On 21st April, Google launches its new mobile friendly ranking algorithm. Essentially this update will mean that mobile friendly websites will rank higher on mobile search results. Making sure your website is mobile friendly is now more important than ever. Our “Mobile Strategy for Websites” article tells you what you need to do to plan for mobile, or just call us on 01603 513080.
Bigfork – we make websites stand outwww.bigfork.co.uk t:01603 513080
College builds for the future as new construction centre plans are cemented
Easton and Otley College is looking to help the national housing crisis by trebling the amount of construction students that it teaches in Norfolk by 2018.
Work has officially started on the £3.75m construction training centre at the Easton campus which has been supported with £2.5m from the New Anglia LEP. The new centre will open in September 2015 and offer bespoke training in all elements of construction, including bricklaying, building construction operations (BCO), carpentry, joinery and electrical installation.
It comes at a time of a national housing and construction skills shortage across the UK. The Federation of Master Builders (FMB) is calling for at least 200,000 homes a year to be built by 2020, with the proportion of members struggling to recruit bricklayers up from 27% to 42% in a year and the figures for carpenters and joiners nearly doubling with 23% of firms reporting recruitment issues.* In Norfolk and Suffolk the National Housing Federation says the local economy needs to build 2,200 affordable homes annually which would bring over 113m to the local economy and 2,300 jobs.**
Easton & Otley college first started teaching courses in this field at their Norfolk campus in 2012/13. Initially 34 full-time learners participated in a mixture of bricklaying, carpentry, electrical and multi-skills courses. Two years on that number has grown to over 100 learners and by 2018, the Norfolk campus hopes to support 300 learners.
Interim principal, Christina Sadler, said, “We have trebled the number of Norfolk Construction students we teach in two years and we are aiming to do the same again in the next three years thanks to this new investment. We teach around 14 apprentices in addition to our full time students and we are confident that our new building will be a flagship centre for construction skills for the East of England.”
“We work very closely with industry at the moment – particularly the CITB – and this means we can create even stronger industry links in the next few months and years. All in all, the facility is fantastic news for us and it will help to enhance our reputation on a regional and national scale.”
New Anglia LEP secured £2.5m for the new construction centre as part of its Growth Deal with Government. The award also included funding for other key skills projects up until 2021, including new college centres for West Suffolk, West Anglia and Lowestoft. Construction of the centre at Easton is the first of the Growth Deal projects to get underway.
Mark Pendlington, chairman of New Anglia LEP, said the new centre at will help tackle the serious skills gap in the construction sector and in turn help provide much-needed new homes for Norfolk and Suffolk. He said, “It is hugely rewarding to see the first of our major skills projects across Norfolk and Suffolk being built, just a few months after securing the funding. Our regional economy and the UK as a whole is suffering from a major shortage of skilled house builders, from brick layers and carpenters to painters and plasterers. This excellent new training centre will offer new and exciting career opportunities for hundreds of students and apprentices, boosting our skilled workforce while helping to build the homes we need for the future. This is education and business collaboration at its very best and we congratulate and celebrate Easton College for turning a great ambition into really positive action.”
Construction of the training centre has been awarded to Norfolk based Chalcroft. Lizzie Stratton, contracts manager, explained: “We are naturally delighted to work as principal contractor on a project aimed at equipping future construction workers with essential skills. As a local employer ourselves, we are excited about the prospect of having more well-trained individuals entering the construction workplace in East Anglia.”
*Figures from the Federation of Master Builders January 2015
Are you applying for jobs in the East of England at the moment? Don’t forget to give your CV a good polish first. In fact, one of your priorities could be adding a personal statement to the top of the document – it could give you that all-important edge over other candidates.
Your personal statement, is your opportunity to grab an employer’s attention with a round-up of your relevant key skills and experience, and your professional aims.
A personal statement is a very effective method in making your CV stand apart from the others. That’s not a bad thing when you consider that recruiters can receive hundreds of applications for each vacancy. Fitting in all of the relevant information while sticking to one paragraph (between 50 and 150 words) isn’t easy!
Here are some tried and tested tips would help you tackle this challenge.
1. Be relevant
To be really effective, your statement must be tailored to the job description. Before you start, identify the attributes that the employer is looking for. Go through your career history and pick out moments where you have demonstrated the required skills and qualities. Let’s say, for instance, the job requires excellent organisational and communication skills. As luck would have it, you have already managed a project and co-ordinated multiple tasks between colleagues. Include experience like this in your statement. If there’s not enough space to include all of the key skills, narrow your focus to your strengths or the essential requirements for the new job.
2. Your future aims
You need to sew together your past achievements with what you would like to achieve in your next role, mentioning the challenges you are hoping to experience in the new job. Envisioning the personal statement as two parts will help you structure the paragraph.
3. Make each word count
Ironically, writing a short, punchy summary can often be harder than writing longer text. The personal statement is no exception. To make it easy-to-read, while also making it informative and persuasive, you need to make every word count. This is where planning comes in. If you find yourself rambling, ask yourself “does the employer absolutely need to know this?”. If the answer is no, then perhaps do not include it.. Don’t be too wordy or too clichéd, and keep sentences short so busy recruiters can scan-read your statement to get an initial impression of your suitability.
4. Let it flow
Writing a snappy personal statement isn’t just about the structure – your use of language has an impact too. Always written in the first person (“I”, not “he” or “she”), the text needs to flow. You can achieve this by avoiding repetition, by beginning sentences differently, and by using punctuation to break up sentences. Search on Google for examples of personal statements – a good one flows effortlessly yet the writer probably put a lot of work into it. Try to analyse what the writer has done and copy their methods (but not their words!).
5. Proofreading is a must
Perhaps this goes without saying, but proofreading is so important. When you’ve completed the statement, read it through a few times, making tweaks as you go. Another trick is asking someone else to read it – a fresh pair of eyes can pick up errors that you, the writer, may miss.
Whether you’re new to the job market or a more experienced professional, a well thought-through and clearly written personal statement can help swing the recruitment process in your favour. A little extra work can go a long way, but if you’d like more advice, call 01223 209888 for a chat with one of Pure’s consultants.
The Government’s adviser on local growth Lord Heseltine visited Ipswich recently to meet the New Anglia Growth Hub team, based at Suffolk Chamber of Commerce on the waterfront.
Established last summer by New Anglia LEP, the Growth Hub is a one-stop-shop for business support and funding information. It is one of several Growth Hubs set up nationally to give business owners a clearer route to business support.
Lord Heseltine has called for more powers to be devolved from London to the regions to help local business leaders access help and support they need to grow.
During his visit, Lord Heseltine met with five local businesses who the Growth Hub has helped to grow by signposting them to specialist providers of business support. He spent time talking to each of the businesses to learn more about the ways they had been supported.
Crossing a range of sectors, the businesses were Aponic, an innovative hydroponics company from Sudbury, Howard Nurseries who are a plant wholesaler near Diss, Seers Medical, a manufacturer of therapy and medical beds in Debenham, Orbital Media, a leading social media and digital agency in Stowmarket and The Naughty Sheep who are a quality jam, marmalade and chutney artisan factory located in Ipswich.
Lord Heseltine has previously been a customer of Howard Nurseries. The Growth Hub has worked with them to secure a funded internship to boost their sales and marketing. Owner Christine Howard commented; “We would never have accessed this support without our meetings with the Growth Hub Advisers.”
John Stenhouse, Growth Hub manager said: “It was great to be able to show Lord Heseltine first-hand the businesses we have helped in our first year. We’re committed to supporting all businesses in Norfolk and Suffolk across all sectors and at any stage of development and the team of advisers will travel to any business to offer face-to-face support.”
To find out how the Growth Hub can support your business, call 0300 333 6536 or email growthhub@newanglia.co.uk
These days, it’s one heck of a struggle to keep pace with technological progress when you’re in business. Sometimes you feel as though you’re rattling around on a giant hamster wheel as you struggle and strive to stay up to date with computer hardware and software developments, as well as the telecoms gadgets your people need to keep in touch with their colleagues and with your customers.
You invest accordingly in the very latest stuff. And then, just when you think you’re ahead of the game, another gizmo comes along and you’re left lagging behind again. The company purse-strings are loosened and you splash out on yet more technology. It’s a never-ending story…
Every time you do this, of course, you’re confronted with an office or factory floor festooned with outdated equipment that needs to be disposed of legally, safely and ethically. These days, every decent-minded business has its eye on sustainability and the environment in its businesses practices, for the greater good of our planet. Yes, you want rid of those obsolete PCs, phones, photocopiers, even light fittings but you don’t want to see valuable commodities going needlessly to waste.
So, what’s to be done? The good news is that the Norwich area has a vibrant recycling services sector. It seeks to save businesses money by taking away their old equipment – pretty much anything with a plug attached or battery inside fits the bill – and then sorting it, reusing it or recycling the components. In many cases collection and disposal is offered free of charge.
I’ve become involved with recycling in the past two or three years, largely through my 35-year background in electronics, avionics, computers and microprocessor services in the city, and I’ve been impressed by what can be achieved to help businesses maintain their green credentials.
To my mind, repair is the ultimate form of recycling – someone somewhere might be searching for the very machine that you’ve deemed surplus to requirements – but even if that’s not the case a substantial array of the component parts can be put to good use again.
Take a PC, for instance: this can be dismantled and sorted into metals, plastics and circuit boards. By the time the recyclable parts have been identified, hardly anything – normally less than one per cent, in fact – should be left for landfill. That’s good news for the environment, don’t you think?
Reputable businesses in this sector will be licensed by the Environment Agency and registered under The Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2011. They will equip you with all the correct legal paperwork and protect your businesses precious privacy and security, too, ensuring safe data destruction; again, this service may be provided free.
Problem solved.
Pete Lloyd
forage4it.co.uk, IT disposal & destruction services provider
New Covent Garden Soup Co. recently ran a competition enabling one lucky winner to win a Chili Red MINI One D. The competition received over 35,000 entries from across the UK, Channel Islands and Isle of Man.
The lucky winner of the car was Mr Achim Witte from Ipswich, all from his carton of MINI-strone soup. He collected his car from Listers King’s Lynn, where he received lunch before the unveiling of his prize. The prize was handed over by Jeremy Hudson, CEO of Hain Daniels Group, Mark Dawson, Procurement Director for Hain Daniels Group, and Geoff Lister, the Chief Executive of Listers Group.
Receiving the news that they had won the car was the best news they had received in a while, as Mr Witte’s wife, Eliana, has been battling a brain tumour for the past 18 months and is currently recovering after surgery.
We put out calls for TV commercial castingon an almost weekly basis, but we thought a new project that needed the next ‘Anna’ or ‘Elsa’ from Frozen would be a good opportunity to use our Facebook page to source some new junior talent with a passion for all things Disney.
Casting for a Pan-European TV commercial meant we needed a large reach to fill our 60+ audition spots – so we generated an eye-catching poster and asked our lovely Facebook likers to spread the word on a Friday afternoon.Facebook didn’t let us down with our post reaching just under 30,000 people organically! We had 1,300 clicks and over 700 likes, comments and shares and by the Monday morning when our phone lines opened we’d generated more than enough enquiries to fill the audition slots plus reserves.
It was a great way of generating a buzz around a production and reaching out to Frozen fans throughout the UK so we’ll certainly continue to use Facebook for future TV commercial casting… so watch this space!
The Awards, which received over 400 entries internationally, celebrates the best people management practices amongst Investors in People accredited businesses. Winners are announced at a spectacular awards ceremony and dinner at Her Majesty’s Royal Palace and Fortress, the Tower of London, on 24th June 2015. Finalists represent the best of the best worldwide.
Swains Plc was shortlisted for its particular achievements in leadership and people development with the Specialist who assessed the company commenting that “giving and receiving constructive feedback; inspirational leadership with an open, honest and trusting style and involving people in all aspects of the planning and operations of the company”
The 15 Awards categories recognise the accredited organisations that have achieved the highest standards. There are a range of Awards categories, focusing on the main elements of what it means to be an Investor in People, from Excellence in Leadership and Management to Excellence in Social Responsibility to Leader of the Year and Best Newcomer. The Awards provide the opportunity to benchmark against high performing organisations globally.
Claire Swain Mason, Commercial Director of Swains Plc commented “It is an absolute privilege to be shortlisted for this award; a clear indication of the dedication and hard work we have all invested in our business. Our assessment recognised that our “‘talent spotting’ is exceptional!” and I couldn’t agree more or thank the staff enough for such an incredible achievement. The party for achieving Investors in People Gold accreditation was enjoyed by all. What a great team to work with and even better to celebrate with.”
Paul Devoy, Head of Investors in People, said: “Once again we have been overwhelmed by the number and calibre of entries received for the Investors in People Awards. It’s fantastic to see so many organisations nominated for outperforming in their sector, demonstrating great people management practice and a commitment to staff development.”
For more information please follow us on Twitter@swainsplc, contact us on 01485 524000 or visit our website www.swainsplc.co.uk
The month of May is National Walking Month. The weather is (hopefully) better, the days are getting longer, and it feels good to be outside with the sun on your back. And there are some real benefits to stretching your legs.
Boost your fitness – any activity that raises your heart rate will help to make you fitter; Improve your mood – the combination of exercise and daylight increases levels of serotonin, the neurotransmitter that helps humans feel happy; Save money – if you can walk to your destination rather than take the car.
But life is already very full, and adding a walk to a busy schedule can be challenging. The key to success is fitting activity around your other commitments and making it fun. Get off the bus a couple of stops early, get out of bed 20 minutes earlier, or plan a weekend walk with friends or family.
At Westfield Health, we want you to stay at your fit and healthy best, so while there’s plenty you can do to take care of yourself, you can rely on our Chamber Primary Health Plan to lend a hand. Visit www.westfieldhealth.com/chamber for more information.
Regional heavyweight law firm Howes Percival has announced it is to move its Norwich office from Colegate – home for over 25 years – to a brand new 15,000sq ft development in the city’s historic Cathedral Close district.
Construction work has just begun on the £3m development on Bedding Lane, just off Palace Street on the site of the former Busseys Ford dealership, and the new Palace Plain development is expected to be completed by the end of quarter one, 2016.
The project includes the construction of a new three story building and the refurbishment of the adjacent Grade II listed 1 – 2 St Martins building, which dates back to the 17th Century. The new St Martin’s House will be exclusively for Howes Percival’s use, on a 15 year lease and will feature a modern open plan layout, with state-of-the-art conference and meeting room spaces. The original features and façade of the historic building will be maintained.
Construction and infrastructure company Morgan Sindall has been appointed by the landlord Bussey & Sabberton Bros. Limited for what will be the largest new office development in the centre of Norwich for over five years.
Andrew Barnes, Howes Percival’s senior partner said; “This is a fantastic new development, right in the historic heart of the city. While Colegate has been our home since we opened the Norwich office in 1989, this will completely transform our day-to-day working environment. It will be a more modern and efficient space, which will enable better team working as well as being more accessible for clients and staff. St Martin’s House gives us exactly what we need to continue providing a first class service for our clients for years to come, plus room for us to continue growing in Norwich.
“We’re a forward looking firm with a proud, independent tradition and I think this office reflects our strong personality perfectly. It combines the best of both worlds with original features and character, alongside contempory design and purpose-built office space. It will be a really prominent building, in an outstanding location.
Andrew Barnes concluded: “This is very exciting time for the firm with two new offices opening this year and significant property upgrades for three other locations.”
The building was designed by Norwich architects Chaplin Farrant. Commercial property specialists Roche Surveyors advised Howes Percival in their search for new offices and the leasing of St Martin’s House, while REAL Consulting acted as client project manager and tenant’s surveyor.
The new office will be the latest in a series of significant property moves for the firm. In February 2015 Howes Percival opened a new Milton Keynes office. The Leicester office moved to new premises in 2013 and the Northampton team will be moving to a modern development in the next 12 months. The firm has also announced plans to open a brand new office in Cambridge in 2015.
Blue Sky Professional Development held their annualStudent Graduation last week at the Assembly House, which coincided with their 2nd birthday.Students, their families, tutors and guests joined Kate Woods and Beth Russell, Directors of Blue Sky, for an celebratory evening of drinks,superb canapes and the presentation ceremony.John Cunningham, Head of Qualifications at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD)gave a very informative speech and presented the successful students with their certificates. Katewas pleased to reportthat 41 students had successfully achieved their qualifications across all 3 levels this year, an increase on last year.
Blue Sky Professional Development delivers Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) qualifications in Leadership and Management at levels 3 and 5, and CIPD Qualifications in Human Resources and Learning and Developmentat levels 3. 5 and 7 to students from acrossEast Anglia from their offices in Norwich. Next year’s graduation will see the first ILM level 5 students receive their certificates as wellas CIPD Foundation Awards in HR/L&D Essentials, the latest qualification to be added to Blue Sky’s programmes.
After replying to a request from the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce with regards to allowing the BBC to visit and film companies in the area, we were lucky enough to get the go ahead and arranged for them to visit yesterday morning at 09:00.
The reporters were here in conjunction with the General Election Campaign which begins today and filmed the workshop and spoke with our colleagues on the shop floor and last night saw TVCand some of our staff featured in a special report for the BBC’s News at 10. Reporters were keen to find out what smaller towns were looking for in their politicians as Great Yarmouth is just one of many marginal constituencies whose votes could swing what appears to be an unpredictable election this year.
The report can be seen in full on iPlayer until 18:30 on 31/03/2015 viahttps://bbc.in/1ORUV6n. The segment relating to Great Yarmouth begins at 12:12 and TVC are featured at 14:42.
Screenshots of the report are attached to this article.