Businesses - take a stand at Redditch Careers and Apprenticeship Roadshow!
Inspiring Worcestershire in partnership with Worcestershire Apprenticeships is running a Careers and Apprenticeship Roadshow on Tuesday, 17 October 2023.
Aimed at young people aged 15-24 and their parents/carers, the event will provide the opportunity to showcase your opportunities and promote your industry as a career option to young people in North Worcestershire.
The Roadshow will take place at the Heart of Worcestershire College, Redditch Campus, Peakman St, Redditch B98 8DW from 4pm to 8pm with exhibitors to set up stands from 2.30pm. Spaces are limited and will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.
To book a space at this event, contact Elena Wright by Friday 18 August on ewright3@worcestershire.gov.uk
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Hearing your views on proposed Worcester Street transformation
Hundreds of residents, shoppers, retailers, and workers viewed proposed plans for the regeneration of Worcester Street in Kidderminster town centre.
At the public information event on Thursday 3 August 2023, visitors saw for themselves the proposed designs to replace the former Woolworths, Megavalue, Poundland and Sigma Aquatics buildings which will have a phased demolition over the coming weeks.
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Have your say on the future of Matchborough and Winyates district Centres
People in Redditch are invited to have their say on possible future redevelopment concepts for the town’s Matchborough and Winyates district centres.
Redditch Borough Council is consulting on a swathe of improvements that could be made to the district centres, which were built just 800 metres apart during the ‘new town’ expansion of Redditch.
The results of the consultation will help inform future bids for the funding that would be required to regenerate the centres.
The closing date for comments is Sunday 27th August 2023.
Read more and have your say
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Exciting News for North Worcestershire Businesses: New Support and Grant Opportunities Available Now
We are delighted to announce a new and exciting package of support for North Worcestershire businesses is available now. The new programmes are part-funded by the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and Worcestershire County Council.
Whether you're just getting started, are looking to expand or want to make sustainable changes to your business, these programmes are designed to support you every step of the way.
Support for Start-Up Businesses: Paving the Way for Success
For aspiring entrepreneurs, the Start-Up Club offers a series of workshops to equip you with the essential knowledge, skills and confidence needed to begin your business venture.
For start-up businesses, the Enterprising Worcestershire Programme offers invaluable business coaching, mentoring, and assistance with turning your ideas into a reality and laying a great foundation for scaling your start-up.
To assist start-up businesses in establishing themselves in the market, our Enterprising Worcestershire Grant offers £1,000 to £5,000 to get your business or project off the ground.
Fuelling Growth: Helping Established Businesses to Scale and thrive
Established Small to Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) can benefit from Worcestershire County Councils exclusive growth support initiative, Elevate Worcestershire, which includes tailored one-to-one coaching, guided peer-to-peer support, and the development of a bespoke growth plan to set you on your growth journey.
Grant funding from £1,000 to £10,000 is also available to help implement these growth plans.
Net Zero: Contribute Towards a Thriving Low Carbon Economy.
The Net Zero Worcestershire support programme provides specialist support to help SMEs and organisations identify where existing energy consumption can be reduced and energy efficiency be improved. Assistance can vary from a short telephone consultation to more in-depth decarbonisation reviews.
To help easily monitor your carbon emissions, organisations can gain access to the Worcestershire Decarbonisation Portal, a web-based application that enables you to collate and analyse your organisation’s energy, transport, waste, and supply chain emissions, making climate action easy and engaging.
To further help you achieve your business's sustainability goals, £1,000 to £10,000 in grant funding is available to implement energy-saving initiatives including LED lighting, heating and insulation and renewables.
How to Apply and Get Involved
To learn more about these opportunities and to check your eligibility, please contact the Worcestershire Growth Hub via email info@worcestershiregrowthhub.co.uk or telephone 01905 677 888.
The new package of support is delivered and managed by Worcestershire County Council on behalf of Bromsgrove District Council, Redditch Borough Council and Wyre Forest District Council.
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Worcestershire live business events: Inclusive Leadership
Inclusive Worcestershire is a pledge to improve and promote inclusivity in Worcestershire’s workforce.
As part of this pledge Worcestershire County Council, alongside Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership, are delivering a series of seminars.
Hosted by inclusivity experts this series of seminars will take you on a journey to support you to become a Inclusive Employer.
Seminar one of our inclusivity journeys, to take place in October 2023 at Worcestershire County Cricket Club, will raise awareness of the 6 key principles of Inclusive Leadership.
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Interested in public sector procurement?
Are you looking to get work in the public sector? There is an upcoming event for businesses to gain insight into Public Sector Procurement. Find out more at the next Business Worcestershire Conference which will take place on Tuesday 3 October, 8am – 1pm at Worcestershire County Cricket Club.
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Care Leavers Covenant event
Worcestershire Care Leavers Covenant Event is a fantastic opportunity for Worcestershire businesses to hear more about the Care Leavers Covenant and our Worcestershire Care Leavers.
A care leaver is a young person aged 16-25 who has spent time in care. This might be foster care or residential care. The Covenant is a national inclusion programme which supports Care Leavers aged 16-25 to access opportunities and support them to make the most of their futures in collaboration with employers.
This event will provide businesses with the opportunity to promise support to our Worcestershire Care Leavers enabling them to triumph in the next phase of their lives.
This promise of support could be in the form of discounted offers or career development opportunities such as Work Experience, employment and others.
Signing the Covenant to promise support is FREE.
So why not join the other businesses already tapping into this talent pool for business growth, and further contribute to your company’s equality, diversity and inclusion agenda by joining us at our event on Monday 25 September.
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Workforce Planning Business Seminar ~
Monday 2 October: 1.30pm until 4.30pm at Worcestershire County Cricket Club
Worcestershire County Council alongside Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership, and the Growth Hub, are providing businesses with the opportunity to find out more about Workforce Planning.
Workforce Planning is the process of analysing your current workforce against your business planning, and determining your future workforce needs. This ensures you can have the right staff, with the right skills, at the right time to achieve your business aspirations.
Our event will provide you with a taster about why Workforce Planning is important, the opportunities available, and how it can support you to navigate current HR challenges including Talent Management and Recruitment & Retention.
So why not come along and see what Workforce Planning is all about and support us to support you.
Register here.
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Help to Grow Management Course
Boost growth and resilience and join a growing number of SME leaders taking part in the Help to Grow: Management Course. The course is 90% funded by UK Government, so the cost is only £750 per person!
This practical course offers 1-1 mentoring, peer learning and help in developing a business growth plan. Courses are running this September at Worcester University and other business schools across the West Midlands.
For more on eligibility information and registration, please visit the website.
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Apprenticeship Opportunities with West Mercia Police
Talent RISE is a registered charity that helps young people aged 16-30 to access and succeed in job, apprenticeship and work experience opportunities. Their services are completely free. Talent RISE is currently working with West Mercia Police to offer 2 x Level 3 Procurement Apprenticeships. These are based in Hindlip near Worcester, and there is some flexibility to work out of local police stations or remotely some of the time.
These roles have a salary of £18,159 and are expected to start in December 2023. These are full-time positions that offer a clearly defined career progression plan and the opportunity to develop skills that are highly transferable into many industries. Diversity and Inclusion are fundamental to West Mercia Police’s vision and values, and they have asked us to help engage young people who may not traditionally see police careers as for them.
Talent RISE can help applicants to create / strengthen their CV and prepare for any interview offered by West Mercia Police. This offer is open until Monday 28 August.
See full details and job specification.
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£400m Midlands Engine Investment Fund II preparing for 2024 launch
A £400m investment fund to support the growth of small and medium-sized businesses across the Midlands is on course to be launched early next year. The Midlands Engine Investment Fund II (MEIF II) is being delivered by the British Business Bank, bringing the total it has specifically earmarked for investment in the region to over £700m since 2017.
Read the full story
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Could you provide work experience?
Employers are needed throughout the year to provide work experience opportunities for students from year 10 (age 15) to year 12 (age 17) who will have a wide range of interests and are studying a variety of subjects. Placements range in length from 3 – 5 days, can be flexible and tailored to suit the availability of the business.
Work experience gives a young person the confidence and practical skills they need to succeed in the workplace. Getting good work experience while they are at school stands them in good stead when it comes to getting a job or an apprenticeship. Lack of experience is the number one reason that employers turn young job applicants away.
Worcestershire Education Business Partnership (EBP) works closely with schools and employers to ensure a comprehensive database of work experience opportunities are available for young people to easily access through their educational establishment.
For employers, of any size and in any sector, the process to register their company to offer a work experience opportunity is simple and straight forward. EBP place in excess of 6000 students every year so if you are able to offer a placement, please get in touch enquiries@webp.org.uk
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Letter to employers from the CEO of Citizens Advice Staff Support Scheme
“In the current economic climate, many companies keen to support their employees are finding their options limited. As Chief Officer of the local Citizens Advice service, I am writing to raise awareness of a dedicated service that we offer which may appeal.
For the last eight years, we have provided a staff support scheme for Birmingham University, giving their employees direct access to our services through a dedicated webpage. Working independently and alongside the Local Authority, we offer support on a wide range of issues: debt advice, housing costs, energy bills, funding available etc. affecting those living and working in and around Bromsgrove and Redditch.
Key advantages to offering this service within your business include a clear statement of intent of your organisation to care for its staff, fast access to tangible, regulated support and advice for all, and the positive impact on wellbeing and mental health that early advice and support can have, benefitting both your staff and yourselves as their employer.
We hold the Advice Quality Standard and are overseen and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Charity Commission. As a Charity, in order to be able to offer this dedicated service, we must cover the additional resource and training costs so there is a small charge based on the number of employees.
If this offering to your staff is of interest to you or you would like more information, please contact me in the first instance at CEO@cabr.org.uk.”
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Free health and safety consultation
Sentinel Safety Solutions are keen to help local companies to improve safety levels in their workplace. So, the company is offering a free 60-minute health and safety consultation, either on-site or via Teams to be booked before Saturday 30 September 2023.
You can review your existing health and safety procedures, such as fire risk assessments, manual handling etc, advise on training requirements and make sure you meet current legislation.
Book your free consultation using this link.
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Art and culture with the North Worcestershire Cultural Compact
This exciting arts and culture project has come about as a result of the work of the North-East Worcestershire Cultural Compact, a new network of organisations working together to increase participation and involvement with local culture and heritage amongst residents of Redditch and Bromsgrove.
Read the latest newsletter
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Tap into the Sustainability Hub from GBSLEP
Are you a small business who wants to understand your carbon footprint? Would you like to see where you can strategically invest in your business to be more sustainable? Do you want to explore how you can innovate to tap into new low carbon commercial opportunities?
If you have answered yes to any of the questions above, or simply want to see what is on offer from the GBSLEP Sustainability Hub, visit the Hub and see the support programmes on offer.
Any SME registered for business within the Greater Birmingham and Solihull LEP can receive 1-to-1 advice from a Growth Hub Adviser. Any business with between 11 and 249 employees registered for business within the Greater Birmingham and Solihull LEP geography can access our Clean Growth support programmes.
Find out more
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