Weekly newsletter for North Worcestershire businesses

NWedR supports and promotes economic development and regeneration across North Worcestershire

View this email in your browser

North Worcestershire edr

Follow NWEDR  |  Connect With North Worcs EDR  |  Visit NWEDR


Show of hands

Staying Connected

The NWedR team delivers support and services to businesses across North Worcestershire. Email us on info@nwedr.org.uk Call us on 0845 6015953 or visit our NWedR website to read our news and sign up for our weekly newsletters for North Worcestershire businesses. Connect with your local council on social media Bromsgrove DC Twitter, Facebook, Redditch BC Twitter, Facebook, Wyre Forest DC Twitter, Facebook. NWedR social connections are shown at the top of this page.

For regional Worcestershire business advice, grants and support go to Worcestershire Business Central or The Greater Birmingham & Solihull LEP Growth Hub. In response to the Coronavirus pandemic, a full range of business support is available to UK businesses and employees.  See the latest updates from Government. The business support helpline is 0300 456 3565 - available Monday to Friday from 9am to 6pm.


Birmingham 2022

Business opportunities at Commonwealth Games

The search is on to find suppliers who can deliver nearly £5million worth of catering services for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.  With just over 500 days to go until the start of the Games, the official procurement process to find catering suppliers of all sizes to provide services to spectators, athletes, officials, volunteers, and workforce, is now open. Catering contracts are expected to support approximately 2,000 jobs during Games time and will be a much welcome boost to a sector that has suffered during the global pandemic.

The successful suppliers will have proven experience of delivering high quality catering operations and share a passion for providing relevant, high-quality food and drinks as well as exemplary levels of customer service. Suppliers will be expected to demonstrate initiatives that deliver social value and support the local community.

The first procurement for these catering services is now open and businesses are invited to complete a Selection Questionnaire (formerly known as PQQ). The invitation to submit initial bids is April 2021, with the final tender in May 2021. The contract will be awarded in the summer of 2021.

Interested businesses are encouraged to apply via the procurement portal:

Birmingham 2022 Business portal


Brexit

How to trade with the EU and Northern Ireland

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has produced a toolkit for small and medium-sized enterprises to help them identify the decisions and actions they need to make to continue trading with the EU and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA).

The document provides an overview of actions to take outlines support, helplines and resources that may be useful for SMEs and signposts to more detailed guidance on government websites.

See the toolkit


Brexit transition with Europe

UK Transition support

The Greater Birmingham and Solihull Growth Hub has a dedicated team giving free assistance to SMEs on everything to do with the UK Transition. Part of that support includes 1:1 consultations with various industry experts. Coming up on 16 March, Business & Immigration Lawyer Omer Simjee from Magma Legal will be answering SMEs’ questions on People & Skills, such as:

  • What work can staff do in the EU and how long can they stay without a Visa?
  • What can staff from EU companies do when in the UK and how long can they stay?
  • Can we still hire temporary workers from the EU, and if so, for how long?
  • Right to Work checks, for existing EU workers and new recruits – what do employers need to know?

Email the GBSLEP Growth & Resilience team to find out more and book a consultation: GrowthandResilience@gbslepgrowthhub.co.uk

For more information on how the Growth Hub can help you trade successfully post-Brexit, please visit https://www.gbslepgrowthhub.co.uk/uk-transition


Business support overview

Overview of grants and business support

NWedR has collated information on the current grants and support available to North Worcestershire businesses. This ‘at a glance’ summary has been designed to provide a quick overview for business leaders across the area.  This is being updated regularly and displayed on the front page of our website.

 

Read the summary


Diverse business

Workforce and labour supply handbook

The Home Office in partnership with the Association of Labour Providers (ALP) have created a handbook intended to help employers and providers of contingent labour to understand the new immigration system and ensure compliance with right to work legislation. The handbook covers existing workers and new applicants and determines what actions to take to help secure continuity of labour supply. The handbook can be accessed from the ALP website here.


Worcestershire Works Well

Are you working well?

To help local businesses gain a further understanding of Worcestershire Works Well, there will be a free webinar on Wednesday 21 April covering how the scheme works, how WWW Reps support businesses, experiences from current WWW Members and an opportunity to ask any questions.

Worcestershire Works Well is open to all public, private and third sector organisations located in Worcestershire that have a minimum of 5 employees. Click here to find out more about the free webinar.


Here2Help business

Is mentoring for you?

Plans are underway for attracting the next cohort of Here2Help Mentoring Programme. On Monday 22 there is a free webinar featuring mentee and mentor pairings from the pilot cohort to talk about their motivations to join the programme and their outcomes from being involved in the scheme.  The webinar will also include a Q&A opportunity for our guest speakers to answer questions from delegates who we expect to comprise of prospective mentors and mentees.

The mentee eligibility criteria for the programme is extended and now includes mentees from any B2C background or B2B business who has received support from any of our business support programmes in the past. Register for the webinar


tell us

Take part in the Chamber Survey

Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce has launched its 2021 Quarter 1 business survey.  The data collected from the Economic Indicator survey will be anonymised and shared with the British Chambers of Commerce to lobby government on key business issues. Take a few moments to take part in this survey and your business will be entered into a prize draw with a chance to win a pair of Apple AirPods!

Take part now!


culture

Calling arts, heritage and culture organisations and freelancers

Are you looking for more social media followers or to improve your Google search ratings and visits to your website?  The team at Limina Immersive is running a free digital welcome programme during March and April.  You will get free expert led digital clinics designed for arts, culture and craft organisations. If you have less than 50 employees and have been directly affected by Covid-19, book your slot now!

Find out more


Productivity through people

Still time to access industry-leading national programme

The Productivity through People Programme provides SME leaders with access to the latest techniques, thinking and research central to transforming business productivity and working practices. Starting March 2021, this six-month national programme is designed for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by Aston Business School and Be the Business and sponsored by Lloyds Banking Group.

The Productivity through People Programme will support you to:

  • Diversify your thinking
  • Develop empowering leadership skills
  • Create a culture of innovation

The programme has received significant investment from its industrial partners. As a result, its subsidised cost is £2,500 per delegate. Bursaries and payment plans may be available. To join the Productivity through People Programme, you will be an SME owner and/or senior team leader who can influence change within the organisation, be an SME with between 10 and 500 employees (all business sectors encouraged to apply) have an annual company turnover between £1m and £50m, and have been trading as a business for more than twelve months

Find out more 


Hogarths calendar 21

March 2021 – Celebrating North Worcestershire Calendar

Our winning feature this month is Hogarths Stone Manor.  The Hogarths team are seen here having fun in the spring sunshine for their photoshoot – before last year’s lockdown!  See the complete 2021 Celebrating North Worcestershire calendar photo gallery.

This year, NWedR and North Worcestershire Business Leaders (NWBL) have partnered once again to invite local businesses to submit just 50 words about the area for a chance to win a fantastic package of free marketing support. Now in its fourth year, the 2022 ‘Celebrating North Worcestershire’ competition provides the opportunity to win a valuable prize which will go to 12 lucky businesses.

The prize includes a spotlight month in the wonderful ‘Celebrating North Worcestershire Calendar’ with a dedicated company photoshoot, features in the NWedR newsletter, social media PR campaign, an online feature in Business and Innovation magazine and your company photograph highlighted for a year on the NWedR and NWBL website photo galleries. The competition winners panel judges are looking for the most memorable, clear and insightful descriptions of why North Worcestershire is the best location for business.

Entries for 2022 are open now and close on Tuesday 4 May 2021. 

Enter online now!


apprenticeship awards

The Apprenticeships Awards are back

Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership and Worcestershire County Council have announced that the popular apprenticeship celebration event, the Worcestershire Apprenticeships Awards are returning in 2021. Apprentices, employers, schools, careers leads and training providers in Worcestershire are being encouraged to submit their nominations via the new online nomination process, before the 16 July 2021 deadline.

Read more


covid testing

Free rapid tests for all businesses

On 6 March, the Government announced that all businesses in England, including those with fewer than 50 employees, are now able to sign up to the free Coronavirus workplace testing programme. Businesses are encouraged to register their interest by 31 March to order free lateral flow tests for their employees.

Rapid testing detects cases in under 30 minutes, meaning positive cases can isolate immediately, breaking chains of transmission. Regular testing could be the difference between a workplace being able to stay open and operational, or needing to close due to a Coronavirus outbreak.

Find out more

Book a personal Covid test

You can book a personal Covid test in Worcestershire as long as you are asymptomatic – not showing any symptoms of Covid such as a high temperature, a new continuous cough or any changes to your sense of taste and smell.To have a test you must be over 18 years of age.

Tests can be pre-booked online by visiting Worcestershire County Council's website or individuals can use the newly introduced walk-in service across the county. Simply turn up at one of the sites listed on the County Council website.