On 23 June, the Government published the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy. The strategy outlines the 10-year plan to "significantly increase business investment in 8 growth-driving sectors, by making it quicker and easier for businesses to invest and providing them with the certainty and stability needed for long-term investment decisions".  

The strategy identifies eight key growth sectors:

• Advanced Manufacturing
• Clean Energy Industries
• Creative Industries
• Defence
• Digital and Technologies
• Financial Services
• Life Sciences
• Professional and Business Services

The Government has set out its intention to focus efforts on the city regions and clusters that it considers to have the highest potential to support the growth-driving sectors. 

Oaklands is proud to support local people and businesses with a fresh wave of apprenticeship opportunities starting from July 2025 and continuing into the autumn. These programmes are designed to help individuals build valuable, industry-specific skills while contributing to the growth of key sectors across St Albans District and the wider Hertfordshire region.

Apprenticeships offer a great way to combine hands-on work experience with high-quality training and nationally recognised qualifications. They are also an excellent option for local businesses aiming to grow their workforce and develop home-grown talent.

At a time when local industries are actively looking for new skills and fresh ideas, these apprenticeships offer a chance to build a career with purpose and progression. Opportunities are available in key sectors such as business administration, engineering, childcare, town planning, and skilled trades, with further programmes launching in September and January.

Apprenticeships Starting in July:

• Level 3 Business Administrator
• Level 3 Team Leader/Supervisor
• Level 3 Early Years Educator/Practitioner
• Level 3 Engineering Design Technician
• Level 3 Engineering Fitter
• Level 3 Machining Technician
• Level 3 Mechatronics Maintenance Technician
• Level 4 Engineering Manufacturing Technician

Apprenticeships Starting from September:

• Level 2 Hairdressing Professional
• Level 2 Carpentry (Starting January 2026)
• Level 3 Electrical Installation
• Level 3 Engineering (as listed above)
• Level 4 Town Planning
• Level 5 Operations/Departmental Manager

Step2Skills adult community learning and employment support services provides opportunities for adults in Hertfordshire to get involved in learning and employment.

Skills bootcamps aren’t just for career changes or jobseekers. Skills Bootcamps are FREE to the learners and are a cost-effective way for employers to upskill existing staff, adapt to emerging industries, and stay competitive in a shifting market. 

There's a wide variety of bootcamps available:

• Business and Management
• Retrofit and Green
• Construction
• Early Years
• Film, TV and Creative
• Mental Health
• Security and Event Management

These flexible courses of up to 16 weeks offer a great way to gain new skills and fast track futures.

Want to break into the Film & TV Industry?

Join Hertfordshire Growth Hub’s 1-hour webinar, ‘Behind the Scenes’

This Hertfordshire Growth Hub session is open to businesses across all sectors and will explore how businesses - including those in construction, catering, logistics, tech, and creative services - can supply to the film and TV industry.

Date/Time: Tuesday 15^th July, 10:00–11:00
Location: Online via Zoom

What You Will Learn:

• An overview of the film & TV supply chain in Hertfordshire
• Insights from Pippa Cawdron (Hertfordshire Film Office), Chris Harper (Estu), Elena Sharples (University of Hertfordshire) and George Tsafandakis (Hertfordshire Growth Hub)
• First-hand experiences from businesses that have benefited from the package of support available through the Create Growth Programme*

Join this webinar if you are:

• An established business based in Hertfordshire and interested in exploring new sectors or growth opportunities

For more information and to register, visit: https://bit.ly/Behind-the-Scenes-Webinar.

*Create Growth is a national programme, led by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) in partnership with Innovate UK. The Hertfordshire Futures led local programme is delivered by Hertfordshire Growth Hub, Estu and the University of Hertfordshire.

Business Breakfast with Daisy Cooper MP

St Albans District Chamber of Commerce are holding a business breakfast offering an opportunity to hear from Daisy Cooper MP and build your local network with other business people from across the district, exchange ideas, and take part in conversations about the local economy and the wider business landscape.

Date and time: Thursday 11 September, 07:15-09:00
Location: St Michael’s Manor, Fishpool Street
Tickets: £27.00 +VAT for members and £37.00 +VAT for non-members

Book online.

Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce is a privately run membership organisation which can open doors for local businesses and organisations by helping them grow their profile and connect with other businesses locally, nationally, and globally.

The Chamber is offering a multitude of events this summer, with Member and Non-Member rate options available.

Highlights include:

July Chamber Lunch

Date and time: Thursday 17 July, 11:45-14:15
Location: Hertfordshire Zoo, Broxbourne
Tickets: £55.00 +VAT for members and £75.00 +VAT for non-members

Book online

Young Business Professionals Networking Breakfast

Date and time: 27 August, 08:30-10:30
Location: Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce Office, Hatfield
Tickets: £25.00 +VAT for members and £40.00 +VAT for non-members

Book online

Hertfordshire Limited: Growth Capital Breakfast with Grant Thornton

Date and time: 10 September
Location: Rothamsted Enterprises, Harpenden
Tickets: £25.00 +VAT for members and £40.00 +VAT for non-members

Book online

STANTA offers free workshops for St Albans and Harpenden businesses under 5 years old.  Call 01727 837760 or email advice@stanta.co.uk to find out more. Visit https://stanta.co.uk/event/stanta-workshops/ for the full list of workshops and to book.

Highlights include:

• Effective Selling: Friday 11 July
• LinkedIn for Business: Friday 12 September
• Master Video for Your Business – Part 1: Tuesday 16 September
• Business Planning Part 1: Friday 19 September

For dates of upcoming local networking events, visit https://stanta.co.uk/event/networking/

Step2Skills adult community learning and employment support service provides opportunities for adults in Hertfordshire to get involved in learning and employment. 

Courses are low cost, with taster sessions starting from £5.

Upcoming courses:

• How to Write a Business Plan: Thursday 17 July, Wednesday 3 September, and Friday 5 September
• Motivation and Time Management: Thursday 7 August
• CV Writing and Cover Letters: Tuesday 12 August and Wednesday 10 September
• Interview Skills: Tuesday 12 August
• Understanding your Smart Device: Wednesday 13 August
• Job Search and Online Applications: Thursday 14 August
• Public Speaking and Presentation Skills: Thursday 21 August and Wednesday 27 August (starts at £10)
• How to Fund Your Business: Wednesday 10 September and Thursday 11 September

On Thursday 26 June Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce hosted the Inspiring Hertfordshire Awards 2025 Gala Dinner. This event celebrates the achievements and contributions that businesses and individuals make to the growth of the County.

Congratulations to all the winners and those who were highly commended.

A particular mention here to winners and those highly commended from St Albans District:

• Business of the Year Small to Medium – IBC Simply
• Community Champion – Small Acts of Kindness
• Entrepreneur of the Year – Paul Davis, Paul Davis Fencing Academy
• Green Award – No Floor No More

Thousands of people enjoyed a new St Albans City Centre event which has been hailed as “a major success”.

The first St Albans Spring Festival was a celebration of food, well-being, community spirit and sustainability. Among the many attractions were live music, arts and crafts, street theatre, and dozens of stalls selling takeaway food, drink and other produce.

To ensure accessibility, sighted guides and British Sign Language Interpreters were in attendance while there was also priority seating and wheelchair ramps.

St Albans City and District Council organised the event which was part-funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and sponsored by Code Ninjas, Côte St Albans, and Corker Taxis.

If your company is interested in being a potential sponsor for future events, please contact the Events and Markets Manager Katherine Crafer – Katherine.Crafer@stalbans.gov.uk.

A burger restaurant operator has been prosecuted for failing to register as a food business as required by food safety and hygiene regulations.

St Albans City and District Council’s environmental health team launched an investigation into Total Cow, High Street, Redbourn, after a customer complaint.

Enquiries revealed the business was not registered and the operator was interviewed about the issue.

A decision was later taken to prosecute and issue a court summons after the operator failed to agree to a caution.

The Leaders of Hertfordshire’s 11 Councils have agreed to rule out the option of a single unitary authority for the county as part of ongoing discussions on local government reform proposals.

In response to the Government’s invitation to councils in all two-tier areas to submit an interim plan for moving to a single tier of unitary councils providing all services, Hertfordshire’s interim submission outlined a number of options for further consideration ranging from one to four unitary councils.

Following the election of a new County Council administration in May, there will be no further work to develop the business case for one unitary council covering the whole of Hertfordshire. This reflects a shared view that a single unitary council covering Hertfordshire’s 1.2 million residents would be too remote from the county’s diverse communities.

Keep in touch with news on local government reorganisation in Hertfordshire by signing up for updates.  See: www.stalbans.gov.uk/local-government-reorganisation