Small to medium Chesterfield businesses are being invited to access expert help to attract, select, recruit and train graduates through a city region-wide funded scheme.

The Sheffield City Region RISE graduate recruitment programme is delivered in partnership with the SCR Growth Hub, University of Sheffield, Sheffield Hallam University and the private sector.

It aims to connect growing businesses with ambitious graduates – and take the hassle out of recruitment. Local organisations that have been involved in the project to date include Chesterfield Champions Casa Hotel and Global Brands.

Kylie Cook, RISE Project Manager, said:-

“RISE has had a fantastic year so far, supporting more than 50 businesses to take on graduates across the region. We work with all sectors and disciplines, and are excited to hear from more SMEs who want to join the final round of 2017. From digital marketing to design engineering, there’s not many roles we haven’t helped to fill in the past.”

Business can participate in RISE, whether they want to appoint a graduate to a six month internship or a permanent post with a six-month probationary period. The only eligibility criteria is that they have less than 250 employees and are based in the Sheffield City Region.

The organisation must commit to an excellent induction, management support, salary and appraisal package. In return, they can access a fully-funded recruitment programme to help manage the process and ensure the best possible result for both employer and employee – plus there’s a £1,000 wage subsidy available.

To find out more about the RISE project click here. The deadline for applications to get involved is September 27th.

Companies are being asked to what extent they want to work with schools to improve employability of ‘leavers’.

The lack of basic skills demonstrated by ‘leavers’ but demanded by employers is a perennial complaint of recruiters.

But little has been done over the years to ensure young people have even the basic skills required by potential employees, including maths, English and the ability to communicate on the phone and solve simple problems.

In its Quarterly Economic Survey for the third quarter of 2017, East Midlands Chamber is asking firms about their experiences of trying to engage with schools for work experience, mentoring, work placements for pupils and teachers and more.

Launched today on the 21 August, the latest survey asks firms in what ways they would consider engaging with schools, from having staff who are school governors, to taking part in careers fairs, participating in classroom-based teaching activities, offering interview training and more.

Chris Hobson, Director of Policy at the Chamber, said:-

“Our survey results for the second quarter of 2017 revealed that two-thirds of firms wanted to recruit new workers but two-thirds of those companies struggled to find suitably skilled staff.

“This has been a problem identified by employers for surveys going back a long, long time. It has gained higher profile in recent years but we want to do is see if there has been any success in closing the skills gap and what levels of engagement employers feel they need to make sure youngsters leaving education have the skills they seek.”

To take part in the survey, visit http://bit.ly/2fYTN9c.

Chamber strategic partner bmi regional is offering two return flights from Birmingham to Nuremburg as a draw prize for completing the Q3 QES. The winners will be advised on 14 September and the tickets will be valid until 31 March.

Earlier this year, bmi regional created a new hub at Birmingham Airport, launching three new European routes from the UK’s second city to Graz, Gothenburg and Nuremberg, to provide improved connectivity to and from the East Midlands.

Data recently released from the Office for National Statistics reveals that the number of people claiming Jobseekers Allowance in Chesterfield in July was 1,225 – down 20 from last months figure of 1,275 and the lowest figure recorded since February 2017.

According to the Office for National Statistics, the number of people in work nationally is at the highest level since records began in 1971.

The record figures have been driven by increases in the number of people in secure work – over 75% of the increase in employment over the past seven years has been in full-time work – according to the Department for Work and Pensions.

There are now 338,000 more people in work compared to this time last year, the Government said, with much of the increase attributed to “workers recruited to higher-skilled positions”.

Whilst the figure in Chesterfield is the lowest it has been for a number of months, it is still 100 claimants higher than the figure recorded for the same month the previous year. This mirrors the reversal of fortune for the East Midlands region that has seen a decline of employment.

Scott Knowles, Chief Executive at East Midlands Chamber, said:-

“Local figures would seem to suggest that inflationary pressures, which had not previously significantly manifested themselves, are now beginning to be felt in the East Midlands.

“This morning’s figures have not come as any great surprise but they do suggest that more needs to be done to aid job creation in the East Midlands, to encourage the creation of sustainable businesses and to help regional employers manage inflationary pressures.”

A Government paper outlining future customs arrangements with the EU has been given a cautious welcome by the biggest business-representation organisation in the Midlands.

East Midlands Chamber, the second-largest Chamber of Commerce in the country, said the plan offered greater clarity of Government intentions for the region’s exporters.

But it warned that the Government’ stance on future membership of the EU customs union did not mean the terms would be accepted by the other 27 members of the EU.

Countries inside the customs union don’t impose tariffs – taxes on imports – on each other’s goods and every country inside the union levies the same tariffs on imports from abroad.

Publishing the paper setting out proposals for a future customs relationship with the EU, David Davis, the Secretary of State for Exiting the EU, said the approach would “avoid a cliff-edge for businesses and individuals on both sides”.

He said:-

“The way we approach the movement of goods across our border will be a critical building block for our independent trade policy. An interim period would mean businesses only need to adjust once to the new regime and would allow for a smooth and orderly transition.

“The UK is the EU’s biggest trading partner so it is in the interest of both sides that we reach an agreement on our future relationship. The UK starts from a strong position and we are confident we can deliver a result that is good for business here in the UK and across the EU.”

Philip Hammond, Chancellor of the Exchequer, said:-

“Our proposals are ambitious, and rightly so. They set out arrangements that would allow UK businesses to continue to trade with their European partners in the future, while expanding their markets beyond the EU.”

Laura Howard, the Chamber’s Head of International Trade, said:-

“With the caveat that this is a negotiating position and therefore subject to agreement, I know that Chamber members will welcome attempts to retain frictionless trade between the UK and the EU that reduces bureaucracy and costs. Today’s announcement offers greater confidence for businesses trading with the EU.”

The Chamber processes export documentation for goods being sent to over 140 countries worldwide. In the six months to the end of June this year, the Chamber’s international team processed documents for £218,296,122 worth of commercial goods being shipped outside the EU. It also provides training to help businesses understand procedures, thereby saving time and money when trading with the EU.

Figures released today show that in its first year the Growth Hub team at Sheffield City Region smashed its own targets for business support many times over.

By the end of April this year the Growth Hub – the region’s central point for all business support – and its spokes of specialist advisors had worked with 4122 businesses. The target was 500.

And the region’s businesses are pleased: the feedback is that they are getting ‘excellent’ support and the Growth Hub has been awarded a satisfaction rating of 89% across the three different levels of help – light, medium and high.

The bulk of inquiries over the year have been about help to grow businesses and finance, while help with skills training, starting a new business, and innovation were roughly equally in demand.

David Grimes, Head of the Growth Hub, said:-

“This is a very pleasing set of figures. The Growth Hub and its partners have been working extremely hard to help create growth and jobs across the region, and I am delighted that so many people have taken advantage of our services.

“This demonstrates that there is a huge appetite for businesses to grow and create jobs and prosperity across the region.

“Enterprise has always been at the heart of what we do in this region. It’s a tribute to the hard work ethos here which is helping to attract, retain and develop skills in the region which are so important for sustainable growth.”

Small businesses looking to expand are being offered help and assistance through a free business health check from the D2 Business Advisory Growth Service.

Derbyshire County Council have contributed £36,000 towards the project to help small Derbyshire-based businesses to reach their full potential and a further £36,000 has also been contributed from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

The free business health check will:

• look at where your business is now and where you want it to be
• identify the areas where your business could benefit from additional help and support
• identify what you need to do to achieve your goals
• help you apply for grants that are available to businesses across Derbyshire

Councillor Tony King, Cabinet Member for Economic Development and Regeneration at Derbyshire County Council, said:-

“We’re pleased to help fund projects that give small Derbyshire businesses the step-up they need to grow and develop.

“Small businesses play a vital role in boosting Derbyshire’s economy through supplying to other local, national and international companies, bringing in business to the county and employing local people.

“If you’re a small business looking to expand or have just started trading and want to progress to the next stage, don’t miss out on your business health check − it could be a great benefit to you and your company and it’s free.”

The D2 Business Advisory Growth Service is run on behalf of D2N2 − the Local Enterprise Partnership for Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.

For more information about business support for Chesterfield business please click here.