s best for businesses and able to assign the best provision to the business. Ultimately the goal of brokerage would be to put people on appropriate courses for the individual and the business.
Cory Brothers Limited has been a trusted supply chain partner for businesses for over 180 years providing freight forwarding, project logistics, customs clearance, liner, and warehousing.
Head of Strategic Development Mike Bowden explains why they are a Keystone Employer in Suffolk:
What are the benefits of engaging with the Norfolk and Suffolk LSIP?
“At Cory we are committed to supporting young people who are considering a role in shipping. As a keystone employer and by engaging with the Norfolk and Suffolk LSIP at events and through one-to-one conversations, we are able to showcase what a rewarding career in shipping can be to the next generation of employees.”
What is the importance of the LSIP within the local skills Landscape?
”The most important thing is the ability to articulate the employer needs and creating a better alignment between the employer and educator. This will ensure that the workforce is better prepared for current and future job markets.”
What is the value of supporting skills within your workplace?
“One of the key values at Cory Brothers is developing our people. We believe in setting ambitious goals and constantly pushing our own limits, and encourage our team members to surpass themselves, explore new ideas, and innovate. Through this we create a positive and inspiring work environment where people can develop, collaborate, and enjoy what they do.”
Flagship Group – solving the housing crisis in the East of England.
Nadine Tapp Head of Group Academy tells us why the LSIP is important to them.
“As Chair of the Building Growth sector group, I’ve seen first-hand the difference a strong, responsive skills system can make. Working with the Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP) has given me clearer insight into the skills landscape – and a platform to voice the real challenges employers like Flagship face”.
“At Flagship, we’ve always taken a hands-on approach to training and growing new talent. But partnering with the LSIP has helped sharpen that focus. It’s allowed us to raise concerns, highlight gaps, and work closer with local providers. A great example is our collaboration with one of our local colleges – a relationship that grew through this work and helped us win the LSIP Sponsored Large Employer Award at the Norfolk Apprenticeships Awards.”
“I’m also proud to contribute as a Keystone Employer for the LSIP, where I can bring a housing and construction perspective to the table and help shape a skills agenda that’s built around the needs of our sector and our places”.
PCE Automation provide bespoke solutions to global manufacturing challenges, and a Suffolk Keystone employer for the Norfolk and Suffolk LSIP.
Managing Director Shaun Wigley explains more:
What are the benefits of engaging with the Norfolk and Suffolk LSIP?
“PCE Automation actively contributes by participating in LSIP surveys and speaking at local events. This engagement has enabled us to share our experience collaborating with local colleges and apprenticeships, while gaining insight into how the LSIP is shaping the skills agenda for Suffolk”.
What is the importance of the LSIP within the local skills landscape?
“The LSIP plays a critical role by giving local businesses a voice to identify specific skills needs within our county and industry. This ensures that training programmes and qualifications are effectively tailored to meet the evolving requirements of the Suffolk economy”.
What is the value of supporting skills within your workplace?
“The future strength of our sector depends on developing talent internally. Through collaboration with educators, trainers, and businesses, the Norfolk and Suffolk LSIP helps maintain a steady pipeline of skilled individuals, safeguarding the sustainability and growth of our industry”.
Norfolk Chamber is holding a breakfast event with Norfolk County Council, on 26 November at Norwich City Football Club, which will look at the fast moving developments in transport. The breakfast is aimed at business leaders and CEOs from businesses across Norfolk who are interested in hearing about travel and transport developments in and around Norwich, in particular the impact and benefits of the Norwich Northern Distributor Road and its place in the wider ‘Transport for Norwich’ strategy.
Investment in the Norwich Northern Distributor Road (NDR) will help unlock thousands of jobs and support the development of up to 10,000 new homes. It will open up access to Norwich International Airport, large areas of Broadland and North Norfolk and business areas in the north-east sector of Norwich.Preliminary work will have started, ahead of main construction around March next year.
The NDR also enables progress on a number of other transport initiatives that come under the Transport for Norwich banner, including the latest city centre changes, further cycle route developments and Bus Rapid Transit.
Recently there has been a lot in the press about the delays in the start of the NDR. The Wensum Valley Alliance recently announced that it had launched a legal challenge to Norfolk County Council’s decision over funding for the NDR. Their claim being that the County Council meeting – where the Council agreed to put forward £10m towards the £30m funding gap, after the cost of the road escalated – was unlawful.