St Albans Charter Market declared Best Large Outdoor Market in Britain

St Albans Charter Market has won a prestigious national accolade - winning the Best Large Outdoor Market  award. The historic Market took the coveted title at the Great British Markets Awards 2024 which is run by the National Association of British Market Authorities.

Praising the market, the judges said: “Its commitment to supporting new traders, modernising infrastructure and active collaboration with local partners sets it apart.”

Both weekly markets have seen strong growth year on year and occupancy has increased significantly on both Wednesdays and Saturdays, achieving the highest pitch sales since 2016.

The market team is particularly proud of the number of new traders and applicants over the past year, diversifying the product mix and attracting first-time traders.

STANTA has launched a Digital Skills Hub which will provide a wide and evolving range of digital workshops for businesses in St Albans and Harpenden. 

Funded by Hertfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership, the Hub is aimed at businesses that have been trading for less than 5 years, and is free of charge. More established businesses in the area can attend the workshops for a small charge.

The workshops, which are mostly held in STANTA’s offices are led by specialist practitioners who will lead practical workshops to help people to develop their skills. Forthcoming courses include:

• Introduction to podcasting (14 February)
• Instagram & Instagram reels (16 February)
• Setting up a Google Business Profile (28 February)
• Overview of social media for business use (1 March)
• Practical guidelines for sustainability for business (6 March)
• Google Analytics (8 March)
• Attracting more customers to your website, including SEO (13 March)

To book onto any of these workshops, follow the link below:

The Step2Skills service supports employment and education opportunities for all Hertfordshire residents. The main aim is to create a more inclusive and diverse workforce. The Step2Skills programme is a free service to help attract and retain staff. It offers multiple services, including Supported Employment Programmes, Job Fairs and the Step2Skills Course. 

Participants include neurodivergent people (e.g., those with ADHD or Autism), and those with sensory needs, learning disabilities (e.g dyslexia), mental health conditions or physical disabilities.

Tuesday, 5 March, 10am-12noon.

Ever wished there was a tech-powered fix for your business challenges? Tier 2 Consulting invites you to an engaging breakfast workshop in partnership with Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce.

This workshop will share how custom software can help solve business problems. The session will provide tools to help analyse business problems, demystify the process of developing custom software and advise on how software can be tailored to fit specific needs.

Information will include:

• Business Challenges: Experiencing challenges and seeking solutions?
• Interest in Custom Software: Want to explore how technical solutions can  address these challenges?
• Got an Idea: But not sure where to start?

No technical knowledge is required to join this workshop. Find out more info or book:

Thursday 29 February 2024, 10-11am. Hertfordshire Growth Hub in partnership with Coach and Bloom.

How many women leave your business after having children?

Did you know that to replace an employee costs between 6-9 months of their salary - e.g., for recruitment fees, training costs, shadowing, and reduced performance while getting up to speed?

This webinar will equip HR leaders and business owners with practical insight on how to manage maternity leaves most effectively, to both retain and attract the best female talent to their business.

Find out more and book here:

Are you a Hertfordshire SME looking for new avenues to business growth? Want to learn about the growing commercial opportunities offered by the county’s creative sector?

Studios and production companies are actively seeking local suppliers to fulfil a wide range of needs, from catering and equipment hire to visual effects, accountancy, and much more. Whether you are new to the industry or already trading as part of its supply chain, the Roadshow is a chance to learn more and find out how your business could benefit.

You will hear directly from industry representatives from Route 24 and Netflix, alongside learning about the Create Growth Programme offering support to help your business innovate, develop new high value products and services, and boost investment readiness.

The Roadshow includes two invitation-only events taking place on 27 February at Ashridge House (Berkhamsted) and 6 March at Knebworth Barns (Knebworth) hosted by Hertfordshire Growth Hub and Hertfordshire Film Office.

T Levels offered by Oaklands College aim to give students a distinct advantage in entering the labour market. Teaching and learning ensure that students are well prepared to continue onto the next level of study and training or into employment.

What do T Levels offer?

• Two-year qualification
• Equivalent to three A Levels
• 45-day industry placement
• 80% classroom and 20% work

Discover the T Level courses at Oaklands College:

1. Agriculture, Environmental and Animal Care
2. Business and Administration
3. Construction and the Built Environment
4. Design, Surveying and Planning for Construction
5. Digital (NCFE)
6. Education and Childcare
7. Engineering and Manufacturing
8. Health and Science
9. Legal, Finance and Accounting (Pearsons)

Find out more and apply online: