Now sending out invitations to wedding suppliers to offer stand spaces for our wedding fair on Sunday 20th October, if you would like a stand or knows someone that might let me know… we are starting a big marketing campaign this weekend to take us right through to the event so you won’t want to miss out!
Call me on 07436 162697 or email me sales@brookhotel.co.uk
Employability Skills
BBC News -23rd May 2012 Source: The Work Foundation, Paul Sissons. • Too many young people lack the social skills needed to get their first job.” • “Too many youngsters lack soft skills – such as communication and team working – to get a start in jobs.” • “…..people in industrialised countries are isolated from the labour market by a lack of skills.” • “Most new graduates lack even the basic skills needed for the workplace. Graduates were more interested in what a job can do for them, not what they have to offer an employer.” What Iceni Academy is doing NOW to support our pupils & their employability……. • MAKE PUPILS APPRECIATE JUST HOW EMPLOYABLE THEY ALL ARE! • MAKE PUPILS APPRECIATE THEIR SKILLS! • WE WILL ACHIEVE THIS BY; • MAKING SCHOOL & YOUR LEARNING RELEVANT TO EMPLOYMENT. • WE WILL BE; – Working closely with a variety of employers, on projects, in the classroom
AND Launching an initiative which is entirely new, unique & EXCLUSIVE to Iceni Academy……….!
Employability Skills Passport!
How Employability Skills Passports work • On a regular basis, PUPILS will have to; • Record in their passports examples of when they have demonstrated 8 key employability skills either; – In the classroom – In tutor time – In hobbies / part time work • Their recordings must be discussed with tutors in form time • At the end of the month, ytheir Community Leader will discuss the evidence with them. • According to successes, the Community Leader will allocate ‘Air Smiles’ • Air Smiles will enable pupils to travel forwards to success!
The ‘Air Smiles’ Process! • Up to 25 Air Smiles will be awarded to qualifying pupils each month. • Awards will be made based on the quality of the Employability Skills evidence gathered. • The Community Leader will record Air Smiles centrally, on schools Management Information System • At the end of each term, the total Air Smiles per pupil will be calculated. • Student achievement will be calculated & ONE employer related reward given out! • In the event that more than one student achieves the same highest amount of Air Smiles, deciding factors will include levels of attendance, attitude towards learning and effort.
We already have a number of local business’s engaged in this fantastic project who have kindly given their time and sponsorship in various ways.
For more information or to get involved please contact Mrs Jo Dickerson on jdi@iceniacademy.org.uk
Money can be one of the biggest causes of stress in relationships, but it doesn’t have to be. When you and your partner talk openly about money, you’re not just planning your finances; you’re building trust, teamwork, and a shared future.
Here are a few simple ways to make those conversations easier (and maybe even enjoyable).
We all have different money habits and histories. Instead of focusing on who’s “good” or “bad” with money, try exploring why you each handle it the way you do. Maybe your approach was shaped by childhood, past experiences, or just different priorities. Understanding where each other’s coming from makes those chats a lot smoother.
Whether it’s buying your first home, planning a dream holiday, or building a nest egg for the future, talk about what really matters to you both. When you’re working towards shared goals, saving and spending decisions become much easier (and far less likely to cause tension).
Money shouldn’t just be a topic for when something’s gone wrong. Think of it like a monthly team meeting, a chance to sit down, grab a cuppa (or a glass of wine!), and talk about what’s coming up, where you’re at, and how you both feel about it. Regular chats keep things open and honest.
Honesty is everything. If one of you is feeling stretched or spending more than you’d like, talk about it early before it becomes stressful. You’re a team, and teamwork starts with transparency.
Sometimes it helps to bring in a neutral expert, especially for bigger decisions like mortgages, pensions, or investments. A financial adviser can help you both feel confident, supported, and on the same page about your next steps.
Money chats can get tense fast, but they don’t have to. Try to keep the tone positive and focus on what you can do together. Swap “we can’t afford that” for “how can we make that happen?” It’s amazing what a shift in language can do for motivation and harmony.
Talking about money doesn’t have to cause arguments; it can actually bring you closer. At Planit Financial, we’re all about helping couples plan confidently for the future.
Check out our September Newsletter which includes an interview with the rising F3 star Cameron Twynham!
The Leathes Prior Employment Team represented Blakeney Manor Hotel at Norwich Employment Tribunal, in the defence of a constructive dismissal claim brought by a long serving manager.
Rejecting the claim without criticism of the Hotel, Judge McMahon held that the employer had at all times acted reasonably and that the manager had not been entitled to resign and consider herself unfairly dismissed.
Dan Chapman, Head of the Employment Team, appeared before the Tribunal as the advocate, and the case had been prepared by Catherine Hepworth (shortly to qualify as a Solicitor).
There is no doubt the mobile revolution is here with traffic to websites form mobile devices predicted to reach 50% by the end of 2014. However is your website ready for this new potential opportunity? Our latest guide helps you how to decide if your business needs a mobile website and what the options are. Full details are here and if you have any questions please contact us.
Bigfork – we make websites stand out
01603 513080
Steeles Law is holding a Legal Clinic at its 2 Mount Street, Diss offices on Friday 4 October, with pre-bookable 15 minute consultations available between 3.00 and 6.00pm.
Whether you a private individual or business owner, you can book a complimentary appointment with a legal professional in connection with any of the services we offer.
Please call 01379 652141 to make a booking. Appointments are offered on a first come, first served basis and must be booked before the day
The mobile revolution is here but is your website ready for it. 50% of website traffic is predicted to come from smartphones and tablets by the end of 2014 and many businesses are not prepared and could be losing out. If your website doesn’t offer a very good mobile visitor experience then you have several options including a responsive website or a separate mobile website. To find out more about these options read our latest article “Is your website ready for mobile” If you would like to discuss your options further please contact us on 01603 513080
Bigfork – we make websites stand out
Accountancy apprenticeships double in five years
New research from the Financial and Legal Skills Partnership (FSP) shows that accountancy firms have doubled the number of apprentices taken on over the last five years.
Data from the trade body set up to improve skills in the finance and legal sectors shows that by the end of 2012, the number of apprentices was 7,000, compared to 3,710 in 2007.
FSP chief executive Liz Field said that accountancy firms are increasingly looking to recruit and train school-leavers instead of graduates as they ¬believe apprentices will demonstrate increasing loyalty and will stay in their jobs for longer. She added that employers will choose school-leavers over graduates because they have more “realistic” salary ¬expectations.
Apprenticeships are training programmes, where you train and work in an organisation while studying for a relevant qualification. “Apprenticeships are increasingly popular as they allow young people to learn on the job, develop knowledge and skills and earn money – all at the same time,” explains Big Sky Additions’ director, Justin Murray. “Some accountancy apprenticeship schemes also run hand in hand with professional training such as the AAT accounting qualification,” he added.
Accountancy apprenticeship schemes are offered by a wide range of small practices and large corporate firms, allowing students to earn a salary while studying for professional qualifications over a five-year period.
The JMS Group, one of the region’s longest established media companies, celebrates its 30th birthday this month in buoyant mood.
What began in an abandoned recording studio amidst farm buildings on the outskirts of Hethersett has since become a major provider of audio and visual productions in the UK and Europe.
JMS – founded by former broadcaster John Mountford – was initially set up in September 1983 to produce commercials for the then fledgling independent local radio industry.
Whilst busy establishing itself as a leading supplier to radio stations around the country, JMS also began steady progress into television.
Today, JMS makes around 250 TV commercials a year for local businesses and international brands.
Proud to be Norfolk based, The JMS Group employs a team of local writers, directors, sound and vision producers, video editors and motion graphics designers, who can create anything from a ‘how-to’ video, to studio drama, to amazing 3D animations.
There’s technological trickery aplenty at JMS. A click of a mouse button and editors can change a sunny day into a thunderstorm, whilst actors can be transported to the Paris skyline at dusk, or placed deep inside a candlelit castle dungeon – without leaving Norfolk – thanks to the enormous green special effects stage in JMS’ TV studio.
It’s this amazing blend of skills and technology which has seen JMS successfully ride out the economic turbulence of the past three decades. John Mountford says:
“In 30 years we’ve re-invented ourselves countless times, keeping abreast of taste and ahead of changing technology. Now, glossy commercials which in our early days would have taken weeks of work can be produced cost effectively in days or even hours. As a result more and more businesses, many of them local to Norfolk, have never found it easier to advertise on TV”.
“And some of today’s most exciting developments are online. Video is now the key driver of web-based content and businesses are increasingly investing in quality online video to set their site apart”.
JMS is still based in its original Hethersett location having gradually converted adjacent farm buildings to form a media centre which includes three radio studios (the group still makes around 150 radio commercials each month) and three TV edit suites.
But is being Norfolk-based a hindrance? Mountford thinks not – particularly now:
“The internet has made the world a smaller place so JMS can access voice overs and musicians absolutely anywhere with the flick of a switch, and send video files anywhere too – so rather than being in the big smoke, we’ve always embraced life here in Norfolk…and the parking’s better!”
It looks as if the steady stream of celebrities who visit the studios agree. John Hurt voiced his famous “Great Dragon” for the BBC blockbuster Merlin at Hethersett (and even a piece of dialogue for “Tinker Tailor”).
Stephen Fry, Tom Baker, Tony Robinson, Su Pollard, Philippa Forrester, Martin Shaw and Steve Coogan are just a handful of the names who have graced the building…and all of them have taken their place on the JMS ‘Wall of the Stars’.
John Mountford explains: “As the years rolled by and the celebs kept visiting us we felt we should commemorate each with their own blue plaque. Trouble is, we ran out of wall space a long time back – and there’s a waiting list! And as some of those original names are getting knighthoods we’ll need additional plaques, and more space, pretty soon!”
The JMS Group celebrates its 30th birthday on Monday 23rd September.
To find out more about TV, Web, Corporate or Radio commercial production, contact Tom Kay, Head Of Marketing at The JMS Group on 01603 811855 or 07939 598670.
UK unemployment continues to fall
The latest government unemployment figures for the three month period to July have fallen by 0.1% to 7.7%. The number of people unemployed in this period fell 24,000 to 2.487 million, while official figures also showed a concurrent fall in the number of people claiming jobseekers allowance, to 1.402 million, its lowest level since February 2009.
Prime Minister David Cameron said Britain is “turning a corner” but admits the government has “still got a long way to go” on unemployment. BBC Chief economics correspondent, Hugh Pym concurs: “In a week when the chancellor said the economy was turning a corner, here are labour market figures that strengthen the argument that the economy is moving in the right direction,”
The figures for unemployment in the three months to July are based on the Labour Force Survey, in which the Office for National Statistics speaks to 60,000 households once a quarter, making it the country’s biggest household survey.
New jobs created in the private sector continue to support growth – between March and June 2013, public sector employment fell 34,000, while private sector employment rose 114,000. “The positive figures are a measure of the resilience and the flexibility of Britain’s labour market,” said David Kern, chief economist at the British Chambers of Commerce. “The further increase in private sector employment, at a time when the public sector is still shedding jobs, demonstrates yet again that private firms are able to drive the recovery.”
Against an otherwise improving picture, youth unemployment rose slightly to 21%. In a bid to tackle youth unemployment in East Anglia, the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce has announced a joint venture with the Norwich for Jobs campaign to implement its already successful apprenticeship brokerage service. The role of the Chamber will be to lend a helping hand to businesses to help them identify the most appropriate apprenticeship scheme and training providers to meet their needs and get more young people into jobs.
Chamber CEO, Caroline Williams, commented: “We are passionate about helping to provide links between Norfolk’s young people and the business community and this is one way we feel that we can really help.”
“All this strengthens our belief that the jobs market is slowly improving. Over the last quarter we have witnessed a higher number of finance vacancies we have been asked to fill and we are therefore quietly optimistic that this trend will continue but would like to see more opportunities created for the FD market” explains Sam Holt, Director of Big Sky Additions.