Come along to the free launch of Norfolk Skills and Careers Festival on Friday 11 January 2019, 8am-9am at The International Aviation Academy Norwich. Join us to learn more about the festival and network with business over a coffee and pastry. Hear from the organisers of the region’s largest careers events, as well as students who have been involved and learn how you can help to inspire, motivate students. Find out how your business can support this non-for-profit event by taking an exhibition stand, sponsoring or volunteering. Be part of the largest skills and careers event in Norfolk, with 70 employers, 4,500 students, 100+ careers represented across the two days. The event takes place on Wednesday 6 & Thursday 7 March 2019, at Norfolk Showground. For more about the festival visit click here.
New legislation has come into effect end of last month, which is designed to benefit small businesses, by making it easier for them to bid for public sector contracts.
Central government spent an unprecedented £11.4 billion with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in 2013 to 2014. The Minister for the Cabinet Office Francis Maude has announced new figures showing that a record 26.1% of government spend went toSMEs.
A refreshed Contracts Finder website, at www.gov.uk/contracts-finder has been launched. It now has a much better search function, including the facility to search by location. Contracts Finder covers current and future public sector contracts above £10,000 in central government and above £25,000 in the wider public sector. It’s free to use, and you can use it from a computer or a mobile device
Here’s the basic outline:
At the end of March, new legislation came into force that should open up the public sector’s £187 billion spend each year
The legislation means the entire public sector supply chain will now be paid within 30 days -vital for small businesses. Everyone in the supply chain must comply with 30 day payment terms, including suppliers and sub-contractors public bodies must publish an annual late payment report, making their accountability more transparent
A new version of the Contracts Finder website, launched on 23rd February, should make it easier and quicker for companies to find opportunities to bid for. https://www.gov.uk/contracts-finder
The new rules make it easier for small and medium businesses to bid by splitting up big contracts, removing unnecessary bid criteria and questionnaires for low value contracts. https://www.gov.uk/tendering-for-public-sector-contracts. the bidding process is simpler across the wider public sector – complex forms, such as Pre-Qualification Questionnaires, are now abolished for low value contracts
A service called “Mystery Shopper” also allows suppliers to anonymously raise concerns about unfair buying practices so they can be investigated and resolved. https://twitter.com/govmysteryshop
East of England feedback from small and medium businesses:
43% see late payment from customers as a hindrance to growing their business
36% don’t know where to look to find new business opportunities
41% find searching for new business opportunities too time consuming
31% are wary of working for new clients that might have bad credit
35% find putting together bids for new business too time consuming
32% don’t know where to get advice or training to win new contracts
15% are planning to bid for public sector contracts in the next 12 months
Anglia Log Cabins were the deserved winners of the Norfolk Chamber sponsored Customer Care Award at the King’s Lynn Mayor’s Business Awards. The award was presented at a gala dinner on Friday night at the Corn Exchange in King’s Lynn.
Presenting the Customer Care award was Heather Garrod, President of West Norfolk Chamber Council, she said “Anglia Log Cabins clearly demonstrated that high standards of customer care are the norm and they did not appear to realise that a lot of the service they provided as ‘standard’ would be constituted as exceptional customer care to most people. They consistently went the extra mile – small details such as: additional planting to make the landscaping around the cabin look better; left-over materials turned into benches; and donations of books, Kindles and other IT equipment to school raffles etc are just a few of the extras supplied over and above what they have been contracted for.”
This is a non-technical half day training workshop delivered by Holly Stibbon, 101 designed for people with limited experience in email marketing. This course is well suited to people who wish to improve their knowledge and get better results.
What you will learn
This course will arm you with the knowledge you need to create email campaigns that deliver measurable results.
Aims:
Plan, develop and refine your email marketing strategy and evaluate ROI (Return on Investment)
How to get your emails open, read and acted upon
Course Content
1. Email Marketing and the law
2. Planning your email campaigns
3. Get your audience to open your email
4. Get your audience to react to your email
5. Evaluate your performance
6. Review of your campaigns
About Holly
Holly has worked in the online marketing industry since 1998 and is a Director of Website, Mobile App & Email Marketing company 101. She is responsible for developing and delivering strategies for sales and business management as well as overseeing customer service and project management.
Testimonials
“Very informative and lots of ways for us to improve our email marketing”
“Having little experience I found it very informative, covered all areas and will be very useful to feedback to colleagues.”
“The diversity of the subject and the depth that was covered. Relevant, current information. Good and varied level of detail.”
SEO can feel like a mystery, especially when you’re busy running your business. That’s why we’ve created a free, easy-to-read SEO guide you can download and start implementing.
Inside, you’ll learn:
– How search engines decide which websites rank at the top
– Simple steps to make your site more visible
– How to attract the right visitors, the ones who are ready to buy, book, or get in touch
No jargon, no fluff, just straightforward, practical advice you can put into action today.
It’s completely free, and it could be the first step to getting your business seen by more of the people who matter most.
Aims to provide delegates with the required level of training, skills and knowledge in First Aid, and comply with the requirements of the Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981.
Suitable For
Successful delegates will be awarded a certificate of competence accredited by Qualsafe Awards who are recognised by Ofqual. It is valid for three years.
Course Venue
Open courses are held regularly at our training venues in Norwich, Norfolk and Cambridge, Cambridgeshire. Alternatively, courses can be arranged at your own site anywhere in the UK (subject to suitability).
Syllabus
Introduction to first aid
Incident management and safety
The unconscious patient
Major illness: diabetes, heart attack, stroke
Fractures and dislocations
Head Injuries
Eye Injuries
Simple record keeping & first aid equipment
The legal framework for first and in the workplace
Basic life support
Use of AED
Control of bleeding and shock
Major Illness: epilepsy, allergic reactions
Burns and scolds
Poisons and harmful substances
Basic casualty handling
Knowledge and skills assessments
“Good course with refreshing content. Great value for money.”
“The use of video clips really helped. The course was a good pace and the content was made interesting. It’s the most enjoyable First Aid course I have attended in 20 years.”
The first of what it is hoped will be many electric vehicle charge points at village halls across Norfolk is set to be officially switched on this week in Dickleburgh near Diss.
The new ‘Fast’ 7.2kW chargers have been installed as part of the County Council’s Electric Vehicle Strategy, approved in autumn 2021, which aims to help remove some of the barriers to electric vehicle usage in the county.
Cllr Martin Wilby, Cabinet Member for Highways, Infrastructure and Transport, said: “I hope this will be a blueprint for other similar schemes right across the county as we are looking to support the rollout of publicly accessible electric charging points to meet both current and future demand. Alongside our plans to improve bus services and boost active travel, such as cycling and walking, this is one of the key ways that we can help reduce carbon emissions in Norfolk.”
This is the first scheme funded by Norfolk County Council, through money allocated by the local county councillor as part of their Local Member Highway Fund.
Cllr Barry Duffin, County Councillor for West Depwade, which includes Dickleburgh, said: “It’s great to see this innovative scheme spark so much interest. I’m proud that Dickleburgh is ahead of the game and it’s been wonderful to work closely with the Parish Council and highway officers to get this up and running.”
The brand-new facility at The Centre at Dickleburgh will be able to charge three cars at one time.
Terry Clarkson, Chairman of the Village Centre Management Committee, said: “We have been campaigning to add electric car chargers to the Village Centre for a few years now. We recognised there was a real need to create these points in order to encourage electric car use and to further push the green agenda in Norfolk. We are delighted to be the first parish in Norfolk to install car chargers through this scheme.”
SOLD OUT Culture Shock, an event presented by The University of East Anglia (UEA) and Fountain Partnership, supported by Norfolk Chamber of Commerce, will look at tackling issues surrounding workplace culture including non-hierarchical organisational structure, equality in pay, diversity in the workplace, and agile working. Join the conversation to explore ways in which traditional workplace culture is being challenged, and gain insight from diverse viewpoints on how these issues and themes might be approached. Speakers include:
Ali Clabburn – Liftshare
James Groves – Indigo Swan
Dr Claire Hynes – UEA
Rebecca Lewis Smith – Fountain Partnership (keynote)
Laura McGillivray – Norwich City Council
Chris Sargisson – Norfolk Chamber of Commerce
Adam Smith – The Economist
Glen Webster – Barclays
Plus more to be confirmed!
The evening will include a networking reception with food and drinks, which will kindly be provided by our drinks sponsor, Adnams.
The BCC is urging the government to back long-term business investment, by introducing a permanent Annual Investment Allowance of £500,000.
Ahead of the Chancellor’s Budget announcement on March 18, the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) is urging the government to back long-term business investment, by introducing a permanent Annual Investment Allowance of £500,000*.This would help to achieve better balanced growth and to tackle the unacceptable uncertainty created by the constant chopping and changing of UK tax structures and incentives. This uncertainty is intensified by the current political and economic climate, including the outcome of the general election.
Under current plans the Annual Investment Allowance limit will return from £500,000 to £25,000 after the latest temporary extension ends on 31st December 2015. In addition to a high, long-term Annual Investment Allowance, the BCC’s submission argues that the allowance should be widened** to include improvements to business premises, which would allow companies across the UK to boost productivity, efficiency and hiring.
Commenting, John Longworth, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce, said:
“The huge declines in business investment at the end of 2014, and our forecast for 2015 – which predicts the slowest rate of growth for investment in six years – are a warning sign that more needs to be done to support long-term business investment.
“Businesses are operating in uncertain times – with conflict in the Middle East and Russia and a sluggish Eurozone to contend with. Yet the greatest source of uncertainty is political and home-grown. Businesses have grown tired of constant chopping and changing in the UK tax system. They need long-term certainty, rather than short-term incentives, to help support investment decisions.
“A long-term investment allowance would give businesses of all sizes much-needed certainty. Our proposals would also allow for premise improvements to be included in the scheme, which are crucial to firms looking to expand their workforce or enhance their efficiency.
“We also need to boost business investment’s contribution to GDP, as this will help us move away from an over-reliance on consumer spending, towards better balanced growth that is sustainable in the long-term. It’s time the government acknowledged that by forgoing some tax receipts in the short term, it will reap the rewards later, as businesses invest, hire and generate bigger profits.
“Apermanent Annual Investment Allowance would be a ‘triple win’ proposition – for business, for jobs, and for government.”
Caroline Williams CEO Norfolk Chamber of Commerce, said:
“The Chancellor has said that the budget is all about securing a truly national recovery from building a Northern powerhouse, connecting up other regions of our country, committing to long-term plans that support science and high-speed transport.
“What Norfolk business needs are commitment to better infrastructure road, rail, broadband and mobile, increased support to businesses wanted to increase their market share through international trade, and additional support to help our young people better understand the world of work. We will only ensure that funding comes to the east and not all to the north if our business community is more visible, and successes of getting Norwich recognised by Tech City is a great step forward.”
From local standout to national champion: BCC Chamber Awards will put best of British business on the map.
This year, the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) are inviting businesses from across the country to take part and showcase their talents and achievements through a series of regional heats, culminating in the national final, which takes place in London on 26 November 2015. There is also the chance of winning a £10,000 cash prize.
Companies can enter eight categories, covering exports, small business, people development, technology, high-growth firms, community, young people and partnerships with the education sector.
The Awards will be demonstrating the very best of British business, highlighting the positive contribution that businesses make to the UK economy and to society as a whole. The categories are:
Small Business of the Year
Export Business of the Year
High Growth Business of the Year
People Development Award
Best use of Technology to Improve Business Performance
Education and Business Partnership Award
Business in the Community Award
Young Person in Business Award
The deadline for entries is Friday 26 June 2015, the regional winners will be announced on 28 September 2015, with the national winners being announced on 26 November 2015 at a gala awards ceremony in London. To enter online click here