Yesterday saw our series of Focus Engagement Groups arrive in Dereham, we met at The George Hotel in Dereham town centre for another opportunity to hear what we can be doing to better support and give voice to every business in Norfolk. Our thanks go to our event sponsors, Upp, for their help and insight into the day’s discussions, as well as to the George Hotel for hosting us. Thanks also to Kelly Cartwright from Core Recruiter Ltd and Katie Norwood, Account Manager. To start the discussion, the question of how ageing broadband infrastructure can impact business was raised by our sponsors, Upp. The consensus was that while technology can allow greater connectivity, more rural locations such as market towns and smaller villages can suffer from lack of availability, The point was raised how broadband speed and mobile phone signal plays a huge part not only for business leaders on deciding where to base their business but also homeowners, it was felt that it now is one of the first things people ask when buying a house. The other topic of discussion was on the lack of basic skills that is presenting in new employees, Soft skills are a major gap, from the very basics such as CV writing and understanding of Tax and national insurance through to more complicated issues like interpersonal skills. It is felt that Dereham is growing with new businesses opening in Rusher Green and new housing but the worry is can the infrastructure cope, Dereham is often gridlock. We were also told about the Konect Bus app which many of us were not aware of which not only is helpful for people to see when busses are coming but also helps parents give teenagers more freedom as they can see where the bus is just by looking at the app giving parents more peace of mind. Have your voice heard at your local Focus Group – see our upcoming groups here.
