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.
Chand Chudasama is Assistant Manager at Price Bailey who are based on St Andrews Business Park in Norwich. Price Bailey have been members of the Chamber for around 18 years.
Chand’s question to the Chancellor was:
“In a digital age where knowledge is easily accessible and less relevant in differentiating both candidates for jobs and competing organisations, how does the government plan on creating an education environment that fosters critical thinking and innovation from a young age?
The reason I want to ask the question is that I feel that the changes Michael Gove and this government has made to the education system are based on the regurgitation of knowledge rather than developing staff who can think and add value through innovative ideas.
Much of Germany’s strength in their economic model comes from the financial support and training provide by their ‘Mittlestand’ (or mid-tier) – these long established, family owned businesses are also prevalent in Norfolk but do not have the same level of financial support or integration into the economy as we bundle too much into the ‘SME’ definition.
What is being done to build our middle-tier as much of the economic focus seems to be on start-ups and small businesses which are less secure employers and debtors for lenders?”
Find on the attached document the written response from Elizabeth Truss MP for Education and Childcare.
Survey of more than 2,400 exporting firms shows that 72% of exporters expect their turnover to improve this quarter – the highest number on record
More than one third of exporting firms (34%) said that they expected to increase staff over the next quarter
The overall volume of exports for goods fell by 3.1% compared to Q3 2013, emphasising the need for more support for exporting businesses
The British Chambers of Commerce has published new research in conjunction with DHL Express looking at the health of the UK’s export market. The BCC/DHL Trade Confidence Index, which measures both UK exporting activity and business confidence, shows that turnover confidence among exporters is now at the highest level on record (72%). Confidence was particularly strong among exporting manufacturers, with 69% believing that their turnover is likely to improve, compared with 66% last quarter.
The volume of exports for goods fell slightly this quarter – representing a decrease of 3.1% compared with Q3 2013 and 0.9% compared with the same quarter last year. Businesses are confident, but if we are to reach the government’s target of increasing exports to £1trillion by 2020, more must be done to help firms break into fast-growing markets abroad.
The key findings from the report are:
Confidence among exporters about future turnover is at its highest level since 2007 (72%), with 69% of manufacturers expecting turnover to increase.
More than one third of exporting firms (34%) said that they expected to increase staff over the next quarter
Although the volume of exports in goods fell overall compared with the previous quarter, they increased for nearly half of service sector firms (47%) and for 42% of manufacturing firms in Q4 2013*
Nearly half of exporters (46%) said their export sales increased in Q4 2013, compared to only 7% who said that they decreased
More than half of exporters (62%) believe that their profitability will increase this year.
The number of exporting businesses claiming that raw material costs were adding to price pressures increased from 34% to 38% in Q4 2013.
Commenting, Caroline Williams CEO Norfolk Chamber of Commerce, said:
“What we must take away from this research is that the confidence of our exporters is at a new high. This counts for a lot, as it shows ambition and willingness for businesses to export even more in 2014. But we can’t ignore the fact that the volume of exports were down at the end of last year. We cannot afford to sit back and expect exports to increase without dedicated hard work and support – not if we are to reach the government’s target of increasing exports to £1trillion by 2020.
“Everyone has to take responsibility and play their part – government, civil servants and business alike, so that firms can make some real in-roads in high-growth markets overseas in countries such as Mexico, Nigeria and Indonesia. We are seeing small signs of export reorientation away from Europe and North America towards some of these stronger growth regions, but there is still a lot more to do. As a nation we currently only spend 0.02% of GDP on trade support, which is nowhere near enough if we are going to rebalance our economy towards net exports.
“The Norfolk Chamber of Commerce is doing its bit, by working with overseas Chambers of Commerce and business groups in 41 countries across the globe, so that Norfolk business people have a first port of call when they step off the plane, where they can receive practical advice and support on the ground. But we must all work together if we are to compete on a global scale and put the UK at the forefront of the exporting agenda over the months and years ahead.”
Commenting on the report’s results, Phil Couchman, CEO of DHL Express UK and Ireland, said:
“Confidence is at a record high amongst exporters which shows a marked step change in attitudes compared with previous reports. Despite the fact that the overall volume of goods exported fell slightly, SMEs are feeling positive about the future. This is also reflected in the recent IMF projections for UK 2014 economic growth of 2.4%.
“Positively, there continues to be a high level of demand overseas for “Brand Britain” and newly cited emerging markets, such as the MINT (Mexico, Indonesia, Nigeria and Turkey) countries, present great opportunities for British businesses. With the right advice, product and plan, they have the potential to succeed in these fast-growing emerging markets.
“It is important that these new levels of confidence are not lost and that British businesses have the information and support they need to succeed. To reach the Government’s target of £1trillion by 2020, we must continue to address the challenges and barriers to export.”
In the first of the lunch time Chamber Sessions, Holly Stibbon, 101Smart gave delegates an energetic understanding into email marketing. Holly emphasised strongly the legal aspects behind email marketing to ensure all delegates fully understood the dos and don’ts to their email marketing. She also gave delegates top tips such as the best times to send marketing campaigns, how to target your audiences and about the more personal touches to your email marketing.
Gemma Neill, The Space, said it was a “very helpful ‘takeaway’ Session” adding that it was information she could “go back to the office and apply today!” Holly’s felt that “It was really good to see people ‘get it’. Taking the thoughts and ideas, applying to their business, asking questions and then the look on their face when they realised what they needed to do to improve. Very satisfying.”
We are currently planning our next series of export events and are looking for local members who would like to share their knowledge and experience of exporting.
You would have the opportunity to explain how easy/hard it is to open up in a particular market, as well as provide advice and tips on what to look out for.
If you’re interested in participating please click here.
In this Chamber Session Rachael Shakespeare, Jungle PR, taught the delegates her top tips for developing their PR skills. Rachael’s colourful and fun presentation reflected her enthusiastic and clear presentation skills.
Rachael’s top tip to take-away would be to “look at PR as a strategic, long-term method of managing the reputation of your business”. Rachael thought her Session went well and her highlights were “meeting people and discussing ways to help on the PR front”.
Commenting on George Osborne’s speech to business leaders in Hong Kong, John Longworth, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said:
“George Osborne hit the nail on the head in Hong Kong when he said that Britain is not investing enough and not exporting enough. Unless our economic recovery broadens out, and companies feel confident enough to implement their growth plans both at home and overseas, it will be merely good rather than truly great.
“On export, one of his top priorities must be to properly resource Britain’s global business network, much as our key competitors do. This would ensure that UK companies have strong support and advice when they land in growing markets overseas. It is gratifying that he chose to make his speech to the British Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong – one of 41 business groups we are working with across the globe to ensure that British companies can get practical support when they seek to do more business in dynamic, fast-growing markets.”
Commenting on the opportunities to grow through trading internationally Caroline Williams CEO Norfolk Chamber said:
“Norfolk Chamber’s all time high level of documentation shows just how successful our Norfolk businesses are being in expanding their businesses through exporting. Working with the BCC and UKTI we have new resources available in Norfolk for businesses who feel it is time to review whether trading internationally is right for them. It is not for all businesses but you may be surprised just what opportunities are out there and well worth investigating. There is significant free resource to help Norfolk businesses take that first step, so we could encourage any forward thinking MD to at least check out what they may be missing through an email to our International Trade Director: [email protected]“
The Department for Business Innovation and Skills and HMRC are organising a series of workshops for high-tech SME’s who are looking to invest in R & D and innovation with the aim of growing and becoming more competitive.
The workshops will cover support provided by HMRC, the Technology Strategy Board, EU programmes, Intellectual Property Office (formerly the Patent Office) and the Design Council, and build on the popular programme of events launched last year.
This workshop will consist of a selection of 20 minute presentations followed by 10 minutes of questions on the following topics
HMRC – R&D tax credits, Patent Box
Technology Strategy Board – grants, knowledge transfer, networking, procurement opportunities and more
EU – funding for business research and development and innovation – find out about the substantial opportunities under the H2020 programme launched this January
Intellectual Property Office – patents, how to optimise the value of your intellectual property
Design Council – help to strengthen the potential of your innovation, identify opportunities to commercialise your technology and then realise those opportunities through design projects
Registration will be from from 8am and a light breakfast will be provided, with presenting organisations providing short introductions from 8:30am. Delegates will then choose which of the individual presentations they would most like to attend. There will be a maximum of 30 delegates per presentation.
The British Chambers of Commerce has today (Sunday) called on George Osborne to use his Budget speech on 19th March to focus on youth employment, training and enterprise – which are crucial to securing future growth and avoiding a ‘lost generation’ as the UK economy continues to recover.
Overview
In its submission to the 2014 Budget, the business organisation responds to employers’ concerns about the work readiness of young people. We are currently faced with a deficient education, training and skills system, which has resulted in a troubled labour market, high social costs and increased youth unemployment.
This week’s data from the Office for National Statistics showed a fall in youth unemployment by 48,000, and although this is encouraging, the jobless rate among young people still stands at 917,000 which is far too high. In fact, this means that young people are nearly three times as likely to be unemployed compared with the rest of the UK population.1
As a result, the BCC is proposing concrete measures to promote business investment in young people aged 16-24. Our submission also calls on the Chancellor to enhance tax incentives for those investing in companies run by young entrepreneurs, who often say they can’t get growth funding from banks or other sources. BCC Director General John Longworth is urging the Chancellor to play his part in making 16-24 year olds more attractive to businesses, who in return can help the Britain avoid a lost generation.
The BCC submission proposes:
A new £100m Future Workforce Grant scheme – a £1,000 payment to businesses who hire long-term unemployed young people or a new apprentice, to create 100,000 new jobs in 2014. This will help to bridge the gap before the national insurance exemption for under 21s is introduced in 2015.
A two-year extension to the successful Apprenticeships Grant for Employers (AGE) scheme to help create 80,000 additional apprenticeships. Demand from candidates has outstripped supply of apprenticeship vacancies by as much as 12 to one.2
Increased tax relief to encourage investment in young entrepreneurs. Increasing the tax relief available through the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) from 30% to 50% for investors in businesses run by under-24s will help more young people set up and grow their own business.
At just under £400m, the estimated cost of these interventions is less than 0.02% of government current spending for the next three years, and is just a fraction of the projected departmental underspend for 2013-2014 (£7bn).3
The BCC’s letter also encourages the Chancellor to extend the enhanced Annual Investment Allowance for businesses to 2015/16, and consider opening it to premises as well as plant and machinery. Beyond the Budget, the business group plans to make wider proposals for economic reform in the autumn.
Commenting, BCC Director General John Longworth said:
“We all know that politicians are already looking to manifestos and the 2015 General Election. But the crisis of confidence separating Britain’s employers and young people can’t wait for political posturing or the electoral cycle. Businesses across Britain tell me they want to hire young people. Yet many cannot afford to take the risk, especially at a time when other, more qualified applicants are coming forward for the job vacancies on offer.
“If the Chancellor wants to avoid a lost generation among today’s 16-to-24 year-olds, he must use the spring Budget to help businesses take on and train up young people, whether they are going straight into jobs or into apprenticeships. He should also extend tax incentives for individuals with deep pockets who invest in businesses started up by school and college leavers and graduates.
“The Chancellor rightly wants to boost business investment in this year’s Budget and we support measures to do this, but not just for plant and machinery. We know there are many serious structural issues that need to be addressed to create a truly great UK economy, but not all of them can be resolved at this point in the political and economic cycle.
“Getting young people into employment is vital, pressing, and easily affordable right now. Helping British youth in the way we propose would cost less than 7% of what the government spent on overseas aid last year, for example. If government helps businesses overcome the real risks they are facing today, the private sector will invest in a skilled workforce for the future.”
Caroline Williams CEO Norfolk Chamber of Commerce said:
“Ensuring that Norfolk’s young people get the best possible start in the job market is a key priority for Norfolk Chamber members. This relates to the work our members do in schools as well as offering work placements, internships and apprenticeships. Young people bring a positive dimension to any organisation and we totally support the BCC’s call to the Chancellor to make support to business to enable them to employ more young people a priority in his budget.”
On Thursday 27 February over 70 Norfolk Chamber Members attended our sold-out business breakfast to learn about HP’s innovative ambition for Norfolk.
As our venue sponsor, Norwich Cathedral provided the stunning location for the breakfast, in the beautiful Weston Room. Our host for the morning was Norfolk Chamber President, Ian Hacon CEO of Blue Sky Leisure. After hearing from our sponsor, Ian started the breakfast with a Norfolk Chamber hallmark ice breaker activity, designed to get everyone talking, introducing themselves and exchanging business cards. The room was packed, buzzing with conversation, as delegates took part in ‘One Truth, One Lie’ whereby they had to say two facts about their business, one of which was false and the other true and delegates had to guess which ones was which.
Over breakfast the networking continued, and was followed by delegates taking part in a Safari move that enabled them to meet with a whole new table of contacts. We heard from Russell Ede, Employment Coach at our event featured charity, the Shaw Trust who took a few minutes to talk about to work they are doing locally.
It was then time to hear from our two keynote speakers, Patrick Stephenson, Account Executive at Hewlett Packard and Tom Baker, Chief Information Officer at Norfolk County Council about the Digital Ambition Project.
Patrick explained how HP want to work with innovative local suppliers and small businesses to collaborate with Norfolk County Council on the digital ambition project. The project aims to create a new digital infrastructure for Norfolk with aims of becoming a ‘connected city’. HP intend to help businesses maximise social and economic benefit to the county by working with as many innovative SME’s as possible.
A Q&A session took place with various questions form delegates relating to aspects of the project, including a request to get companies together to innovate and bounce ideas of each other which HP are currently achieving through HP ‘Hot Houses’.
Delegates had a lot of positive things to talk about on twitter;
Ermine Sandler of Sandler Training tweeted“@Nrw_Cathedral beautiful breakfast in Weston room #chambernetworking @norfolkchamber #DigitalNorfolk”
Eastworkstweeted“Off to Launching Digital Norfolk @norfolkchamber this morning. Businesses looking to progress future for the region. #chambernetworking”
Norwich Cathedral tweeted“Fantastic @norfolkchamber Business Breakfast at the Cathedral this morning.”
To view photos of the event, visit ourFacebookpage orGoogle+page
During this Chamber Session Chand Chudasama, Price Bailey, shared with delegates his top tips for inspiring innovation within business. He spoke to delegates about structured plans within their offices to drive profitable growth for their businesses. If Chand could give one top tip to take away, it would be to “think long term” about building innovation within your business. Chand’s highlight from the Session was that the audience asked questions and really got involved, creating great interaction within the group.
Alex Morris, Lambda Films, showed up ready to give the delegates a delightful insight into the world of video marketing. Alex opened by talking about the best way to get their videos out there: YouTube. He showed the delegates some of YouTube’s most famous videos and some of the best marketing videos it has to offer. He delved into the analytical side of YouTube and different ways of how to use the site so that delegates gained a full understanding. Alex felt his attendees gained a “greater understanding of the YouTube platform.” Alex also interacted greatly with his delegates, involving them by asking questions and getting them to share their video marketing stories. Alex also got the group to share the video editing software they use personally, and told them how simple it is to create a video, even on a Smartphone. If he could give the delegates on top tip, it would be to “get shooting!” Alex felt his highlight of the Session was “expanding people’s minds first thing in the morning!”
Disraeli once said “The Youth of a Nation are the trustees of posterity” ,”You can get your money and you put it in the bank, or you can put it in the youth. You can put it into our future” Will i Am.
From the 1800’s Victorian society to the modern world of the celebrity, the importance of investing in young people has and will be ingrained in the fabric our society and politics. It’s true then that this principle can be applied to business as the young are indeed our business of tomorrow but they can also help your business in the here and now.
As the nation steps forward finally into economic growth, after battening down the hatches businesses will be ready to grasp new opportunities available to them with both hands but many don’t have the time or the resource to do so. In the last two years of talking to our members I have been repeatedly told that the biggest challenge to our small businesses is that they are time poor and can’t afford to recruit just yet. The solution that continues to help give a huge boost to a small business is to take the leap of faith that is investing in our young people as young apprentices. Over the last 12 months Norfolk Chamber has helped dozens of our members large and small to take their first steps in taking on their first ever apprentice and start reaping the rewards. The key has been that having a young apprentice supporting your business has given the mangers and owners of businesses an economically viable way to spend more time to concentrate on growing their business rather than in the office or out on the site with the smaller yet vital tasks.
Robert Ashton, the Barefoot Entrepreneur said: “As I get busier, I find myself with less time to do the smaller tasks within my business, such as research or social media marketing – the tasks that ultimately help keep my business running. With Apprenticeships, I found a way that I could take on an extra pair of hands and through them met my apprentice, Chris Reeve. Now I can focus on what I do best and Chris has taken over the bits I don’t have time for while he works towards gaining a qualification and actually works on projects that fit his skills set, not folding and sending letters all day!” To the surprise of many a business leader, investing in a young person had rewarded them tenfold as what they may lack in general work experience they more than make up in enthusiasm, boundless spirit and ‘out of the box’ thinking.
Graham Footer CEO of Disabled Motoring UK comments on the impact of young minds in his business. “I am delighted that Disabled Motoring UK has once again had the opportunity to offer two young people the chance to join the organisation on an apprenticeship scheme. We know from previous experience that apprentices benefit the organisation in so many ways. Their enthusiasm, hunger to learn new skills and desire to prove themselves all add an extra dimension and gives the rest of the team here a real boost. On a personal note, I get a huge amount of satisfaction that we have given a young person an opportunity to begin their work career, gain valuable experience and develop their skills.
The Norfolk Chamber has made a commitment to support businesses by setting up the Apprenticeship Broker Service which is designed to help them consider all the implications of taking on a young apprentices, support them with finding the right qualification andOne of the first businesses we helped was Lamberts in Norwich who ever since have not looked back.
Trina Beare Director of Lamberts comments on the support received by the Chamber.“I have Chris to thank for introducing Lamberts to Apprentices. During one of his visits 12 months ago, the topic arose. Having little knowledge of the training schemes available to young people, i was very interested to find out what it involved and how it worked. Chris spoke at great length of the advantages and benefits of employing a younger member of staff on such an Apprenticeship programme. In March, Jordan joined us as an Apprentice Warehouse Assistant. I have to say, it’s been a very positive experience for all of us. Jordan’s enthusiasm and commitment to the company has been unfailing from the start, and he’s become an extremely valuable member of our team here at Lamberts. We are extremely proud of him for what he has achieved so far, and look forward to being an integral part of his future career”.
Jane Mccall from High Way to training has been actively engaged with training of Norfolk young people throughout her career and after using the Chamber Broker service, went the extra mile in taking on young apprentices and has a total of 8 apprentices working at bother of her new sites.
Jane comments. “We have watched our apprentices grow in confidence and ability during their first few months, developing their skills and identifying a career progression. From their perspective, they are learning and earning; as they grow and develop in our business, we see the growth from their commitment within our operations and the excellent repeat customer service their involvement is bringing. We have eight apprentices currently across hospitality, business administration, retail and warehouse working in our cafe’ at Saints, 23 St John Maddermarket and Ecogreen Store Unit 19a St Mary’s Works Duke Street. Our apprentices now effectively assist in daily operations and are actively promoting our products and services within the local community; they have quickly become assets to our businesses.”
These are just a few of the recent success stories of young people being brought into a business and really having a measurable impact in helping the business grow.
At the Chamber we started our apprenticeship journey over 18 months ago with Katie joining us here in the membership team. Since then she has gone from strength to strength and now is a key member of the events team taking lead on her very own events. Due to the success of Katie, we now have two other apprentices here who have become vital members of the team and with them we have been able to grow.
If you want to look into how you too can benefit from taking on a young apprentice then let the Norfolk Chamber Apprenticeship Brokerage Service help you by contacting Chris Perry on: 01603 625977 or e-mailing [email protected]