42 women from across the Flagship Group came together on 4 April to form ‘Girls at 31’ – the first ever workplace Women’s Institute (WI) in Norfolk.
The women, who work for the largest housing association in the East of England, joined the long-standing institution in their ethos to unite women, build friendships and create a sense of belonging.
In true WI style, there was tea, cake and laughter at the Norwich headquarters (31 King Street) as the women formally registered as members, created a committee, and elected president Tracey Drake (Marketing Communications Business Partner).
Tracey said: “It is absolutely fantastic to see so many professional women coming together and forming our own WI. I’m proud to say I work for a company which has created this opportunity for their staff and can’t wait to get started.”
The inaugural meeting, which saw women from across the group aged between 19 to 71 coming together, was hosted by Margaret Collingwood, Head of the Norfolk WI.
She said: “It was wonderful to be part of this inspiring initiative. Forming a new WI is always exciting, but a workplace WI is a new venture for the Norfolk Federation; one we embrace wholeheartedly. We look forward to hearing about their plans for the next few months and to watching them grow and develop into the WI that suits their needs as working women. We wish Girls at 31 WI every success in the future.”
Norfolk’s first ever workplace WI has been formed to bring women closer together, develop friendships, and collaborate through a range of activities to improve wellbeing. ‘Girls at 31’ was formed based on an idea developed by Deputy CEO, Helen Walsham and MD of Flagship Homes, Marie-Claire Delbrouque and reflects the Group’s commitment to supporting and empowering women in the workplace.
Helen said: “We are always looking for ways to enhance employee wellbeing and engagement in the workplace and the WI will do just that. I am thrilled to see our women coming together, with equality, a sense of belonging and most importantly to have fun.”
The ‘Girls at 31’ will join the other 5,000 WI members across Norfolk and create their own programme for the next year. This will include sessions on professional development, motivational speakers, clothes swaps, wellbeing evenings, walking clubs, events and lots more.
Maintaining a healthy workplace doesn’t just tick health and safety boxes; it demonstrates that you care about your employees. It’s not an entirely altruistic act, though; the healthier your staff, the less time off sick they’ll take, and your company will be more productive. So, look at it as an investment with a fabulous ROI! Here are a few suggestions to get you started:
Air Quality Whilst this Harvard study shows that improving air quality improves mental cognition when we think about air quality affecting our health we tend to think of air conditioning systems spreading germs. On the whole, if air conditioning filters are maintained and cleaned regularly, they are less likely to contribute to the spreading of disease. Access to fresh air through natural means, e.g. an open window, isn’t just cheaper and better for the environment, many workers find it calming and morale-boosting.
If you have air conditioning in your office, check that it is included in the cleaning schedule and regularly maintained.
Cleaning If you want to keep germs at bay then it is imperative that you are proactive in your approach to cleaning. Disinfecting shared equipment and fixtures such as computer keyboards, telephones, door handles, worktops, and kitchen appliances on a regular basis is as imperative as an effective washroom cleaning schedule if you want to minimise the risk of infection.
Go the Extra Mile Regular contract cleaning should always be supported by a deep cleaning schedule. How often will be dependent on many factors, including the type of business, footfall of premises, and style of fixtures and fittings.
Incidentally, when it comes to window cleaning, do not underestimate the proven positive effects natural light has on mental wellbeing.
Promote Personal Hygiene There’s a lot you can do to keep your workplace free from germs, but ultimately your staff themselves are in the best place to protect themselves. Encourage them to tackle those unhygienic workplace habits and watch your sickness rates plummet!
If you are looking to reduce hygiene related staff sickness absences and need some help to improve the cleanliness of your business premises, contact us for more details of our contract cleaning services and one-off deep cleans.
UEA’s CareerCentral are delighted to announce that exhibitor bookings for their first ever Graduate Jobs Fairare now open. GradFair will take place on 23 May 2019 from 11am-3pm at The Forum, Norwich. CareerCentral are looking for organisations who will have live opportunities and vacancies at the time of the event, so if that sounds like you, book your place.
UEA has over 4,000 energetic and enthusiastic students graduating every year, and many stay in East Anglia. This is a brilliant opportunity to exhibit in an award-winning city centre location and access graduate talent from a UK top 15 university. Thursday 23 May 2019, 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM, The Forum, Norwich
Are you a recent graduate of UEA? Or are you graduating in 2019 and looking for a graduate-level job for after your studies? Either way, you’re invited to join CareerCentral at our first GradFair this May and meet organisations recruiting for graduate level opportunities – who are looking for people like you.
Stay tuned for the full list of organisations who will be attending – to be announced in Spring 2019!
What to expect at the Fair:
Graduate roles you can apply for now
Representatives from a range of sectors
A chance to meet people working in fields you want to go into – or haven’t even considered yet!
Support from Careers Advisers
Live internship interviews
On the day, we will be running interviews with a variety of organisations who are offering graduate internships.
There will be 10 roles available, and a possible 60 interview slots – not all of the applications are open yet but the first few are available onthis information page.
Still not sure? Did you know…
90% of employers recruit from all degree disciplines – so you could find your dream job somewhere you never expected it!
We’ve invited organisations who are looking for all types of people, and who can give you a real insight into their companies and careers. Whether you have a specific career plan in mind or are still figuring it all out, this is an opportunity to explore what you could do next.
We are looking for regional and national organisations who will have live graduate level opportunities and vacancies at the time of the event. Does this sound like your organisation? If so, book now via our online application form.
20 years ago today (April 15th 1999), after working for 10 years with pest control giants Rentokil and Dyno-Kil, Jon Blake decided to set up his own business and called it Abate, which is the company he and his wife Jill owns today.
The name Abate has the meaning of ‘reduce or remove’ which fitted nicely into the world of Pest Control.
Jon started to develop the business in Norfolk and Suffolk and with the help of some ex-colleagues, the business soon started winning contracts in the Cambridgeshire area.
Throughout the years Abate has developed into the surrounding counties of Essex, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire, as more contracts were successfully awarded.
With the help of Jon’s wife, they developed processes, RAMS (risk assessment method statements) and became triple ISO accredited, gained the CHAS and Safe Contractor status and became a member of the BPCA (British Pest Control Association). In February this year Abate became CEPA certified, meeting the European standard (EN 16636) in pest management service. They joined an elite group of 110 other UK pest control businesses who have gained this benchmark of quality, in terms of public health, food safety, environmental sustainability and economic significance.
Abate works with many commercial businesses including those in the food chain who are responsible for BRC audits from the Food Standards Agency. The growing portfolio of clients include names such as, Johnston Logistics UK, Best Western Hotels, Gnaw Chocolate, Consort Medical, Greene King, Felsted School, Anglian Water, Clarion Housing, Intu, Dencora and Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire County Councils. The domestic market remains a key part of the business treating residential properties with rodent and insect infestations.
Abate has also worked on many large-scale bird proofing installations including Sizewell Power Station, the University of East Anglia and RG Carter. Jon has an engineering background, which comes in useful when planning structural proofing methods for all types of buildings.
The business employs 7 service technicians (trained to the Royal Society For Public Health standards) and additional support staff. It is now growing throughout the UK by franchising with the primary focus to set up fully operational territories in Essex, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire. Abate is also talking to a number of potential franchisees in Leicestershire, Kent, London and Middlesex, with additional interest from other parts of the UK.
Jon Blake said, “The pest control industry has seen lots of change since we commenced trading 20 years ago. It’s all been good change and we constantly strive forward with new processes and legislation, plus keep ahead with all the accreditations and certifications. Technology has also been a key area for our business success. Last year we invested in new workflow technology to manage the business including technician visits and reporting. As reported, in addition to the continued growth within the Eastern region, our next stage of growth is through franchising. We have laid the foundations and now with the help of Jonathan White and Neil Foley, the franchising team has excellent plans to build a national pest control business. The 20 years success couldn’t have been done without our fantastic customers and staff and I want to thank each one for their continued support.”
In March this year, Abate picked up the award for the 2019 Small Company of the Year at the British Pest Management Awards. They were shortlisted alongside five other UK pest control companies.
Loddon-based independent consultancy, Risk & Policy Analysts (RPA) have again been awarded a place on the Environment Agency’s National Framework Agreement for Applied Environmental Economics. In 2009, RPA were also successful contractors on the previous EA Environmental Economics Framework, which this new commission succeeds.
The Framework Agreement will cover environmental and ecosystem service valuation, cost-benefit analysis, economic appraisal and impact assessment across the complete range of the Environment Agency’s work. This includes flood risk management, climate change, agriculture, fisheries, waste, water, and business regulation and local economic partnership.
RPA has been a service provider to the UK government since 1990, carrying out more than 100 studies for the Environment Agency – most involving economics. Projects have ranged from strategic policy studies through to scheme level assessments on bathing water quality, river water quality and flood and coastal erosion risk management, as well as providing advice and training.
RPA Project Director, Meg Postle, commented, saying “To be able to continue to support the Environment Agency in economic policy decision-making means we can build on previous work and experience built up over the course of the last framework, and our work for the Agency prior to that.”
Having recently commenced, the contract will run for two years, with a potential third year extension. Support on this Framework will be provided by sub-consultants from HaskoningDHV, ACTeon and Cambridge Econometrics (CE), as well as academic experts.
GREAT Yarmouth Borough Council has secured £98,000 from New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) towards a major branding and marketing campaign to position Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft as world leaders in offshore wind, maximising visibility to potential investors and Government.
A total of £98,000 of Government funding has been secured from New Anglia LEP’s Innovative Growth Fund for a two-year, £300,000 programme, led by Great Yarmouth Borough Council in partnership with East Suffolk District Council, Norfolk County Council and Suffolk County Council.
The programme will bring together private sector and other partners, such as the East of England Energy Group (EEEGR) and the All Energy Industry Council, with shared, coherent branding, targeted, ongoing lobbying, promotion and representation at key conferences, trade shows and events.
The aim is to build upon and continue existing successful work to attract new energy-related inward investment to the area, from major energy companies and supply chains, and ensure that leads to local opportunities: to high-value jobs, growth and private investment.
The positive news follows the recent announcement of the Government’s Offshore Wind Sector Deal, which was launched in Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft.
David Glason, Director of Development at Great Yarmouth Borough Council, said: “Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft are at the centre of the world’s largest market for offshore wind. The region is the heart of England’s offshore energy sector, with significant opportunities for further growth as the offshore wind market is poised to increase in pace and scale.
“The borough council already works closely and proactively with Peel Ports Great Yarmouth, with excellent support from Norfolk County Council and other partners, to promote Great Yarmouth and the wider region for investment opportunities across the energy sector.
“Great Yarmouth has a growing reputation as an offshore wind hub. Equinor is servicing the Dudgeon Offshore Wind Farm from the river port and Vattenfall has reserved space for a base to operate and maintain their planned Norfolk Vanguard and Norfolk Boreas wind farms, with the Outer Harbour now supporting construction of the East Anglia ONE wind farm.
“This really welcome funding from New Anglia LEP’s Innovative Growth Fund will enable us to build upon our important partnership work to maximise opportunities for offshore wind investment, supporting staff to deliver dedicated marketing, business advice and development activities in the burgeoning field of offshore wind.
“The project will see us create and embed a coherent, compelling and international brand and associated marketing campaign for Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft, aiming to influence those who make the key investment decisions. The resource will enable us to collectively raise the profile of the area.”
Alan Boswell Insurance Brokers, who have their Head Office in Norwich, have agreed to sponsor the popular Norwich City of Ale festival, as it returns for a fourth year.
Norwich City of Ale is a ten-day celebration of local pubs, breweries and real ale. The festival, which takes place between 22nd May and 1st of June, involves over 80 pubs and breweries and aims to promote Norwich both nationally and internationally as the UK’s City of Ale.
Chris Gibbs, managing director of Alan Boswell Insurance Brokers said: “We are delighted to be sponsoring Norwich City of Ale. Many of our existing pub clients have already ‘signed up’ so it was an easy decision to get involved.
“We have more than 17 years’ experience arranging insurance for the pub and brewery industry and we are always looking to build closer ties with the licensed trade in Norwich. City of Ale provides us the perfect platform to do so.”
Alan Boswell Insurance Brokers can help pubs and breweries of all sizes with their insurance. For more information, visit www.pubinsure.co.uk or call 01603 70 80 90.
City College Norwich has been awarded £6.1m by New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) for an inspirational new building focused on skills for the digital industries.
The Digi-Tech Factory
The new building, planned for the 2020-21 academic year, will provide industry-standard facilities for a combination of both new and existing courses in digital skills. Given the working title of ‘the Digi-Tech Factory’, the inspirational new building will bring together all the college’s digital skills provision into a single, purpose built-space with industry-standard facilities.
The Digi-Tech Factory will be home to a wide range of full- and part-time courses, as well as apprenticeship learning, from creative media, to software and programming, and ‘hard’ digital skills relating to networking, infrastructure development, electronics and automated manufacturing. It will also ensure students from across the College’s provision can acquire the digital skills that will underpin their industries in the future.
Designed by Coffey Architects, the new building will provide a modern, industry-standard and efficient environment to bring together digital technology, engineering and design courses. Subject to planning permission being granted, the 3-floor building will be situated adjacent to the award-winning Creative Arts Building on City College Norwich’s Ipswich Road campus. The 1970’s Southwell Building will be demolished to make way for the new build.
The total investment in the project will be £9.1m, with City College Norwich contributing alongside the £6.098m investment from New Anglia LEP’s Capital Growth Funding.
City College Norwich’s digital skills expansion
In line with the LEP’s Local Industrial Strategy, the UK Digital Strategy and the Department for Education’s Adult Basic Digital Skills agenda, the number of students on the college’s digital skills courses is set to more than quadruple over the next 3 years (from 107 at present to 477 by September 2022).
This growth will come from increasing the numbers of students the college takes on to its existing digital courses and, importantly, from new provision that has been specifically designed to meet employers’ digital skills needs:
T-Levels: City College Norwich will be among the first colleges to introduce the new T-Level qualification in Digital Skills in September 2020. The Level 3 course, which is equivalent to 3 A levels, has been designed to meet the needs of employers and includes a substantial work experience element (around 20% of each student’s time on the course). It will have pathways in Digital Production, Design & Development, Digital Support & Services, and Development & Digital Business Services. Current Year 10 students can register their interest in T-Levels at City College Norwich at https://www.ccn.ac.uk/t-levels/
Apprenticeships: With demand from employers growing, City College Norwich expects the number of digital apprentices it trains and assesses to more than double over the next 3 years. The college already offers employers a range of Level 2 and Level 3 apprenticeships with a digital skills focus, from Infrastructure Technician to Digital Marketer. From 2022, this will be expanded to as many as 12 different apprenticeship Standards, with the following new apprenticeships (all at Level 4) among those set to be introduced: Network Engineer; Software Developer; Data Analyst; Cyber Security Technologist.
Basic digital skills for adults: As well as preparing young people for careers in highly-skilled Digi-Tech roles, the college is also responding to employers’ need to have more staff trained to a basic level in digital skills. The college will support this priority by providing Entry Level and Level 1 Adult Basic Digital Skills to 250 students per year from 2022.
The Digi-Tech Factory facilities will also be used by students from other curriculum areas across the college, reflecting the reality that digital skills are required in an ever-increasing number of job roles, in every sector of the economy.
“Great news for our students and for employers”
Giving her reaction to the announcement by New Anglia LEP, Corrienne Peasgood, principal of City College Norwich, said:
“We are thrilled that our plans for an inspirational new building for digital skills can move forward, with a view to opening the Digi-Tech Factory in 2020-21. The Digi-Tech sector is growing more than twice as fast as the wider economy, so it is essential that we have the right facilities to meet the growing demand for digital skills. This is great news for our students and for employers. We will continue to work very closely with our employer partners to make sure our expanding digital skills provision rises to this important opportunity for students, for apprentices and for the Norfolk and Suffolk economy as a whole.”
Businesses across East Anglia are turning to placement students and interns from the University of East Anglia (UEA) to help innovate and grow their organisations.
Increasing numbers of businesses are hosting placement students and interns with many offering them permanent positions when they graduate.
The University works with businesses to meet their needs, including providing recruitment support, placements and internships. The UEA Internship Programme contracts are extremely flexible, providing temporary paid workers who can work within a company from three weeks to one year on a part-time or full-time contract, while the Year in Industry placement degree programme gives employers the opportunity to recruit a student to work with you and your organisation for 9 – 14 months.
It’s more than just work experience or shadowing; a placement student or intern can bring real benefits to your business. You gain an enthusiastic student with fresh perspectives and new ideas, keen to learn and apply their knowledge in the workplace. It’s a great way to identify new talent, increase productivity and enhance your reputation, values and culture.
Both placement programs and internships are a win-win for both students and employers and a try before you buy solution for both parties.
Robert Kinglsley, from the Quadram Institute, commented that the placement students he has worked with have been “top quality students who are motivated and reliable.”
Environmental Sciences student Oli Gray, who spent his placement year as an Assistant Trails Officer with Norfolk County Council commented: “The reality of my placement has been a lot different to what I expected. I can honestly say my placement year has been one of the best things I’ve done at university!”
If you think your business could benefit from hiring a UEA student, contact the UEA Placement & Internship Team at placements@uea.ac.uk
UEA is one of the UK’s top 15 Universities in the country and hosts a pool of over 17,000 students from all over the world, with access to 4,000 recent graduates. We have a range of services to help you access talent. So if your business is struggling to hire why not drop us a line at access.talent@uea.ac.uk or give us a call on 01603 593452.
A mix of franchisees establishing new and purchasing existing practices recently completed their initial training and have begun trading as TaxAssist Accountants.
Amit Joshi (Chesham), Stuart Burge (Clacton-on-Sea), Chao Pang (Sutton North), Iain MacKenzie (Reading West), Tasnuva Tina (Royston) and Andrew Slade (Stockport) have all joined TaxAssist Accountants’ flourishing network.
Chao Pang, a CIMA qualified accountant who has 14 years’ finance experience most recently as deputy director of finance, said: “I joined TaxAssist Accountants because I was attracted to its proven business model and the openness of its leadership team. The support from Karl Sandall [Group Chief Executive Director] and his team is impressive and second to none. I look forward to being a part of the TaxAssist Accountants family for many years to come!”
Andy Slade FCA, worked in industry for eight years working his way up to a group financial controller position and latterly as an independent contractor. It was while contracting that he decided he wanted to put down permanent roots, build a practice and a team and get more involved in his local community.
He explained: “I knew I would need some help in the early days not only with some of the technical aspects, but also with the way the industry is moving I wanted to ensure I was working with the right technologies and partners.
“I attended a discovery day and my wife and I were both really impressed, not only with the depth of the support TaxAssist can provide but also – and importantly – the culture, a friendly positive can-do team who care about their franchisees.
“Having now attended the initial training course I can say that the support that was presented on the discovery day now only feels like the tip of the iceberg, everyone has been great! The support from the team is real, not just on the technical side but also with work on setting up my shop. “I’m still in my first month of trading and, already signing up and helping clients, as well as looking forward to getting the keys to the shop soon!”
Karl Sandall said: “As ever, it was a pleasure to meet such a great group of new franchisees and we look forward to helping them to grow substantial practices.
“We have a further three initial training courses scheduled in 2019, with three people already booked on our June course.”
If you would like more information about becoming part of the TaxAssist Accountants network, please call our Franchise Recruitment Manager Nikki Haythorne on 0800 0188297.
Head Chef, ‘Magic’ Marcin Pomierny has collaborated with Mike Deal, Head Brewer of Wildcraft Brewery at Buxton to choose beers to complement the flavours of the five course tasting menu.
Mike will also be present on the evening to share his passion for beer and will talk about the brewing process.
Tickets are £42 per person to include supper and selected beers.
Menu
Wild Eye Pale Ale slow braised neck of Dingley Dell pork, aubergine puree, yoghurt and wild garlic oil
Pure’s spring series of Director Insights sessions, held in partnership with Grant Thornton, looked at the subject of cyber security and shared expert insight on the steps organisations can take to identify and guard against cyber crime.
Attacks on business IT systems are common in the UK and can affect organisations of all sizes. These attacks aim to steal information, money or to disrupt a business by hacking. As cyber attacks increase in quantity and sophistication, the global cost is estimated to hit $6 trillion by 2021. This makes effective security a critical issue for business leaders and it is also a subject of extreme importance to us here at Pure. We are putting robust strategies in place to protect our client and candidate data and to prevent any disruption to our business operations.
Nadia Mullins-Hills, Pure’s IT & Projects Manager, attended all of the Director Insight sessions. She said: “We learnt a lot about how we can build on our ongoing work to secure our systems and data. It was also evident from the sessions that the levels of understanding about cyber crime varied among attendees and that local organisations were all at different stages in their cyber security journey. The positive and main message which everyone took away is that 80% of attacks could be avoided by good cyber hygiene. This simply means being aware of the potential threats to your business and getting the basics right to mitigate against data leaks and hacks.”
Here are some of our cyber security top tips, compiled from the sessions and our own work here at Pure.
Improve user awareness
The human element is one of the biggest risks factors of cyber crime, whether criminals are targeting businesses or individuals. Taking the time to increase understanding of the potential threats and to raise awareness of the types of potential crime will help to protect your employees both at home and at work.
At Pure, we recently carried out cyber crime training with our management team. This included some fantastic, free business support and training from Rebecca Tinsley, Regional Cyber Project Coordinator at the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (ERSOU). We looked at the potential threats, such as phishing attacks where fraudulent attempts are made to obtain sensitive information such as user names, passwords and credit card details. We also highlighted the potential impacts on our business, including a loss of money, a loss of data or the installation of malicious software. Most importantly we shared top tips on what to look out for and what to do if anyone is unsure about a phone call, message or email they may have received. We will be following this up with company-wide training and we will also include cyber crime awareness as part of our induction process for all new employees.
Password policies
One of the key areas we are raising awareness of is password security. People should have passwords that they can remember easily, so they don’t have to write them down, but still use a different password for each platform. This makes it harder for cyber criminals to infiltrate more than one system or account. If the same password is used across numerous different platforms, cyber criminals only need to hack one account and could potentially gain access to a wealth of different information across multiple accounts, from credit card details stored online through to personal data. Following advice from the National Cyber Security Centre on what makes a good password, we have recommended that people choose three different, random words which are easy for them to remember and then to use variations and combinations of these to make up a separate password for each different platform.
Use two factor authentication
Two factor authentication is something many people will already be familiar with and will be doing when they access accounts such as their internet banking or cloud storage. This is when you are asked for a second piece of authentication, beyond just your user name and password, if you are trying to log on from a different device or carrying out a high value or new transaction. The second piece of authentication could be additional memorable data provided when the account was set up, or it could involve a separate passcode being sent to your mobile phone. The two authentication elements needed to log-in makes it extremely difficult for cyber criminals to access accounts. Even if they do have your password, they will still need more information or to have access to your mobile phone. What many people, and businesses, may not be aware of is that this form of additional cyber protection is available for free across many other platforms including Google and Windows. It is worth reviewing all systems to see where this is available and to activate this as part of your account settings.
Create disaster recovery plans
As well as putting plans in place to protect against cyber crime, we are also assessing all the possible risks our organisation may face and creating disaster recovery plans, just in case the worst-case scenario should happen. Cyber crime is not just an IT problem, it is operation-wide and these recovery plans will form an important part of our overall business continuity strategies. As with all business recovery plans, whether in the event of a serious office fire, or a data hack, everyone needs to know who does what, how the communication process will work and what actions they need to take. The recovery plan should be fully tested before it is finalised. All the processes and back up plans put in place then need to be reviewed regularly, for example every six months or annually, to check they are still suitable and to keep on top of any new areas for consideration.
The topic of cyber crime, and the impact it could have on businesses and their employees, was discussed at the spring series of Director Insights, delivered by Pure Executive and Grant Thornton. These quarterly events, held in Cambridge, Chelmsford, Ipswich and Norwich, bring business leaders together to share experiences and gain insights from industry experts. They are part of an extensive calendar of events by Pure to support local businesses and the economic growth of the Eastern region.