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A full range of business support measures have been made available to UK businesses and employees.
Follow the links to see the latest updates from Government on working safely here and find financial support for your business.
The Government has set up a business support helpline on 0800 998 1098 This is available Monday to Friday from 9am to 6pm.
Visit the Malvern Hills website for the latest Covid business advice. If you are not receiving this newsletter directly, please sign up to our regular email newsletter for the latest updates on business support.
You are invited to the launch of Malvern Hills District Council’s new Destination Zero Community Fund at Morgan Motor Company (WR14 2LL) on Wednesday 23 March, from 2pm - 4pm. Join Chairman of the Environmental Panel, Cllr Beverley Nielsen, and crowdfunding experts Spacehive to discover how this dedicated funding pot of £100,000 will support community led initiatives that contribute towards the aims of the District’s Destination Zero Plan. Discover how your business can play a pivotal role supporting community projects through crowdfunding while tackling climate change.
From reducing carbon emissions to enhancing biodiversity and habitats, projects put forward by the community provide a creative and collaborative route to achieving your Corporate Social Responsibility objectives.
For any questions about the event or accessibility requirements, please contact nicola.stevens@malvernhills.gov.uk. Tea and coffee will be provided.
For more information about the funding opportunity please visit: Crowdfund Worcestershire.
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Help is available for local apprentices and employees to access their workplace and training. Malvern Hills Car Clubs, with grant support from Malvern Hills District Council, has made available five new purpose built Ebikes and the option to convert applicants normal bikes to Ebikes. This scheme is designed to provide an alternative transport option for apprentices and other workers with their commute. The price is just £15 per week and funding to cover the cost is available for apprentices and trainees through the Training Cost Support Payment.
Further details below and please share this with your staff.
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Malvern Hills and Wychavon District Councils have received more than £283,000 from the UK Government through the UK Community Renewal Fund to support a range of activities to boost skills, help businesses grow and support people into work as part of the Upskilling in Malvern Hills and Wychavon project.
As part of the programme, we are looking to provide support for local employers to develop age friendly working practices. The aim is to enable businesses to both recruit older employees and retain older employees where they wish to remain in the work force, by adopting new management practices and policies.
We have appointed Helen Astill, of award-winning HR consultancy Cherington HR, to help deliver this support to Malvern Hills and Wychavon businesses. Free 1:1 meetings with Helen for any businesses who would like support in implementing their age-friendly policies are available. If you would like to take advantage of the free 1:1 sessions and access the free resources, please contact Helen on 01684 594773 or email helen.astill@hrsolutions-uk.com
Worcestershire Growth Hub is working in partnership with Malvern Hills District Council on an initiative to look at more intensive engagement with businesses located in some of the more rural business parks in the district. Both organisations want to ensure that companies are aware of the support available to help grow their businesses and that common issues are identified to feed into the District’s Economic Development Strategy for the future.
Funding and advice is available in areas such as:
- Clean growth
- Innovation
- Supply chains
- And much more...
For more information please contact Worcestershire Growth Hub on 01905 677888 or info@business-central.co.uk
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The Worcestershire Growth Hub has confirmed additional business support is available to help local organisations. This support will continue the delivery model of the Specialist Advisor programme, with specific support delivered in a 1-to-1 advice format. The programme offers support in the following areas:
- Communications and Marketing
- Sustainability
- Financial Support
- Digital Technology Support
- Recruitment and Retention
- General Business Advice
The Specialist Advisor programme is only running until the end of March 2022.
Businesses in Malvern Hills and Wychavon Districts are actively looking to take on more staff and increasingly turning towards apprenticeships as a way of filling vacancies.
The findings are part of the Malvern Hills and Wychavon Upskilling Project business survey, which aimed to establish the skills and training needs of local employers.
In total, 665 companies across the two districts filled in the survey, with about 40% saying they were currently looking to recruit or train staff or change or expand their business.
An overwhelming 82% of businesses agreed an apprentice would help fill their recruitment/training needs in the next 24 months.
The responses also showed that 53% of businesses believe they currently have a skills shortage, while 31.9% have at least one vacancy to fill.
To help address these concerns, both councils are investing more than £283,000 from the Government's UK Community Renewal Fund into skills, training and employment opportunities. See below in the grants section for more information or follow the link to find out more.
SSW can work with you to develop a bespoke training programme relevant to your needs, and as the SSW programme is co-financed by the European Social Fund (ESF) and the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA), a wide range of training can be accessed at no cost to your business.
They can support you with qualifications in: IT, Leadership and Management, Engineering, Manufacturing, Construction, Health and Social care, Customer Service, Business Administration, and many more.
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The Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) has launched a new Local Skills Report to outline the aims for skills development in the county. The report will highlight the challenges faced by skills projects as well as outlining the Skills Action Plan which covers 5 priorities which the Worcestershire LEP will work with partners to ensure are met. To find out more about the programmes which can support your business, contact the Careers Hub by emailing info@business-central.co.uk or phoning 01905 677 888.
After the success of the virtual awards last year, the popular event returns in its physical manifestation on 17 November 2022 at the West Midland Safari Park. Get your entries in for a star apprentice or excellent employer by 15 July 2022.
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The team at Visit England have launched their campaign toolkit for English Tourism Week - a way to celebrate tourism in England and raise awareness of the vibrant sector. The theme this year is staffing and recruitment and spotlights the abundance of job opportunities available in tourism and hospitality.
Tourism is a large employer of school leavers and young people making it a great place to start a career and learn valuable, lifelong skills. The sector is also an incubator for entrepreneurs and innovation - encouraging people to start businesses and put new ideas into practice. This years campaign slogan is: "You're Welcome" to send the message that everyone working in tourism is ready and excited to welcome visitors back and are continuing to put hard work into the sector. Follow the link below to download the campaign imagery and show your support on social media using the hashtag #EnglishTourismWeek22
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As confidence returns to all business areas in Worcestershire, a limiting factor in SME's growth is the lack of commercial property. Worcestershire commercial property consultancy GJS Dillon's report finds that, although businesses are growing and seeking new premises, a combination of the rise in inflation rates, construction costs and the lack of commercial land is squeezing the market. Read the full report by following the link below.
Calling all Malvern Hills businesses: it's your time to shine! HW Chamber of Commerce has opened applications for its prestigious business awards. With categories from Excellence in Innovation to Micro Business of the year opportunities that come alongside entering an award are invaluable, including a great boost to staff morale and a powerful tool to raise your profile against competitors. Entries are FREE and open to businesses of any size, in any sector and regardless of membership. Get your entries in by 4pm on 25 March 2022 and join the black tie awards ceremony on 7 July 2022 at the Worcester Arena.
There's still time for independent businesses to get a cash boost to help their Covid-19 recovery with Malvern Hills District Council's Town Centre Support Scheme. Traders in any of the district's five retail centres – Great Malvern, Malvern Link including Link Top, Barnards Green, Upton and Tenbury – can apply for the grant.
Funding is on offer to pay for shop front improvements and security measures such as CCTV. The council will pay up to £1,500 for a project with the business expected to match fund.
The scheme is part of the council's £500,000 economic recovery fund created to support the local economy as it recovers from the impact of Covid-19 restrictions.
Eligible businesses can now apply for financial help following the February floods. Affected businesses can claim a one-off payment of £1000. Applicants must be the normal occupant of the flooded premises and business rates payer to apply for the support. They must also be able to prove they were flooded in February 2022, for example with photographs. Click the link below to find out more.
MHDC and WDC has gained funding through the UK Community Renewal Fund. This means there is more grant money available for businesses who take on apprentices and trainees. So, the Council can offer you, if you are an employer with fewer than 250 staff, up to £2000 for each new apprentice or other trainee of any age, whether previously on the company pay role or not. The main requirement is that your apprentice must have started their training after 1st April 2021 and be currently enrolled on their course. Applications are still open.
With our new Apprentice and Trainee Support Grants we are giving new apprentices and trainees £500. They can also get help with the cost of travel, equipment and other costs related to their training up to a maximum of £1,000. This project is also funded by the UK Community Renewal Fund.
To qualify for the payments they need to:
• live in the Malvern Hills or Wychavon postcode areas.
• be a new apprentice or trainee of any age.
• earn less than £15,000 a year.
• claim for the funding themselves and have their employers support.
• complete the first three months of their apprenticeship/training (this only applies to the £500 incentive bonus)
For full terms and conditions and to apply please visit our website.
To find out more about the Upskilling Project as a whole, please visit our website:
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MHDC and Community First are piloting The Village Office scheme to help prevent social isolation driven by the rise of home-working. Due to the scheme, there will be times when Lindridge Parish Hall will be available as a co - working space for those who work from home or have small businesses. There will be plenty of space to set up a laptop or do crafting work, and good Wi-Fi will be provided. Come along to the open day to take a look around.
Contact lindridgeparishhall@outlook.com for more information or visit their website: Lindridge Parish Hall | Eardiston
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