Member News

Great Yarmouth-based TMS Media is to market and manage conferences and events at Lowestoft’s OrbisEnergy, the flagship innovation centre for the UK’s offshore renewables sector and an established venue for energy industry events.

The new partnership with NWES, who manage OrbisEnergy, will see TMS promote the use of the conference and meeting facilities, organise new events and offer clients event management support.

Steve Scott, managing director, said, “OrbisEnergy has outstanding facilities, and I can’t imagine another conference centre in the country having a better sea view. It’s an inspirational venue.

“Our job is to work with NWES to make OrbisEnergy’s facilities even better known by encouraging companies and organisations to arrange successful events and helping them co-ordinate everything from catering and welcome packs to exhibition displays and audio-visual equipment.”

John Balch, strategic director at OrbisEnergy, said, “We’re delighted to be working with TMS in expanding our conferencing and events programme. Over the next few months we look forward to developing and hosting a wide range of industry focused events to ensure OrbisEnergy is the first choice for meetings and conferences.”

The fourth floor suite includes the main conference room, which can seat 220 delegates, and four break-out/seminar rooms. On the ground floor is a 20-seat executive boardroom with state-of-the-art video and tele-conferencing equipment.

For more information contact Steve Scott at TMS on 01493 662929 or steve.scott@tms-media.co.uk

On Thursday, November 14th, Wymondham College is holding a “Futures” event at ‘The Space’; a conference centre in Norwich situated on Roundtree Way, off Mousehold Ln (A1042). This is a careers information day aimed at introducing year 10 GCSE students to a range of career options in various sectors and ensuring they understand the different routes into them before they choose their post-16 study options.

The day will run from 10am-3pm, and we’re looking for speakers for thirty-minute slots that would run throughout the day – and you’re more than welcome to give more than one talk! Students will sign up to attend 6 talks in total and we can accommodate 6 simultaneous talks in the centre’s break-out rooms.

The introductory talk will be from careers advisers, providing a general introduction to post-16 study options and will run from 10am-10.30am. We will also be inviting groups from 2-3 other schools, so there will be approximately 500 students in total and anywhere between 25 and 150 students in a scheduled talk. The aim of the talks is to provide students with information about the various routes into your sector of employment; apprenticeships, A-levels, degrees and vocational qualifications through to the ‘soft skills’ they would need to succeed, such as communication/ presentation skills. The talks can be as informal or as formal as you wish and we can offer various time-slots to suit what works best for you.

If you’re unable to offer a talk, we can provide a careers information stand for any literature you’d be able to give and which students can look at during break and lunch times.

Session times for talks are as follows:

10:30-11:00-Session 1 11.10-11:40- Session 2 11:40-12:00- Break 12:00-12:30- Session 3 12:30-1:15 = Lunch break, although some talks can be scheduled during this time if contributors wish. 1.15 – 1.45-Session 4 1.50-2.20- Session 5 2:20-2:30- Break 2.30-3.00- Session 6

If you are able and willing to help please contact:

Callie Oatridge Curriculum Enrichment Coordinator 01953 609000 ext 4466oatridca.staff@wymondhamcollege.org

A unique bungalow, constructed in the basement of the University of East Anglia (UEA), was opened by Norman Lamb MP on Friday 27th September.

UEA’s School of Rehabilitation Sciences has created the fully-furnished home as a showcase for assistive technology – assistive, adaptive and rehabilitative products designed to provide greater independence for older people and people with disabilities.

Called NEAT Centre (Norwich Electronic Assistive Technology), the home links together education, research, training and product development and is the first facility of its kind at a university.

The team which created the home, fitted with the best in assistive technology equipment, will use the home not only to help students in their studies but to ensure products coming to the market are fit for purpose.

Prof Ian Harvey, executive dean for the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences said: “This is an exciting development for the faculty. The NEAT Centre offers a unique opportunity to link together education, research, training and product development. Our aim is to raise awareness of assistive technology, increase its use and ensure that new products truly meet the needs of an ever-growing market.”

Prof Val Lattimer, head of the School of Rehabilitation Sciences, believes the centre will provide much-needed opportunities for those across the assistive technology industry. She said: “The NEAT Centre will allow us to provide innovative and interactive training for healthcare and care home professionals; to work with assistive technology manufacturers to develop new products; and to work with end users and their carers.”

The centre has been created with the assistance of funding from the Norfolk & Suffolk Dementia Alliance. Director Willie Cruikshank said: “The Norfolk and Suffolk Dementia Alliance and their strategic partners at Health Education East of England are very proud to have contributed funding to enable the development of the NEAT Centre at the UEA.

“Although the initial concept for this innovative centre was around training students in the use of assistive technology, the state of the art facility has subsequently been identified as a multiple-use training resource.

“With a growing number of older people living in the East, developing the dementia workforce is a priority for Health Education East of England and, in response, the Norfolk & Suffolk Dementia Alliance have embarked on delivering a pioneering experiential learning programme across the region.

“With its realistic care-setting appearance and comprehensive video playback debriefing capability, the UEA’s NEAT Centre has been selected as the site for the programme’s first Dementia Care Simulator Facility and health and social students will start being put through their paces in the new year. This is a major innovation in the development of the health and social care workforce of the future and we are delighted to be working with the UEA on such an exciting programme.”

The NEAT Centre is the ideal venue for business meetings or showcase events. Colleagues and customers can watch and participate from anywhere in the world using the interactive AV systems. The facilities can also be hired to help with your product development and provide you with the opportunity to see customers using your products or you could shoot a promotional video with your products installed in a ‘real-life environment’.

For more information about hiring the NEAT Centre contact: David Ruttd.rutt@uea.ac.uk +44(0)1603 591991https://www.uea.ac.uk/rehabilitation-sciences/enterprise/neat

Businesses in the region are invited to come along to the Best Employer, Eastern Region (BEER) Festival on Friday November 15th at Ickworth Park near Bury St Edmunds.

Part of the wider BEER initiative, which includes the best employer survey, awards and year-round seminars, the festival is organised by recruitment consultancy firm Pure Resourcing Solutions (Pure) and eras Ltd, provider of psychometric and talent solutions.

Ideal for senior executives and directors and heads of HR, the festival offers high-profile keynote speakers: Cathy Brown, Employee Engagement Executive, British Telecom, Dr Andy Wood, Chief Executive Officer of Suffolk’s own Adnams, and Dominic Lowe, Managing Director of Kettle Foods in Norwich will be speaking about their own employee engagement activities.

Covering themes such as leadership, community involvement, living the values and wellbeing in the workplace, the event is designed to get participants engaged with their peers to help them develop their own employee engagement strategies.

The event is a mix of speeches and ‘free flow’ discussion hubs led by facilitators from key business leaders in the region. In the hubs, attendees steer the agenda by sharing their experiences and they are not tied down to just one hub at a time – they can move freely between each one to capitalise on the knowledge being shared.

Lynn Walters, Director of Pure, says: “The BEER Festival is very different. Usually, professionals in this field would not be able to be so creative and innovative at a traditional style conference. We aim to make all participants the ‘experts’ who can teach each other, and share success stories and lessons learned.”

Alex Pearce, Managing Director at eras ltd adds “We are aim to offer a festival that breaks the rules – it is a highly inclusive and interactive event. This approach can really open up the way for exciting ideas and problem-solving. It really is an amazing opportunity for people to learn from the fantastic pool of talent we have in the East of England.”

The festival starts at 9.30 and finishes at 4pm. The £35 ticket fee includes lunch, refreshments and a goody bag, with all proceeds donated to East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices and The Adnams Charity.

What better way is there to get you in the mood for the weekend than listening to experts from the world of beer and crisps?

To find out more contact Anna Hill, Marketing Manager on: 01223 209888 or Anna.Hill@prs.uk.com.

Ends

Notes to Editors About Best Employers, Eastern Region (BEER) In 2012 Pure Resourcing Solutions (Pure) and consultancy business, eras Ltd, created and launched the BEER initiative, which comprises four elements: a biennial survey, awards frequent seminars and the biennial festival. The programme aims to identify and promote the region’s best employers and Participating companies have the opportunity to learn about, embrace and develop their company’s culture and values through employee engagement. Companies responding to the survey receive a tailored report and an action plan for further development. Based on the results respondents are entered into award categories such as ‘Employee Values’ and ‘Innovation’. The regional seminars are a valuable source of advice and support for businesses and a great opportunity to share best practice and resolve issues as a collective. www.best-employers.co.uk.

About Pure Resourcing Solutions Pure Resourcing Solutions (Pure) was established in Cambridge in September 2002. Since then the company has flourished and now employs over 50 staff across four regional offices in Cambridge, Ipswich, Norwich and Chelmsford. Pure has developed from being specialist accountancy recruitment business to providing temporary and permanent recruitment services for accountancy, executive, financial services, human resources, marketing and professional office support. The company provides end-to-end recruitment and retention solutions that include additional services such as assessment centres, proficiency testing, psychometric testing, training, salary benchmarking and coaching. Also, Pure runs a series of business seminars and workshops for clients throughout the year, and support regional charities including EACH and The J’s Hospice. Pure’s clients range from FTSE 100 companies, venture capital-backed businesses, private businesses, professional firms and the public sector; we have built a reputation as the recruitment consultants of choice in all chosen markets. www.prs.uk.com

About eras ltd eras ltd has been providing cost effective, high quality psychometric products, training solutions and organisational change initiatives for over 30 years. During this time, the company has built a highly extensive client portfolio, incorporating many household names from the hundreds of clients across the UK and internationally, and with whom the eras experts work in partnership. Drawing upon experience of developing psychometric tests and questionnaires (including the popular Quest Profiler™), eras has developed its service further by working with businesses to analyse their culture and values. The secret of successful surveys is asking all the right questions in a way that will provoke honest answers. It is here that eras has drawn on its extensive expertise to help design a survey that will be as revealing as it is in-depth. www.erasltd.co.uk

What is BYOD?

Bring Your Own Device, or BYOD, is an IT policy encouraging employees to use personal devices such as mobile phones and tablet PCs, rather than devices provided by the company, to access systems and enterprise data.

Benefits of BYOD

• Increased productivity and innovation Employees are comfortable using a personal device, reducing the usual learning curve, and also upgrade more frequently to the latest products.
• Improved employee satisfaction When choosing their own devices rather than those selected by the company, employees are more likely to select a model that suits their needs, also avoiding the need to carry multiple devices.
• Cost savings BYOD policies can result in cost savings by removing the need for companies to fund additional hardware, although it is important to factor in potential costs such as those for IT support.

Potential headaches

• Enterprise cost It is important to consider whether your company has the resources to successfully manage BYOD, both in terms of ensuring security as well as the provision of support.
• Enterprise security Some job functions require access to sensitive information or company servers, increasingly with the use of mobile devices. It is important that IT has complete control over devices in order to keep company data secure.
• Device compatibility It is inevitable that employees will select devices from a range of manufacturers, which may make it difficult to roll out specific policies where devices have differing settings and personalisation opportunities.

How to successfully implement BYOD

For any company wishing to implement BYOD, we would highly recommend minimising problems by the use of a Mobile Device Management (MDM) solution. Sophisticated solutions are available which work across multiple devices and allow policy distribution and device troubleshooting over-the-air, eliminating the need for physical IT intervention.

Solutions can be programmed to control or limit access to various mobile device functions or applications between various time periods or when in specific areas. This gives IT the level of support required to ensure policy adherence and company security, whilst allowing employees the freedom to use their personal device as normal outside work.

Mobile Device Management software features:

• Enterprise-grade security
• Multiple policies & group policies available
• Blacklist/whitelist specific numbers or number groups
• Geo-fenced policies for various locations
• Track or remote wipe lost/stolen devices
• Potential to limit application/feature use
• ‘Over-the-air’ policy distribution
• Simple management & support
• Flexible & scalable to company needs

Find out more

To find out more about BYOD Mobile Device Management and the benefits it could offer your business, please click here.

Plans for high-speed mobile broadband are to be rolled out by the rail industry across the busiest parts of Britain’s rail network.

As well as this announcement, Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin also stated that, by 2019, 70% of train passengers should have access to faster broadband speeds whilst travelling, even to the point of being able to watch streamed videos on their mobile phones.

The Transport Secretary said: “Today’s announcement marks the beginning of the end of poor coverage on our railways,” whilst confirming that the programme will be industry funded.

A Network Rail spokesman added: “As an industry, we recognise that the limited availability of mobile communications on Britain’s rail network is not good enough.If rail is to remain a preferred mode of transport, this must be addressed, which is why today’s announcement is good news for the millions of people who travel by train each day.”

Network Rail are currently in the middle of upgrading both its fixed line and mobile infrastructure, as a result of a £1.9bn digital communications improvement programme. Once the upgrade is complete, in June 2014, the new fibre optic network should be capable of handling 192,000 gigabit per second (Gbit/s) of data. It has been forecasted that the telecommunications demand on British railways could rise to 200Gbit/s by 2018.

“By increasing the number of mobile phone masts to fill gaps in signal coverage, and incorporating signal boosters inside train carriages, passengers will be able to benefit from our surplus data capacity,” a Network Rail spokesman stated.

Currently, each train only has access to 2.5 megabit per second (Mbit/s) of data, which must be shared between passengers. This has meant train operating companies have had to limit downloads on to mobile devices, blocking access to video streaming services such as iPlayer and Netflix.

After the upgrade, the available data could rise to 50Mbit/s per train, which may allow a change of policy. As of yet, it is unclear how much passengers may be charged for this high-speed mobile broadband service.

For the fifth consecutive year Alan Boswell Group, a Chartered Insurance Brokers and one of the region’s largest Financial Planners, has signed-up as a Norwich City Football Club Partner. As the region’s leading independent commercial broker the Group is proud to arrange the insurance for the Premiership Club and to support NCFC as a Club Partner once again, particularly at a time when the Club have made such a significant investment in players for the 2013/14 season.

Alan Boswell Group (ABG) has supported NCFC through sponsorship since its League One days and Chris Gibbs, managing director of Alan Boswell Insurance Brokers, said: “Last year was an exciting season to be involved with the Club and we hope their new signings will secure success for the team this season.”

“We are also very proud to be helping members of the squad with their insurance this season and we have built a helpful financial services app** for NCFC players to use. We arrange insurance for ex-players and members of the Youth Team too. We think it’s fantastic that players are using local businesses.”

“For us, this deal means we can again make the most of the corporate hospitality opportunities. We regularly invite clients from across the UK, eager to come and join us for the Premiership games. And of course many of our Norwich-based staff are firm fans so are delighted we are supporting the Canaries once again.”

NCFC head of sales and marketing, Will Hoy, added: “To stay on board for five years shows an admirable allegiance to the Canaries. Club Partner sponsors, such as Alan Boswell Group, play a really important role, helping make it possible for the Club to progress.”

For more information visit www.alanboswellgroup.com

For the latest NCFC news visit www.canaries.co.uk

Specialised Management Services Ltd (SMS), a leading specialist in hydraulic, pneumatic and electrical control systems, will be discussing their current vacancies and potential future career opportunities at the Energy Jobs Fair held at Great Yarmouth Town Hall on Wednesday 16th October 2013. In recent years SMS has seen a high demand for additional staff and are actively recruiting for the next phase of business growth. A broad range of career vacancies from trainee positions through to fully qualified levels are now open for application. These career opportunities are based in Great Yarmouth and have great potential for career development and progression.

The Energy Jobs Fair is an open event that will take place between 10am and 3pm where local job seekers, students, technicians and engineers are invited to visit Oil, Gas and Energy companies from the area.

Great Yarmouth’s oil, gas and energy industry started in 1965 when the first well was drilled 50 miles off the coast. Ever since, the industry has been growing and has resulted in the formation of successful local companies. SMS’s success stems from being able to meet the challenging demands placed by oil and gas companies through their qualified and dedicated workforce and therefore continuously seek to recruit talented personnel to support their clients and the rapid development of their business.

For more information on SMS Ltd and the careers they have to offer, you can visit them at the Town Hall, Great Yarmouth, Wednesday 16th October 2013.

About Specialised Management Services Ltd (SMS) Specialised Management Services Ltd (SMS) is a leading global manufacturer of equipment and provider of maintenance/installation services for the oil and gas industry, specialising in hydraulic, pneumatic and electrical control systems. Bases in Great Yarmouth and Aberdeen are supported internationally by our parent company Alderley plc. More information about SMS can be found at: www.specialisedmanagementservices.com

Steeles Law has recruited a newly qualified Solicitor and two Trainee Solicitors to the firm’s established commercial teams.

Robert Hickford, a Trainee Solicitor with the Norwich, Diss and London based solicitors since 2011, has qualified into the Employment team. Robert studied Law at the UEA, before completing his Legal Practice Course (LPC) with Nottingham Kaplan Law School, at their London campus.

Arwa Salman will be offering support to Steeles Law’s Company Commercial and Dispute Resolution teams as a Trainee Solicitor. She studied History and Sociology at the UEA before completing the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL), also at the UEA, and her LPC at the College of Law (London Bloomsbury). James Hopgood will be working in the firm’s busy Employment team, alongside Robert and his colleagues. James studied for Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Law at Durham University, before completing his LPC with BPP at their Cambridge campus. He has also gained experience as a volunteer adviser with the Diss, Thetford and District Citizens Advice Bureau.

Stephen Drake, Managing Principal at Steeles Law, commented: “We are delighted to welcome Arwa and James to the firm, and offer our congratulations to Robert on his qualification. As a firm we are committed to identifying young legal talent and particularly value our links with local educational institutions, which enable us to achieve this.”

OCTOBER NEWSLETTER

Employment Tribunals are increasingly a fact of life for HR professionals since they were introduced in the early 1970s.

They were originally set up as an “industrial jury” to resolve workplace disputes quickly and informally. My older colleagues refer to the days when tribunals used to hear five or more cases in a single day and tell of a simple, quick and common sense process. However, employment law has moved on apace since then and many tribunal hearings now last several days and the law is becoming ever more complex.

By 2011 business groups like the CBI and the British Chamber of Commerce lobbied the government to reform a tribunal system which they saw as “broken” citing problems including:-

• Too legalistic an approach
• Vexatious and spurious claims
• Long delays for cases to be resolved
• Pressure on employers to settle weak claims in order to save costs

In 2011 the current government consulted over reforms to the tribunal system as part of its Red Tape Challenge. They sought views on how to:

• achieve more early resolution of workplace disputes so that parties can resolve their own problems, in a way that is fair and equitable for both sides, without having to go to an employment tribunal;
• ensure that, where parties do need to come to an employment tribunal, the process is as swift, user-friendly and effective as possible; and
• help businesses and social enterprises feel more confident about hiring people.

Following the consultation the Government reviewed the law and the tribunal system. The Business Secretary Vince Cable referred to the Government’s underlying aims as to address concerns including:

• “the employment tribunal system, which employers have told me time and again is far too costly, and time-consuming, and complex”
• “If you are a very big company you can afford the dedicated and expensive HR personnel to deal with cases that arise. But for small business owners, it means days dealing with it themselves personally – valuable time lost from running and growing their company.”
• “….. workplace disputes are increasingly being settled through tribunals – over 200,000 claims last year. We are in danger of getting away from the principle that they should be the last resort, not the first option. But there is a widespread feeling it is too easy to make unmerited claims – and that the whole system militates against early resolution of disputes through dialogue rather than confrontation.

This review took place against a backdrop of austerity measures when the business climate was poor and we were still striving for a recovery. The perception was that this “red tape” had to be removed as one of the ways to kick-start our economy.

2013 has seen the fruits of that review with the introduction of many of the more significant changes resulting from the Government’s review.

Trade Unions like Unite have responded angrily to the changes referring to them in the following terms:

• “Massive changes to employment tribunals made by the government mean that access to workplace justice could be denied to millions and now comes with a hefty price tag. The changes are designed to stop working people seeking compensation from employers.
• “Unite has always argued that workplace rights should start from day one, but the government has listened to bosses who want to be able to sack workers at will.”
• “This is a cynical hammer blow designed to make it as difficult as possible to lodge a tribunal claim, and a massive attack on people mistreated at work.”

It is too early to tell where the balance lies and whether the concerns outlined at the outset of this article will be addressed by these changes. However, just what has provoked such an angry response? The changes include:

Qualifying Period for Unfair Dismissal Last year the qualifying period was increased so that in most cases an employee needs to have worked for their employer for two years before they can bring a claim for unfair dismissal to an employment tribunal.

Tribunal Fees Since their creation employment tribunals have been free for those using them. Unlike the courts no fees were payable to bring a claim. However, from 29th July 2013 a person wishing to bring an employment tribunal claim will have to pay a fee of either £160 or £250 to bring their claim. The level of fee depends on the type of claim being brought. A further fee of either £230 or £950 is payable for the case to be heard at a tribunal hearing. Those on low incomes can apply for the fee to be waived but many predict that this change will dramatically reduce the number of claims.

Protected conversations Legislation now allows employers to have discussions with employees about terminating their employment without an employee being able to refer to what was said in those discussions in a later tribunal claim. The aim is to provide employers with the freedom to talk more openly about reaching a severance agreement without fear of their conversations being used against them in tribunal

Changes to the Tribunal Rules. Possibly one for the lawyers this one. The tribunal rules of procedure have been given a complete overhaul with the old rules being scrapped and entirely knew set of rules drawn up. Some of the features of the new rules include rules to enable:

• Greater emphasis on using mediation and other alternatives to using the tribunal
• More consistency between different tribunals with guidance being issued as to how to approach certain issues.
• Weeding out weak claims at an early stage with a “sift stage” at the outset with greater scrutiny of claims by employment judges at an earlier stage (including rejection of claims in certain circumstances)
• Increased emphasis on Employment Judges managing cases and hearings in a more streamlined way
• Increased powers to award costs against those who behave unreasonably or make unreasonable claims or arguments

Employment Tribunals can be stressful, time consuming and expensive. Employment law experts from Cozens-Hardy LLP will be focussing on how to survive them in the forthcoming HR Forum which is taking place at Dunston Hall on 13 November 2013, from 2pm. This seminar aims to take the delegates through the tribunal process from beginning to end. The aim is to de-mystify the process, to prepare delegates for what to expect and to provide practical tips on how to survive unscathed. The delegates will also have the opportunity to view and participate in a mock tribunal hearing and to put questions to experienced employment lawyers.

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There will be lots of special offers and hotel deals available throughout October so keep your eyes on our latest News!