FFB March 2015

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MARCH 2015 www.ffb-online.co.uk @ffbmagRMC

NATIONAL APPRENTICE WEEK Focus on quality training

THE NEXT GENERATION Teacher Amy Hirst inspires girls to study engineering

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First For Business

CONTENTS

MARCH 2015

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CONTENTS

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MARCH 2015 AGENDA 10 Britain’s first ‘advanced manufacturing innovation district’ is to be built between Sheffield and Rotherham. John Yates looks at where the idea came from and who will turn the dream into a reality

CHANGING ATTITUDES 13 UTC Sheffield engineering teacher Amy Hirst is on a mission to encourage more women to take up a career in the sector

YOUNG AND TALENTED 14 Julie Farmer looks at the positive impact apprenticeships are have on young people, businesses and the economy as a whole

DREAM TEAM 20 Social networking can be a great way to grow your business. Our Dream Team experts off a few suggestions to help you get the most from your internet strategy

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WE CAN MAKE IT! 26 Julie Farmer takes a look at the thriving manufacturing activity in the city and surrounding areas

WOMEN IN BUSINESS 32 Women across the region put their best feet forward as International Women’s Day approaches

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MOTORING 41 The new release from McLaren is very special – but comes with a very special price tag

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HOW TO... 47

Editor Chris Wilson chris.wilson@regionalmagazine.co.uk Consultant Editor John Yates Chief Feature Writer Julie Farmer

Take on an apprentice, by Dale Robinson, head of sales and marketing at The Source Skills Academy

WORK & PLAY 48 Round-up of news, achievements, celebrations and new faces

10 THINGS... 50 That keep event organisers coming back to Sheffield, by Emma France, marketing manager, business tourism and trade at Marketing Sheffield

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Chief Sub Editor Richard Abbey Sub Editor Richard Smith Operations Director Jillion Wood Publishing Manager Mandy Ogle mandy.ogle@regionalmagazine.co.uk Studio Manager Chris Brierley Design Dan Wray, Steve Levers New Media Manager Terri Moore Regional Magazine Company 6 Broadfield Court Broadfield Business Park Sheffield, S8 OXF Tel: 0114 250 6300 Email: ffb@regionalmagazine.co.uk Web: www.ffb-online.co.uk

FRONT COVER: UTC Sheffield engineering teacher Amy Hirst

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Carol Carol Smy Smy Victory Victory Design Design

My business is expanding with Appr Apprenticeships enticeships

Discover what Apprenticeships can do for your business.

Visit www.learningunlimiteduk.com or call 0845 850 1055.

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First for Business

TRAINING

MARCH 2015

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Apprenticeships can benefit small businesses in a whole range of areas, says Learning Unlimited

GROW YOUR OWN APPRENTICESHIPS ARE A GREAT WAY FOR SMALL BUSINESSES TO DEVELOP TALENT FOR THEMSELVES, WRITES JULIE FARMER

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pprenticeships provide an excellent way for businesses of all sizes to grow their own talent but small businesses can benefit the most. As the apprenticeship offer develops and the number of young people taking up apprenticeships increases there is a real opportunity for small businesses to tackle their skills shortage and barriers to growth. This year National Apprenticeship Week is encouraging small businesses to look at how an apprentice can give them a competitive edge.

Learning Unlimited, part of the Chesterfield College group, has seen a significant increase in the number of small businesses they work with over the last few years. Paul Champion, operations director at Learning Unlimited, reflected on why the development of apprenticeships is so attractive to this sector of the economy. He said: “Small businesses often have the problem of finding a way to grow sustainably. One of the barriers to growth is filling the skills gap in an affordable and effective way.

Apprenticeships can be the solution.

With funding and tax incentives, proven increased productivity and the opportunity to shape the workforce in the way that is specific to your needs – apprenticeships make good business sense.”

The Centre for Economics and Business Research have identified that productivity improves by as much as £214 per week where an apprentice is employed. Other research has shown that 96 per cent of businesses which have taken on an apprentice believe that their company has benefited.

Carol Smy, from Victory Design in Clowne, told us why apprenticeships work for her small business. “I find it easier to mould a young person into the Victory culture if they learn on the job within the organisation. I can shape how I want them to work,” she said.

“It is a really cost effective way to get the talent you need to take your business in the direction you want it to go.”

As an apprenticeship provider, Learning Unlimited works with businesses to design and deliver a solution that is relevant to the needs of the business sectors in the region. They offer over 40 frameworks in areas as diverse as electrical engineering to pharmacy services.

Phil Staveley, a director at Phoenix Property Management Solutions Ltd, explained how Learning Unlimited helped his business “As a small business owner, I was keen to understand more about apprenticeships and how they could benefit my business. Learning Unlimited took the time to understand me and my business needs and explain how an apprentice could support our plans for growth.”

To find out more about how an apprentice can help you to grow your business call Learning Unlimited on 0845 8501055 or visit www.learningunlimiteduk.com

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FLEXIBLE TERMS Small Units Available

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First For Business

PREVIEW

MARCH 2015

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PREVIEW N

ational Apprenticeship Week takes place this month, throwing a welcome spotlight on the latest quality training that is leading a new generation of motivated youngsters towards meaningful qualifications and long-term employment in secure and thriving industries.

In this issue of First For Business we examine the positive impact apprenticeships have on young people, business and the economy.

While this is obviously good news for the next crop of school leavers, the impact on businesses is also hugely encouraging. Apprentices help businesses grow their own talent, shape the skills of employees and increase productivity.

Currently, more than 100,000 employers in England offer apprenticeships in 200,000 locations, covering more than 170 industries and 1,500 different jobs. If you are an employee looking to take on apprentices for the first time, we asked Dale Robinson, head of sales and marketing at The Source Skills Academy, to answer some of the key questions that may be preying on your mind.

Not so long ago, these opportunities would have been regarded as mainly for bright young men, but that is no longer the case. A new generation of females has been bitten by the engineering bug,

inspired by teachers like this month’s First For Business cover star, Amy Hirst.

The only girl in her school year taking Alevel engineering, Amy is now a 24-yearold engineering teacher at UTC Sheffield, and is determined to encourage more women to follow in her footsteps.

If the current crop of local would-be engineers is looking for inspiration, they can find it on their doorstep on a narrow strip of once-contaminated land on the border between Sheffield and Rotherham. The site where miners and the police fought hand-to-hand battles three decades ago is now the venue chosen by Rolls Royce to manufacture turbine blades for jet engines using smart techniques and technologies developed in collaboration with some of the best and brightest university post graduate engineers in the world.

One visitor to the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC), American business mogul Bruce Katz, went so far as to claim that this was “Sheffield’s moment”; an opportunity to use the region’s advanced manufacturing and materials skills to make its mark on the world.

But is it really that simple? Consultant editor John Yates looks at the origins of AMRC and the roles all interested bodies, from universities to politicians to private enterprise, have to play to ensure

CHRIS WILSON, EDITOR the best possible economic outcome for Sheffield City Region.

Along with an aptitude for high tech industry, our area has no shortage of entrepreneurs in many different fields... take Chikumo Fiseko as an example. This 21-year-old business student at the University of Sheffield has not waited for graduation before making her mark. She is already running two businesses alongside her studies, and has set herself the target of being named Businesswoman of the Year before she turns 30. Chief feature writer Julie Farmer went along to see what drives this dynamic Zambia-born, Sheffieldraised student.

Along with a look at the latest motors appearing in a company car park near you soon, and more words of wisdom from the First For Business Dream Team, that is just a taste of this edition of First For Business. Let us know what you think by tweeting us at @ffbmagRMC

@ Facebook: Regional Magazine Company Twitter: @FFBmagRMC LinkedIn: First For Business magazine Email: ffb@regionalmagazine.co.uk

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We have apprenticeships available in: Retail Sales Customer Service Warehousing Administration Hospitality Management Marketing

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For more information call 0114 263 6651 or email apprenticeships@thesourceacademy.co.uk The Source Skills Academy 0114 263 5600 | info@thesourceacademy.co.uk | www.thesourceacademy.co.uk

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First For Business

APPRENTICESHIPS

MARCH 2015

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RIGHT FOR THE JOB THE SOURCE’S RECRUITMENT FAIRS ARE HELPING EMPLOYERS TO FIND THEIR PERFECT APPRENTICES.

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or many years, The Source Skills Academy has been organising apprenticeship recruitment events at their flagship building opposite Meadowhall. Recently, we have stepped up the frequency of these events because of the high demand for apprentices from employers within the Sheffield Region.

Held in The Source’s conferencing suite, our recruitment team works hard to ensure that employers are matched with the right candidates who are looking for work in all sectors from Retail, Hospitality, Marketing, Warehousing and Business Admin.

Additionally, our links with the Sheffield City Region’s Skills Made Easy project allows candidates to explore opportunities in many diverse industries from Engineering and Manufacturing to Hair and Beauty.

Sourcing the right placement for the candidates is our number one aim. The apprenticeship fairs have been a great success in part due to involvement from many different partners, including SYPTE who have been able to advise candidates on their best travel options to interviews and routes to work using public transport.

Collaboration with Job Centre Plus and the Work Programme has enabled us to reach even more candidates who come along to have the opportunity to apply for over 100 vacancies.

towards the right support, information and guidance to suit their needs.

The recruitment fair is also open to employers allowing them to conduct initial interviews with candidates on the day. Full details on how employers can get involved can be provided by contacting one of our team on 0114 2636654.

opportunities provide.

An apprenticeship may not be the right route for everyone and we have many other different solutions available such as pre-apprenticeship training and traineeships. The most important outcome is that each candidate is guided

‘Apprenticeships are the future.

Employers are getting increasingly involved and this is reflected in the high volume of vacancies available right now.’

During the event, candidates are able to pick up top tips on what is involved in an apprenticeship. Parents are also welcome to attend and have found the event has helped them to understand what apprenticeships can offer their child and the job satisfaction and training these

Our next recruitment fair on the 13 March will be our biggest to date. There are lots of opportunities and we welcome anyone who would like to find out more about apprenticeships to attend and get involved.

Dale Robinson, Head of Sales and Marketing, said: “Apprenticeships are the future. Employers are getting increasingly involved and this is reflected in the high volume of vacancies available right now.”

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First For Business

MARCH 2015

www.ffb-online.co.uk Adrian Allen and Keith Ridgway

BUILDING A FUTURE BRITAIN’S FIRST ‘ADVANCED MANUFACTURING INNOVATION DISTRICT’ IS TO BE BUILT BETWEEN SHEFFIELD AND ROTHERHAM. JOHN YATES LOOKS AT WHERE THE IDEA CAME FROM AND WHO WILL TURN THE DREAM INTO A REALITY. anufacturing is back’ – so claimed California’s Kelly Kline on a recent visit to Rotherham and Sheffield. The economic director of Fremont – one of the 39 cities that form the heart of the hightech Silicon Valley – was on a fact-finding mission to the region with Bruce Katz, Vice President of the Brookings Institution and one of America’s most influential think tanks.

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The couple’s visit culminated in Katz giving a public lecture to a packed audience of researchers and industrialists hosted by the University of Sheffield, whose Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) had been the chief focus of their attention and the principal object of their transatlantic journey.

Katz and Kline were clearly overwhelmed by what they saw growing on a narrow strip of once contaminated land on the border between Sheffield and Rotherham. “I am taken aback by the scale of this,” said the former advisor to US President Barack Obama on his visit to the AMRC. Where, three decades earlier, striking miners had fought hand-to-hand battles with the police, Rolls Royce now

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manufacture turbine blades for jet engines using smart techniques and technologies developed in collaboration with some of the best and brightest university post graduate engineers in the world.

It is this culture of collaboration between university and industry that so impressed Katz and Kline. It is also the reason why Cabinet ministers continue to fight for the right to cut the first sod, or top out the first roof, in the succession of developments that chart the remarkable growth of the AMRC – and which led the Prime Minister to recently cite the AMRC during Question Time as being instrumental in “the revival of manufacturing in our country.”

Inevitably, David Cameron’s comments, and the Kline/Katz visit, have once again put the role of the AMRC and Sheffield’s two distinct, but complementary, universities at centre stage. Katz himself was unequivocal: “This is Sheffield’s moment. Your capability in advanced manufacturing and materials is distinctive globally, and your culture of collaboration across business, university and local government aligns well with the new network model of innovation growth.”

Within moments of the visit, local

politicians were talking of Sheffield and Rotherham becoming the UK’s ‘first advanced manufacturing innovation district’ and linking its development to the wider argument about the so-called ‘Northern Powerhouse’ and the contentious issue of the North/South divide.

Sheffield Cabinet member, Leigh Bramall, argued that: “we need to accelerate the next generation of growth by ensuring that our investment in innovation continues and that the area is physically connected, transit-accessible and technically wired, with spaces designed for open innovation to deliver a place where skilled workers want to live, work and play.”

The latter part of this statement was a straight lift from Katz’s most recent work, The Rise of Innovation Districts: A New Geography of Innovation in America, which examines where America’s recovery and economic growth will occur and what shape it will take.

The first thing to note is that the innovation districts described by Katz are rather different to the AMP/AMRC – which, instead, looks strikingly like the ‘suburban corridors of spatially isolated corporate campuses, accessible only by

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AGENDA

“THIS IS SHEFFIELD’S MOMENT. YOUR CAPABILITY IN ADVANCED MANUFACTURING AND MATERIALS IS DISTINCTIVE GLOBALLY, AND YOUR CULTURE OF COLLABORATION ACROSS BUSINESS, UNIVERSITY AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT ALIGNS WELL WITH THE NEW NETWORK MODEL OF INNOVATION GROWTH.” – BRUCE KATZ car, with little emphasis on the quality of life or on integrating work, housing, and recreation’ which Katz sees as an outdated model.

By contrast the new wave of ‘innovation districts’ described by Katz are located close to the metropolitan heart of cities and are ‘open, collaborative and wired environments’ that ‘offer mixed-used housing, office, and retail.’

Again, this is not the case with the AMRC, whose founders quite profoundly disagreed with the idea of incorporating ‘retail and recreation’ into the model they were constructing (fearing it would just become another out of town retail experience with a business park tacked on the side).

Likewise, the AMRC’s global commercial partners have been none too keen on the ‘open source collaboration’ which Katz sees as integral to the ‘wired’ and ‘networked’ innovation district. Instead, they jealously guard the secrecy of what happens in the AMRC to keep a competitive edge over their rivals.

It is no surprise, therefore, that rather than advanced manufacturing, the examples of innovation districts that Katz cites are chiefly in the rapidly expanding digital and app economies – what is known in the UK as ‘tech cities’ and best exemplified in London’s Shoreditch.

As Katz says, innovation districts attract “an eclectic mix of firms in the app economy and high tech sector as well as in high-value, research-oriented sectors such as life and material sciences, clean energy, and data computing. They are also home to companies in highly creative fields like architecture, design, theater production, advertising, and marketing. We even see a return to cities of small-scale and customised manufacturing, made possible by 3D printing, robotics, and other advanced techniques.”

So, rather than ‘showing the City Region is heading in the right direction,’ as one Rotherham councillor claimed, Katz’s analysis would indicate that Sheffield could be following an old model, which

the likes of Research Triangle Park in North Carolina are now having to change.

Here is Katz again: “Perhaps the greatest validation of this shift (to innovation districts) is the fact that traditional exurban science parks like Research Triangle Park in Raleigh-Durham are now responding with efforts to meet the new demand for more vibrant and collaborative work and living environments.”

Doubtless the founder of one of the UK’s most successful digital industries, Lee Strafford, who recently left the city region’s Local Enterprise Partnership over its failure to promote the region’s digital economy, will have a view on whether his idea of open collaborative ‘tech cities’ is more closely aligned to the Katz model than the Advanced Manufacturing Park.

So what are the implications of Katz’s thinking for the AMRC and Sheffield?

Local politicians talk of ‘accelerating the next generation of growth.’ >>>

Factory 2050 will be an integral part of the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District

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First For Business

AGENDA

MARCH 2015

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While this might sound superficially attractive, is putting the pedal to the metal at this stage the right approach?

What do those who have steered the AMRC to such success thus far think about having to drive even faster? And are our politicians, who are often caught driving under the influence of an impending election, really the best people to judge how fast an enterprise should be travelling?

The lessons from the recent past in Sheffield are instructive. The success of the AMRC is not the result of some abstract economic blueprint dreamt up inside city hall, or the creation of a costly consultancy-driven masterplan, but the result of a back-of-a-fag-packet idea cooked up between two utterly inspired individuals – Technicut’s Adrian Allen and the University of Sheffield’s Professor Keith Ridgway.

Both Kline and Katz were savvy enough to realise this. “The development at the AMRC has been really organic – and that is just the way the world works. It has evolved in a very interesting way,” said the diplomatic Katz. What he was either too polite to say – or had not been apprised of – is the fact that the fertile seeds of the AMRC, first sown in 2004, took root and flourished largely because the University of Sheffield made the brave and bold decision to retain control of the ambitious project from the start, rather than hand it over to the politicians.

Despite pressure from local and regional politicians – and particularly from the then Regional Development Agency, Yorkshire Forward – Allen, Ridgway, and the then Vice Chancellor, Bob Boucher, held their nerve and kept faith in their vision for a South Yorkshire Centre of Excellence (what Allen, always the joker in the pack, liked to call ‘psycho’).

Since those early days, various politicians and policy makers have laid claim to being the legitimate parents of the AMRC, but few if any of these claims have been taken seriously. The DNA of the AMRC is to be traced not in the painful labour that eventually produces a ‘strategic economic plan’ but in the close collaboration between a university that excels in engineering and materials science and some of the biggest players in the global aerospace sector.

In other words, it is the leadership team at the University of Sheffield that has been the key to the continued success

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“THE FERTILE SEEDS OF THE AMRC, FIRST SOWN IN 2004, TOOK ROOT AND FLOURISHED LARGELY BECAUSE THE UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD MADE THE BRAVE AND BOLD DECISION TO RETAIN CONTROL OF THE AMBITIOUS PROJECT FROM THE START, RATHER THAN HAND IT OVER TO THE POLITICIANS.” of engineering and the AMRC. Indeed, two years ago the university’s high-flying engineering faculty overtook Cambridge for research income generated. Their ambitious plan is to topple Imperial College London from the top slot and to become number one.

So who will create the innovation district? The challenge for councillors is to enable the city’s two universities to build on their success. This requires a subtle, light-handed approach: an approach where politicians defer to the skills and knowledge of two remarkable institutions rather than try to impose things from above. Whether this can be done in a political system based more on box ticking –resulting in dubious statistics for jobs created, jobs saved, and apprentices trained – than real outcomes and added value, is the big question.

Local politicians now say that the results of the Katz/Kline visit will be used ‘to progress a masterplanning process and undertake infrastructure and economic assessments, as well as transport modelling studies’, news that was greeted with audible groans from business leaders who think that Sheffield and Rotherham have been flooded with masterplans over the years.

To name but a few, we have had the Regional Spatial Strategy, the Growth Plan, the Regional Economic Strategy, the City Centre Masterplan, the Sheffield Airport Masterplan, the Sheffield Moors Masterplan, the Sheffield Economic Masterplan, Sheffield City Region Transport Strategy, LTP3 Action Plan, Public Transport Action Plan – all of which we were told would boost jobs and get the city moving again.

Politicians love plans. Labour politicians especially.The reality is we have more than enough plans. Endless post-mortems have been conducted on what happened to the old economy. Much less is being done to build the new one. What makes this opportunity different to those in industry, who have witnessed the launch of far too many plans, is that the two universities are now moving closer to taking a leadership role in the economic fate of the region.

But, if there has to be a masterplan for the innovation district, perhaps we could do worse than ask the AMRC’s Adrian Allen if he still has his scribbled sketch for the South Yorkshire Centre of Excellence, which he took with him to St Louis all those years ago. After all, it was that back-of-a-fag packet drawing which has taken the AMRC to where it is today.

Now that is a plan.

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First For Business

ENGINEERING

MARCH 2015

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CHANGING ATTITUDES UTC SHEFFIELD ENGINEERING TEACHER AMY HIRST IS ON A MISSION TO ENCOURAGE MORE WOMEN TO TAKE UP A CAREER IN THE SECTOR. JULIE FARMER REPORTS.

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hen Amy Hirst was at school she was the only girl in her year taking an A-Level qualification in engineering.

Now an engineering teacher at UTC Sheffield, Amy, 24, is determined to change attitudes. She wants to encourage more women to take up a career in engineering to address the dramatic shortfall of skilled talent going into the industry.

“Engineers change the world, they help to solve its problems,” said Amy. “I love engineering because it is creative and exciting, practical and theoretical, and involves problem solving.

“Engineering involves designing and making things. It’s very rewarding to see a product evolve from design to production. It’s really important that we tell girls and boys what engineering really involves, and explain the fantastic career opportunities out there, to dispel myths.

I advise young people to keep an open mind.”

UTC Sheffield is for students aged 14 to 19. The first institution of its kind in Yorkshire, it specialises in two sectors where there are regional opportunities for business growth. These are advanced engineering and manufacturing, and the creative and digital industries.

Students complete mainstream qualifications, including GCSEs and A Levels, as well as technical ones.

Employers shape the curriculum so that work projects and skills development are part of it.

Amy teaches engineering to Year 10 and Year 12 students, and as part of their curriculum the students work with employers on industry projects.

Amy, who has a BSc in Product Design, and a Post Graduate Certificate in Education in engineering from Sheffield Hallam University has already seen her confidence rewarded with a marked rise in applications from girls for places at both Year 10 and Year 12 in 2014/15 across both advanced engineering and manufacturing and the creative and digital industries.

Currently the UTC has 440 students on its roll, 78 of which are female – this amounts to 18 per cent and is an increase on last year.

“There has been a view that engineering is male-dominated but that is way out of date,” said Amy.

“Anyone within engineering knows how diverse and multi-skilled the industry is and I do believe that the understanding of this is changing rapidly. We are far from the end of this journey of change, but it is great to be able to see a future where young people, both boys and girls, are much better informed about the industry and opportunities around them.

“It has been, and continues to be, a huge passion of mine and I firmly believe that all the hard work introducing young people to the profession is fantastic for the future of the industry. As UTC Sheffield grows, the number of girls studying engineering is growing with it.

“This is not only great news for us, it is vitally important for the future of the workforce. As the industry starts to be seen as a non-gender specific and exciting and international career the skills pool will essentially double in size. This alone will ensure a wider range of skills coming through into the workplace. The industry needs the talent we are growing right here at UTC Sheffield.”

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First For Business

MARCH 2015

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YOUNG & TALENTED APPRENTICESHIPS ARE THRIVING IN ENGLAND AND THE SHEFFIELD CITY REGION IS NO EXCEPTION. JULIE FARMER LOOKS AT THE POSITIVE IMPACT THEY HAVE ON YOUNG PEOPLE, BUSINESSES AND THE ECONOMY AS A WHOLE.

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t’s National Apprenticeship Week from 9-13 March and what better time to celebrate the effect apprenticeships have had for both individuals and businesses?

Thousands of apprentices across the country have already received top quality training and gone on to secure long-term employment in secure and thriving industries.

For learners the benefits of apprenticeships are plentiful. They give young people and adults the opportunity to earn while they learn in real jobs, gaining real qualifications and experience.

But the businesses that take on apprentices benefit too, in a number of ways. In fact, 96 per cent of employers who take on an apprentice report benefits. Apprenticeships help businesses to grow their own talent and shape the skills of employees. They can also increase productivity, with businesses reporting an average increase in productivity of £214 a week when they hire apprentices.

Small businesses are eligible for a £1,500 grant to help cover the cost of starting a new apprentice aged 16-24. Employers can claim support for as many as five

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apprentices and the grants do not have to be repaid.

Nick Wilson, deputy director, Employer and Delivery Services for the National Apprenticeship Service in the North East and Yorkshire, said: “Apprenticeships are thriving in England. They are becoming an increasingly popular option for businesses and it’s easy to see why.

They enable companies to grow their own workforce, providing highly-qualified and motivated employees.

“Apprenticeships also offer ambitious unrivalled career prospects, enabling people to get in and go far with some of Britain’s leading companies, providing opportunities for individuals to fully realise their potential and maximise their career progression.”

Currently, more than 100,000 employers in England offer apprenticeships in 200,000 locations, covering more than 170 industries and 1,500 different jobs.

National Apprenticeship Week is coordinated by the National Apprenticeship Service and is designed to celebrate apprenticeships and the positive impact they have on individuals, businesses and the wider economy. A host of activities will take place across the country.

Sue Husband, executive director, Apprenticeship and Delivery Services at the Skills Funding Agency, said: “Apprenticeships continue to grow, by delivering work for young people and adults, enabling them to earn while they learn in a real job, gaining a real qualification and a real future.

“Apprenticeships help businesses to develop their own talent pool, something that is helping thousands of businesses to shape the specific talents needed in their workplace.

“National Apprenticeship Week gets bigger and better each year. I am very much looking forward to seeing how the activity in 2015 helps to further raise the profile of apprenticeships; whilst celebrating the important role they have in equipping people with the skills that they need to prosper in their lives.”

For information on what is happening during apprenticeship week, please visit Gov.uk and search for National Apprenticeship Week. To find out more about apprenticeship opportunities, contact the National Apprenticeship Service on 08000 150 600 or visit the website www.greatbusiness.gov.uk/taking-on-anapprentice

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NATIONAL APPRENTICESHIP WEEK

3 REASONS TO TAKE ON AN APPRENTICE: 1. IMPROVE YOUR BOTTOM LINE Apprenticeships deliver real returns to your bottom line, helping to improve productivity and competitiveness. Training apprentices can also be more cost effective than hiring skilled staff, leading to lower overall training and recruitment costs.

2. FILL YOUR SKILLS GAPS Apprenticeships deliver skills designed around your business needs providing the skilled workers you need for the future. They also help you develop the specialist skills you need to keep pace with the latest technology and working practices in your sector.

3. MOTIVATE YOUR WORKFORCE Apprentices tend to be eager, motivated, flexible and loyal to the company that invested in them. Remember, an apprentice is with you because they want to be – they have made an active choice to learn on the job and a commitment to a specific career.

DID YOU KNOW? n 1,000 businesses are now involved in designing the new apprenticeship standards n There have now been over two million apprenticeship starts since 2010 n In 2014 the most popular apprenticeship was health and social care n 88 per cent of apprentices stay in employment after finishing their apprenticeship; 71 per cent with the same employer n Women make up 55 per cent of apprentices n 19 per cent of apprentices progress to higher education n Apprenticeships contributed an estimated £34billion to the UK economy in 2014

CASE STUDY: TATA STEEL Tata Steel is a multinational company producing steel for industries including aerospace, defence and rail. At the Stocksbridge site in South Yorkshire, Tata Steel Speciality Steels makes speciality steel products and currently employs 70 apprentices on advanced apprenticeships as Laboratory and Science Technicians.

“Apprenticeships are extremely important for Tata Steel Speciality Steels to ensure we have sufficient skilled employees to meet our current and future needs,” explained Tony Goddard, training manager. “As our business is fairly bespoke, we require our apprenticeships to be complex and intensive.”

In 2010 the company opened its own on-site training facility, delivering apprenticeship qualifications such as BTEC Level 3 in Electrical and Mechanical Engineering.

Recruiting apprentices has allowed Tata Steel Speciality Steels to meet vital business requirements.

Tony said: “Our apprentices specialise after their first year of basic engineering training, ensuring that the business has key individuals with skills sets to match areas where our company is vulnerable.

“For example, the process control technician role is a position where we have struggled for several years to maintain our expertise. By selecting and specialising apprentices, we now have three young people on this pathway.

“The success of these apprenticeships is shown by the fact we currently have a 98.5 per cent retention rate, giving us the confidence to continue to invest each year in the recruitment and training of apprentices.”

The company was recognised for the quality of its apprentices at the National Apprenticeship Awards 2014, being named Large Employer of the Year for the Yorkshire and Humber region. It has also been included in the list of the Top 100 employers of apprentices in 2014.

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SPECIALIST

FLEXIBLE

Training Engineering T raining Delivered From Deliv ered F rom Experience

Deliver y Models Designed Delivery To To Meet Employers Employers Needs

FREE

AFFORDABLE

Apprenticeship Recruitment Service

Training Solutions To Meet The Requirements Of A Rapidly Changing Employment Sector

Apprenticeship Provision Provision Rates Boasting Success R ates Above Nationall Average Abo ve Nationa Average /brinstraining

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01709 389520

01709 389520

www.brinsworthtraining.co.uk www.brinswor thtraining.co.uk

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First for Business

TRAINING

MARCH 2015

www.ffb-online.co.uk

TRAINING FOR THE FUTURE BRINSWORTH TRAINING PRIDES ITSELF ON RESPONDING QUICKLY TO INNOVATIONS AND ITS LATEST INVESTMENT KEEPS IT AT THE CUTTING EDGE. rinsworth Training, who specialise in engineering apprenticeships, provide a growing number of programmes designed to meet the needs of aspiring engineers and effectively match them with employers to fill the industry skills gap.

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Whether it’s a machinist, maintenance or technical apprentice, Brinsworth have the industry-trained tutors on hand to train the engineers of the future. As a training provider Brinsworth are always looking at diversifying into other areas and have widened the current apprenticeship offer to include Business Administration and Warehousing frameworks to fulfil further employer demand.

Technology is changing all the time in engineering and Brinsworth Training have responded by investing heavily in a new CAD suite enabling them to offer 2D and 3D courses, as well as other bespoke training packages. CAD training can be provided as an NVQ unit for apprentices and for training new and existing staff from industry. This, alongside their current up to date CNC programming suite, enables them to provide specific technical skills that both candidates and employers require.

Brinsworth Training recently supplied 12 engineering apprentices to Alcoa at its two former Firth Rixson sites in Sheffield.

The US metals giant took over Firth Rixson, the global leader in aerospace components in a deal worth £1.7bn. As part of their programme the apprentices undergo 14 weeks of intensive, basic engineering training at Brinsworth Training and then are released into company where they will be assessed on their NVQ Level 3 whilst returning on day release to Brinsworth.

Skill and staff shortages in the manufacturing and engineering sectors are an underlying structural problem that is worsening, threatening business competitiveness and undermining growth.

It is clear that current market approaches and solutions are not working and, without employers taking a proactive approach, the situation will worsen.

Individual employer investment alone in skills and workforce development will not resolve the issue and a collective employer strategic response is needed.

Jen Bramley, Brinsworth Training’s Operations Director said: “The new Employer Ownership Pilot (EOP) funding scheme allows Brinsworth to establish and develop new products, services and delivery mechanisms that are fit for purpose, enabling them to deliver training responding to industry innovations and technological advancements with increased flexibility.

We have successfully secured 90 unemployed learners into employment opportunities across all sectors.

Brinsworth Training I honestly don't know where to begin. Brinsworth Training gave me a future.

Shameel Handfield Following our successful recruitment of yet another Brinsworth-trained apprentice, I just wanted to thank you and your team for their efforts in consistently fulfilling the (sometimes urgent) requirements of our business.

Richard Cook – Castings Technology International

“The scheme has an employer board which collectively sets the strategic direction and Brinsworth Training would welcome more employers in the Sheffield City Region to get involved and join the board.”

As part of National Apprenticeship Week Brinsworth Training are supporting the Teenage Cancer Trust by hosting a number of fundraising events. The staff at Brinsworth are organising a 5-a-side football tournament, along with employers and apprentices at Rotherham Football Centre.

There will be a ‘Great Brinsworth Bake Off ’, a Winter Warrior-style Iron Man event and other activities.

To find out more and donate, please visit www.justgiving.com/BrinsworthTraining

CONTACT: Brinsworth Training Ltd Sheffield Road, Rotherham S60 1BN Tel: 01709 389520 Email: info@brinsworthtraining.co.uk

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Supporting you to recruit new talent, train your staff and develop your business

Contact us to find out how Barnsley College can benefit your business Email: employer@barnsley.ac.uk Telephone: 01226 216 166 Web: www.barnsley.ac.uk Twitter: @BCApprentices Facebook: BarnsleyCollegeApprenticeships Barnsleycollege

Supporting Apprenticeship Week 9 –13 March 2015

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First for Business

TRAINING

MARCH 2015

www.ffb-online.co.uk

SUPPORTING GROWTH BARNSLEY COLLEGE’S RANGE OF TRAINING AND RECRUITMENT OPTIONS IS TAILORED TO ENSURE YOUR BUSINESS REALISES ITS FULL POTENTIAL.

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arnsley College is offering organisations a range of support, recruitment and training options to help grow their business and develop their teams.

The college’s new £10.9m construction centre due to open this September

Whether businesses are looking to recruit new members of staff, train existing employees or provide opportunities for young people to gain valuable work experience, the college can help.

Working with over 700 employers across the region, the college understands that all businesses are unique with individual needs and organisational demands. This is why Barnsley College has developed a suite of recruitment and training options which include bespoke services and added value.

RECRUITMENT Barnsley College wants to help businesses to identify and develop the best people, at the right level, with appropriate experience for the job. Whether organisations could benefit from full time, part time or temporary staff, Barnsley College can assist, free of charge. The college works with school leavers, existing students, alumni and those affected by unemployment and redundancy. This means the college has access to a range of individuals with a breadth of qualifications and experiences who are all looking for opportunities in local businesses.

TRAINING The college provides a variety of flexible training options to meet the diverse needs of individuals and businesses. n Traineeships provide businesses with a short term staffing solution and the opportunity to offer young people valuable work experience.

Trainees undertake high quality work preparation training to meet the needs of your business, English and maths training (if required) and a work placement, which can last up to six months. After this point, your business can choose to offer the trainee a paid position or continue to

provide opportunities to other trainees. n Barnsley College provides over 50 different apprenticeship programmes across all industry sectors, meaning almost all businesses can benefit. Apprenticeships provide your organisation with an enthusiastic member of staff, who is committed to training, professional development and pursuing a career in your business. Apprentices typically spend one day per week in training, where they learn the theory and technical expertise required to succeed in business, and four days in the workplace where they will work with and support your staff.

With Level 5 and Level 7 programmes available in Team Leading and Management, you can upskill your supervisors and management teams. n Barnsley College and University Campus Barnsley offer a range of flexible, part time higher education professional courses, ranging from HND, HNC and foundation degrees to specialist postgraduate programmes.

INVESTING IN INDUSTRY Barnsley College is committed to delivering outstanding training in state-of the-art, industry standard premises. These facilities provide students with simulation working environments preparing them for what they will find in the work place.

Employers can be sure that their staff are

being trained using the latest tools and techniques by tutors with a wealth of industry experience.

The coming year is set to be an exciting one for the college with two brand new sites set to open later in 2015.

The college’s new £10.9m construction centre at the Honeywell campus is due to open this September and the £18m Barnsley Sixth Form College campus on St Mary’s Place is due to open in the 2015/16 academic year. These sites are in addition to the recently opened Honeywell Sports Village, the new Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) Centre and an extension at Wigfield Farm.

Regardless of the size or nature of your business, Barnsley College can work with you to grow. Barnsley College works with a huge range of businesses across a wide range of sectors. The college’s employer engagement team works very closely with businesses to establish the precise area for improvement and develops a solution to meet these needs. The team will also support you to access any funding and grants that may be available.

With current apprenticeship success rates 18 per cent above the national average and employer satisfaction levels at 92 per cent, where better to train your staff?

For more information on Barnsley College’s business support call 01226 216 166, email employer@barnsley.ac.uk or visit www.barnsley.ac.uk

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First For Business

MARCH 2015

www.ffb-online.co.uk

Lisa Leighton

Kevin Kerley

Rob Moore

Richard Dale

Ann Cadman

THINK SOCIAL SOCIAL NETWORKING CAN BE A GREAT WAY TO GROW YOUR BUSINESS. OUR DREAM TEAM EXPERTS OFF A FEW SUGGESTIONS TO HELP YOU GET THE MOST FROM YOUR INTERNET STRATEGY. LISA LEIGHTON PARTNER AT BARBER, HARRISON & PLATT Your digital plan should support your overarching business plan, so start there.

What are the business objectives for your company and how do these filter down?

Are you looking to achieve brand development, client retention and win new business? Each of these will influence the tactical objectives of your digital plan.

Once you have your objectives mapped, it’s important to have an understanding of your competitors. What can you do to stand out? Thinking about your company’s values will help you with this.

Next, find out which social media channels both your existing customers and potential customers engage with. Are they on Twitter 24/7, or do they only ever engage with LinkedIn? Do they reserve Facebook for friends only, or are they happy to ‘like’ and engage with brands?

Find out and then start to build your plan around this.

If you want your sales team to use social media to support their roles, it may help them to have individual corporate profiles through which to engage the people you are targeting. Alternatively, your officebased staff can engage with the company’s prospects. Before you start to directly engage with your targets using social media platforms, it is useful to listen

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Dear Dream Team: “I am determined to expand my business in 2015. My sales team are out of the office every day, talking to clients and bringing in business, but I need to create a strategic plan for using platforms such as Facebook,Twitter and LinkedIn. Where do I start, and how will the company benefit?”

to what messages your targets are putting out. Take time to understand what they are trying to achieve and this should lead to more meaningful engagements in the future. Remember that social media is about being social, so it is more about interaction than direct sales. Social media can be used effectively to support relationship building.

You asked about the company benefits of having a digital plan. In part, this depends on your business objectives, but in general it can help you to build your brand, it’s an easy way of sharing information that is useful to both your existing and prospective customers, and it’s valuable for targeting and really understanding those you want to do business with.

In short, map your objectives based on your business plan, get to know your

competitors, customers and target customers and share useful and relevant content with the right people on the right platforms.

KEVIN KERLEY CHAIRMAN, ACADEMY OF CHIEF EXECUTIVES There has definitely been a social media explosion over the past five years and businesses ignore this at their peril , as your competitors are almost certainly not doing so. I like to think of social media in business as an extension of your marketing strategy, but there are so many platforms today that you could spend almost all of your time doing nothing else.

The key question, of course, is how do you monetise your social media activity?

First of all you need to decide who you wish to communicate with and why?

Once this is decided, then you should ensure that you have quality rich content that your target audience are likely to want to read, and broadcast it constantly and consistently. But don’t overdo it so that the receiver considers it spam. You should share useful and interesting information , free voucher codes, white papers, interesting articles, ted talks, video clips, interesting company news, IP – this will help to position your business as an expert in your field and give you credibility.

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DREAM TEAM

This is called broadcasting to your audience, which helps establish your credentials to potential prospect clients.

This alone will not provide you with sales though, the next step is engage with the reader. Once the audience has been reading your broadcasts for a few months and you have established yourself, products and services in the social marketplace, you need a hook to engage the prospects so that you can begin to build a relationship with the new contact through online conversation and further sharing of interesting content. The key final stage is once trust and a relationship are established, you need to offer a hook which will bring the prospect into your sales funnel. This might be an invite to an event, trade show, corporate day, free consultation, or a networking event that offers benefits for the prospect to make them want to attend. Once you meet face-to-face then you have the opportunity to close.

The above process also keeps you in the forefront of your audience’s mind – keeping the prospects warm – and whilst they may not need your products or services currently, you will be the first port of call they make when they do.

Social media and rich content can also have a huge positive effect on your organic Google positioning for your website. I personally think that in the future websites will become a secondary source of reference for accessing your company and will be replaced by YOUTUBE, so I would also highly recommend that, if you don’t currently have any YouTube clips about your business, products and services or a channel for your business, you would do well to do so. Ask any teenager about a subject and they are almost certainly going to look on YouTube first before asking Google, so the next generation are already using this resource as their preferred reference point. Google didn’t buy YouTube for nothing.

Then the second most powerful social media site in my opinion currently is LinkedIn. You can use this platform to get to almost anybody directly today and bypass the gatekeeper, so I would also recommend ensuring that you have a professional profile that is fully completed – one that informs the type of people you are looking to connect and do business with. But it’s of no use to just connect with people, you also need to broadcast quality content, engage and have a hook.

I haven’t even, touched on blogs,

Google+, Snapchat, Pinterest, Facebook for business,Twitter, Digg.com, Instagram, Mashable.com, Scredible.com … the list is hugely growing and so is the market.

Facebook would be the third largest country in the world!

business get found online. You will be able to connect with, and engage, existing and target customers, raise the profile of yourself and your business and make more people aware of your products and services.

So social media is, as I said at the beginning of this article, an explosion. It really is a full-time job to do it justice for any size business and, therefore, I would suggest that that you outsource it to a digital agency, who will have the expertise to present you in the correct and appropriate manner, as well as design a bespoke strategy for your business and is cost effective.

In order to develop your strategy you need to think about your target audience.

I recommend that you initially do some market research to find out which social media sites your existing and potential customers use. You should look then to become active on those sites.

Several Academy members and myself have employed a social media graduate from the Sheffield universities through the Rise programme or the university business school, to carry out this project along with managing the website and in some cases SEO. It has been very successful and lead to most of the graduates being kept on long-term. You may wish to look into this option.

I wish you the very best of luck with whatever strategy you adopt for social media. My best advice is don’t do nothing, if you wish to stay ahead of the curve.

ROB MOORE RECOVERY EXPERT AND PARTNER AT TAYLOR&EMMETT Nowadays every business needs an online as well as an offline marketing strategy.

Social media has changed the way people communicate and it is therefore now a very important tool for businesses such as yours. Consequently, it is imperative that you develop and implement a social media strategy that will help your

There are many different social media platforms which you can use to connect with and engage with your existing and target customers. A few of the bigger social media platforms are Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. You can use Facebook to connect with your existing customers and cultivate new relationships.

Facebook is incredibly popular and many potential customers will look at your Facebook profile even before they look at your webpage.

You can use LinkedIn as a means of promoting your professional public image and establishing your business presence.

You should use LinkedIn to create a profile for yourself and set up your business as a company profile. Your company profile page can list your services and products and be a link to your website.

You could use Twitter to tweet your own business messages, re-tweet interesting tweets and comment on other users’ tweets. Potential customers who use Twitter tend to follow both people and businesses, so you should create both a personal and business Twitter profile.

Other social media platforms you may wish to use include Google+, which is

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FIRST CHOICE FOR TRAVEL BUSINESS TRA AV VEL Here at East Midlands T Trains r rains we know that performance is important, and delivering you to your destination on time, in comfort is what at matters. W our We e pride ourselves in being a top performing train operator and providing a great service to you.

Since the start of our franchise in November 2007 we have operator, been the best performing orming long distance operator r, beating all the rest and delivering you to your destination on time.

That’s ’s over 90% of trains arriving on time for over seven That Train rain Operator to years and we’re the only long distance T do so. In the last year we delivered 90.7% of trains on time First compared to F irst Transpenine Transpenine Express at 89% and Cross Country at 87.5 %.* We e know that there is always room for improvement W though and that that’s ’s why we are working with Network Rail on a project worth over £1.6 billion pounds to electrify and modernise the railway on our Sheffield and Nottingham routes into LLondon ondon St Pancras Pancras International. The work is already underway and will be completed in phases over faster, the next five years with the outcome of faster r, quieter quie and greener trains for all to enjoy by 2020.

Not only do we want to get you from A – B on time for important business meetings or on your daily commute but we want to get you there in comfort.

In order for you to start your journey in style we have First transformed our F irst Class lounges into a space where you can relax at ease, with cosy leather seats and You complimentary refreshments. reshments. Y o can take time out ou and ou catch up on the daily news with one of our free newspapers or stay connected and log into your emails via our free WiFi. WiF i. Our lounges at LLondon, ondon, Nottingham, Derby and Kettering K ettering are already upgraded, with Sheffield and East Parkway Midlands P a arkway to t be upgraded soon.

As well as our service improvements on board, we have invested in our stations. Nottingham station has undergone a major re-development re-development and new Cycle Hubs have been installed at Sheffield and Leicester Leicester as part of over a £10 million improvement programme across the East Midlands Trains Trains network.

AWARD A WA ARD WINNING According to the latest National Rail P Passenger asse assenger Survey Passenger results, provided by independent watchdog og P a assenger Focus, F ocus, a resounding 88% of passengers said they were Trains. satisfied with their service with East Midlands T rains.

Trains East Midlands nds T rains r also have the honou honour of 2014 Passenger year, P a assenger Operator of the year r, which is a prestigious industry.. This is the result of our accolade of the rail industry continued investment in providing the best possible service to our passengers.

HAVE HA AVE VE YOUR YO OUR SAY SA AY We W e continue continu to strive to meet the needs of all our passengers and are constantly looking for ways to That’s improve our customers’ experience. That ’s why we’ve Voice’ – a forum for us to invite launched ‘Customer Customer V oice’ o Trains you to discuss your views of East Midlands T rains and that’s help us to develop a service that ’s right for you. These forums are held all over our network.

To Voice get in T o take part parrt in a Customer V oice o forum, please p touch at customervoice@eastmidlandstrains.co.uk

We’re W e’re e hoping you yo agree, that with all these great initiatives Trains rains is the right choice for and improvements, East Midlands T Travel.

Business T rravel.

To Trains T o find out more e about East Midlands T rrains and an the wide range of business tickets available please contact our Business Development team at salesteam@eastmidlandstrains.co.uk

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ONBOARD WIFI Following customer feedback, we have invested significantly in our onboard WiFi in order for

you to receive a more reliable connection throughout your journey. We also introduced new easy to use log-in screens and a new 10 hour anytime bundle to allow more flexibility for passengers to use over 30 days. WiFi is complimentary in First Class and available to purchase in Standard Class.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT It’s no secret that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and can boost your productivity and energy levels, that’s why we offer complimentary breakfasts on selected services in First Class. We have a wide selection available from our renowned Great British Breakfast, to lighter dishes including the East Midlands Benedict or Smoked Salmon on selected weekday trains into London St Pancras International.

You’ll also find our All Day Menu is designed with you in mind, full of delicious dishes to tantalise your taste buds from Beef in Black Bean sauce to Spanish Style rice and vegetables for the foodie in you. We also have options to keep you on the go from our Chunky sausage roll with award winning pastry to our Croque Provencal or Fish Finger sandwiches to keep you refuelled throughout the day, available on weekdays.

Look out for new Summer editions coming in May. * Based on Public Performance Measure for the last year up until 31 January 2015.

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First For Business

MARCH 2015

www.ffb-online.co.uk

SERVICE IS THE KEYTO SUCCESS FORWARD LADIES’ AWARD WINNER EMILDA MORGANS REVEALS HOW HER ACHIEVEMENT IS THE RESULT OF THE WINNING CULTURE AT WOSSKOW BROWN .

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milda Morgans was recently named ‘Professional Business Woman of the Year’ by Forward Ladies. But, claims Emilda, the achievement was not a solo effort; it was a reflection of the culture so valued at Wosskow Brown.

Despite thinking ‘I’m not going to win’ right up until her name was called, Emilda Morgans was delighted to be recognised at the Forward Ladies’ Women in Business Awards in November.

The awards are considered to be the largest celebration of female-led business successes throughout Yorkshire, so it was a real honour for Wosskow Brown partner Emilda to scoop the award for ‘Professional Business Woman of the Year’.

The event, held at the Queens Hotel in Leeds, attracted an outstanding line-up from a broad range of business sectors and honoured women – including four

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from Sheffield – in 12 separate categories.

Emilda was joined by Faye Smith, of Keep Your Fork, who won Home-Based Business Woman of the Year; Kate Krachai, of Quality Context, who won STEM Business Woman of the Year and Anne Wilson, of Numill, who won SME Business Woman of the Year and also the overall Business Woman of the Year award.

“On the way there I kept thinking ‘I’m not going to win’. Forward Ladies is based in Leeds and the event was in Leeds so I expected most of the winners to be from closer to that area, said Emilda. “I was totally surprised when my name was read out and it was incredible for Sheffield to have such a big presence. It was a great boost for the city.”

Delighted as she was to earn the coveted title, Emilda is insistent that the award is

not only a reflection of her own achievements, but those of Wosskow Brown, which itself was recently given a Special Recognition Award at the Sheffield Business Awards after raising more than £25,000 for charity over the past year.

“It is wonderful to have your efforts rewarded and, hopefully, this is a reflection of what the firm is all about. I’m certain I won the award because of the success of Wosskow Brown.”

Emilda believes the basic ethos and the core of a business is what makes it a success – and what leads to its employees being deemed worthy of winning awards.

“Client care is paramount and it is crucial that all staff are on board with client care.

This is what leads to a company doing a good job, to word-of-mouth referrals and,

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LEGAL

ultimately, to getting more work through satisfied customers.

“It begins with identifying clients’ needs.

We listen to clients and what they want and we tailor our advice and service to suit. They go away feeling they have been looked after.

“Client care is our core value and it should be the core value for any company that wants to do well. It forms the basis of the vision we have for the future – the growth of Wosskow Brown and continued success by delivering outstanding client care.”

For Emilda, the partner in charge of recruiting trainee solicitors, identifying and instilling the right values is something that begins at the recruitment stage.

“It is not all about academic qualifications.

When we interview potential new employees we ask them to do a trainee challenge and come up with something innovative that would benefit Wosskow Brown. It might be thinking of an event or a sponsorship deal that would raise our profile or bring in new clients.

“At this early stage we encourage them to think outside the box because we are not looking for solicitors who want to sit at their desk and hide away. We want them to be commercially aware and committed to going that extra mile for clients.

“Other than recruiting solicitors, we are also keen to work with younger people.

We have recently taken on three apprentices from Sheffield College and

‘Just taking the opportunity to recognise those who have done well really encourages them to keep going and to keep working hard.

This is something that not only benefits the company but results in a better service for clients.’ we are taking on two more from Barnsley College. They are all working in secretarial or reception positions but we would encourage them if they wanted to then go on to train as paralegals.

“There are some real benefits to recruiting apprentices including the ability to train them in the way your company operates. The ones we have are excellent.

They are 16 years old but have quite mature heads on their shoulders and it is lovely to see the transition from when they first come out of school and have no confidence in picking up the phone, to really finding their feet in just a few months.”

Emilda is a firm believer in rewarding employees for their achievements.

“We measure success by sending out

questionnaires to clients at the end of a matter and we reward the staff that have good feedback. We also have an annual Christmas awards where we reward people for various achievements.

“It is not about financial or material rewards. I have worked for bigger companies where the young solicitors used to say to me that a simple thank you from a partner goes a long way.

“Just taking the opportunity to recognise those who have done well really encourages them to keep going and to keep working hard. Again, this is something that not only benefits the company but results in a better service for clients.”

Emilda’s plans for 2015 include continuing to grow her team. Since starting at Wosskow Brown in 2012 she has grown the Private Client Department from three to 13 members of staff, increasing her team’s turnover by 170 per cent. The vision for the future is to increase turnover by a further 50 per cent by 2017 and to excel in client care above any other firm in the region.

Emilda feels that setting out such plans for the future help businesses – and their employees – to work towards a goal. She also believes that entering business awards offers the perfect opportunity for reflection.

“I feel it is really important for companies to make plans for the future – we don’t want to keep still do we? At Wosskow Brown we have a five-year plan which we shared with staff in November so that everybody here knows what we are trying to achieve and everybody feels part of the journey to make that happen.

“As well as setting out firm plans, entering business awards can be a great way for companies to focus and have something to aspire to. When filling out entry forms you have to look at what you are doing, what your company is doing well, what it could be doing better. This focuses your mind and helps you take a step back and assess what you have done in the past year. This can really benefit your company and, who knows, you might even win!”

CONTACT: Wosskow Brown The John Banner Centre, 620 Attercliffe Road, Sheffield, S9 3QS Tel: 0114 256 1560 www.wosskowbrown.co.uk

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First For Business

MARCH 2015

www.ffb-online.co.uk Sheffield Forgemasters

WE CAN MAKE IT! SHEFFIELD HAS LONG BEEN SYNONYMOUS WITH MANUFACTURING AND WILL NO DOUBT BE RECOGNISED FOR ITS EXPERTISE FOR YEARS TO COME. JULIE FARMER TAKES A LOOK AT THE THRIVING MANUFACTURING ACTIVITY IN THE CITY AND SURROUNDING AREAS.

I

n recent years manufacturing has undergone something of a transformation – no longer do we conjure up images of dark, dusty factories and minimum wages. Today, we think of advanced technologies, precision expertise and a highly skilled workforce.

Of course, Sheffield has a long association with manufacturing and over the years has remained at the forefront of developments in the industry. The Sheffield City Region is known internationally for its skills and expertise and the ‘Made in Sheffield’ brand is considered a mark of quality the world over.

The region is host to many worldleading manufacturing and engineering companies including Tata Steel, Gripple,

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Rolls-Royce, Sheffield Forgemasters and Swann Morton.

Such companies are supported by a cluster of world-leading research and development facilities including the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) with Boeing; the Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre; The Welding Institute (TWI) Technology Centre and the National Metals Technology Centre (NAMTEC).

Last year Sheffield City Council approved plans for Factory 2050, the world’s first totally reconfigurable factory, to be based on the Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP). The £43million circular building will combine a range of technologies including

advanced robotics, flexible automation, unmanned workspace, off-line printing, 3D printing and new programming and training tools.

On 25 and 26 March the region will host the first international conference about Factory 2050 which will look at the vision for the factory, machining and welding innovations, innovative manufacturing processes, robotics and automation, layout and systems, data handling and IT systems and developing people.

The conference will include a combination of industrial and academic speakers and will be of interest to engineers, academics, manufacturing technologists and those interested in the design and development of new and innovative processes.

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MANUFACTURING

HERE ARE JUST A FEW EXAMPLES OF RECENT DEVELOPMENTS WITHIN OUR REGION’S MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY: SHEFFIELD FORGEMASTERS Sheffield Forgemasters International Ltd (SFIL) recently poured the first in a series of ultra-large components destined to be some of the largest castings ever made.

The casting will weigh more than 320 tonnes finished weight, but required a staggering 600 tonnes of molten steel – poured continuously – to fill the vast subterranean mould and create the component.

SFIL will deliver 11 similar castings over

two years as part of a landmark 19m USD contract for German company SMS Meer.

Manufacture of the components creates a significant body of work for all of SFIL’s operational areas and its 800 staff and will see the production of more than 6,000 tonnes of molten steel, with each casting requiring multiple ladles of steel poured continuously.

Dr Steve Price, managing director of sales at SFIL, said: “This is not the first time we

KD NAVIEN

NAYLOR INDUSTRIES

South Korean multinational, KD Navien, has chosen Rotherham for its UK HQ with plans to open training centres and an R&D facility.

Manufacturing firm Naylor Industries, which was established more than a century ago, primarily manufactures products for the construction industry.

At the cutting edge of low carbon heating technology, KD Navien has recently launched a boiler combining new condensing and IT technologies.This means users can adjust their boiler by smartphone anytime, anywhere.

The company is part of the KD group which has a turnover in excess of £4.6bn.

KD Navien’s UK representative, Graham Parkes, said: “There is an ambitious plan for growth with the goal to recruit up to 100 employees and open training centres by 2017.

“In the UK we have two bases, the European HQ in London and the UK HQ in Sheffield City Region.

“The opportunity for growth is significant and we are confident we have the right products and support to take the UK by storm.”

have produced castings of this size, but the process is highly complex with precise timescales for each element of the pour – from melting the steel, transporting such large volumes of molten steel across the site and scheduling the continuous pour.”

SFIL has the largest foundry facilities in Europe and is one of the only companies in the world able to manufacture ultra-large castings of more than 150 tonnes in weight.

The firm has five factories in South and West Yorkshire, Fife and the West Midlands and employs more than 220 people in this region.

The Clay division of Naylor’s Drainage subsidiary has recently been given grant funding of almost £650,000 towards a £2.5million project to increase capacity and reduce energy consumption in its Cawthorne factory. This project will boost sales, create jobs and reduce the company’s carbon footprint.

Naylor’s finance director Andrew Trippitt said: “We are thrilled that this grant funding from the Sheffield City Region Local Enterprise Partnership will enable us to progress our ambitious plans to grow internationally whilst simultaneously creating a more sustainable business for the future.

“Over recent years, we have made great progress in developing export sales of our specialist pipe systems for the chemical drainage and trenchless technology sectors.

“At the same time, capacity constraints and rising energy costs have posed a threat to future growth. This project will allow us to expand our international sales whilst allowing careful control of energy consumption.

“The project plan is all about enabling us to develop and grow our export business in a sustainable manner whilst creating employment opportunities in the Sheffield City Region.”

Naylor’s products include clay and plastic pipes as well as decorative gardenware. The company has sold onto every continent and into 49 different countries.

X-CEL SUPERTURN Fast-growing modern manufacturing company X-Cel Superturn is massively expanding its operations in the region by buying a top-spec industrial unit at the Enterprise Zone.

The company, which produces precisionmachined components to the petrochemical and power generation

industries, has bought the newlycompleted unit from Rotherham Council for £2.75million in order to triple the size of its operation at the Enterprise Zone.

Evolution but we are delighted to be able to stay on the Advanced Manufacturing Park by moving to a much larger unit on R-evolution.

Andrew Taylor, chairman and managing director of X-Cel Superturn, said: “Our rapid growth has meant that we have quickly outgrown our premises at

“Being located in a prestigious building on the AMP raises the profile of our company, it impresses our customers and makes it easier to recruit and retain skilled staff.”

27

028 FFB Mar15 27/02/2015 10:13 Page 1

First For Business

INSOLVENCY

MARCH 2015

www.ffb-online.co.uk

NO BUSINESS IS IMMUNE FROM FAILURE SO TAKE PRECAUTIONS, SAYS CHRISTOPHER BROWN.

T

he recent insolvency of the Rotherham-based MTL Group is a timely reminder that no company, however large and high profile, is immune from failure. Administrators were appointed to MTL Group on 2 February with the immediate loss of 157 jobs and leaving creditors owed around £10m.

The immediate effect of any insolvency is that creditors suddenly have a bad debt to deal with, and the larger the debt, the more likely that there will be a domino effect, causing otherwise solvent companies to have cash flow problems which could ultimately lead to failure.

When the initial insolvency involves such a high profile company as MTL Group the risk of the domino effect only increases.

We are currently helping one of the creditors of MTL who has a large bad debt.

Fortunately this company is financially sound but even so, the disruption to its

immediate cash flow caused by MTL is such that we are currently negotiating with HM Revenue & Customs a time to pay arrangement for the current VAT quarter. This will enable the company to avoid penalties and make nominal payments until, over the next six months, it can claim VAT bad debt relief on the MTL debt and so satisfy the current VAT quarter.

Other companies in less financial health may need to negotiate with their creditors generally and this is where an insolvency practitioner can provide valuable help. Of course, this is dealing with the effects of a bad debt after it has happened. But what practical things can a company do to lessen the effects of a bad debt before it happens?

The first thing is to know your customer, assess their credit worthiness and set a credit limit which reflects the

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28

Christopher Brown

commercial risk you are prepared to take, because were your customer to fail, that is how much you stand to lose. Once set, stick to it. We often see cases where, although a credit limit was in place, the company has ignored it and gone on supplying the customer which has ultimately failed. If possible, incorporate a personal guarantee into your credit application form, it may not always be possible, especially with larger customers, but it is worth trying. Finally, consider credit insurance to protect against nonpayment should a customer fail. The benefits of credit insurance are that the debt being insured would be paid and that you will have access to improved credit intelligence on your customers.

Business Recovery & Insolvency

If you require any assistance in dealing with your creditors or require further information about credit insurance please contact Christopher Brown, Business Recovery & Insolvency Partner at Hart Shaw on Tel: 0114 251 8850 or email: chris.brown@hartshaw.co.uk.

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All patents which were granted on mobile phone technology prior to 1995 have now expired and although it would theoretically be possible to reproduce the phones in common use during the early 1990s without fear of breaching a patent, the ways in which the technology has evolved means that it is highly questionable whether a business could successfully cash in on the lapsed patents available in the public domain, compared with the latest smartphone.

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Once granted, a patent can be renewed annually for up to twenty years. When a patent reaches its twentieth anniversary it expires and the holder can no longer claim exclusivity on its usage. It is worth remembering that, even in cases when a patent does reach the end of its lifespan, it does not necessarily mean that a rival can start cashing in your latest business ideas.

It is important to remember that few products and inventions remain fixed. Over time, and in response to changing manufacturing techniques, consumer demands and market forces, it is highly likely that even relatively simple inventions will naturally evolve. Consider, for example, mobile phones used today compared with those in the 1990s.

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IT’S YOUR GREAT INVENTION… SO MAKE SURE YOU PROTECT IT, SAYS PATENT EXPERT HOWARD LOCK. atents are one of the most common ways in which businesses can protect their investments in research and development. They provide legal ownership of an invention and deter others from stealing or copying your ideas by enabling legal action to be taken against those attempting to cash in on your concepts.

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The ongoing legal disputes between some of the world’s largest mobile phone manufacturers in court rooms around the world, go some way towards illustrating the importance not only of securing intellectual property on a design, but also continuing to protect investments made in research and development.

This is particularly important when it comes to filing new patent applications, as each new ‘inventive step’ can be patented in its own right, allowing many different aspects of an invention to be protected. Securing multiple patents can also mean that even if an earlier patent expires, the latest developments added to the product will continue to be safeguarded from being plagiarised.

At present there are can also be financial incentives to encourage businesses to protect their intellectual property. The Government’s Patent Box scheme, launched in 2013 enables businesses to benefit from reduced Corporation Tax liabilities on patented inventions. However the rules governing the Patent Box are changing and it is worth noting the scheme is expected to close to new entrants in June 2016.

Howard Lock is a patent and trade mark attorney and the owner of Howard Lock Intellectual Property.

To find out more about the different ways of protecting your intellectual property assets, visit www.howardlock.co.uk or contact Howard today on 0114 218 0653 or email: info@howardlock.co.uk.

Keep up-to-date with Howard on Twitter @howardlockip

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First for Business

LIGHTING

MARCH 2015

www.ffb-online.co.uk

THE FUTURE’S BRIGHT FOR FACTORIES LED LIGHTING IS RAPIDLY BECOMING THE NUMBER ONE CHOICE FOR ALL KINDS OF WORKSPACES… AND CONSTELLATION LIGHTING IS LEADING THE WAY. or more and more designers, developers and users, LED lighting is becoming the light source of choice.

Sheffield-based Constellation Lighting has known for over 15 years that LED lighting is the technology of the future.

F

Constellation has a strong record in designing solutions for clients that are cost effective, provide an early return on investment, reduce energy bills, contribute to improving staff performance and are good for the environment.

Look ahead to the factories of the future and you’ll see unmanned workspaces, robotics and advanced technologies.

The company has been at the forefront of LED technology for many years and recently became a distributor for Cree, the largest LED lighting manufacturer in the world with a turnover of $1.3 billion and serving clients such as Hermes, DHL, IKEA and Costco.

And you’ll see these features very clearly because the factories of the future will be equipped with state-of-the-art LED lighting systems.

Constellation has installations around the world and can offer a wide range of standard and bespoke customer lighting designs and products.

As product and system designers,

n Up to 85 per cent energy savings. n 80,000 hour expected life span. n Low heat generation. n Instant start-up. n Flicker free.

The colour temperature of LEDs is close to daylight spectrum, meaning: n Better image capture under CCTV cameras n Visual acuity increases, important in areas where vision impacts quality control

Constellation Lighting is one of the UK’s longest established designers and manufacturers of LED lights and light fittings.

Based in Sheffield, the company designs and manufactures LED lighting systems for a wide range of commercial and industrial applications, including factories, freight, warehousing and logistics, external flood lighting, food production and office lighting.

industrial and commercial applications are:

n Colour and detail perception improves n Staff motivation improves due to more pleasant and natural working environments Cree products utilise patented NanoOptic lenses to ensure all light produced is directed exactly where it is needed, ensuring no light wastage. Over 20 different optic lenses are available to tailor the light exactly to each application and all products are supported by 10-year warranties.

The benefits of LED lighting systems over traditional incandescent lamps in

n No ultra violet light emissions n No mercury content n Green building certification compliant

Contact Constellation Lighting on 0114 247 9900 or email sales@constellationlighting.com.

31

032 - 033 FFB Mar15_Layout 1 27/02/2015 14:49 Page 1

First For Business

MARCH 2015

www.ffb-online.co.uk

LEADING LADIES WOMEN ACROSS THE REGION PUT THEIR BEST FEET FORWARD AS INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY APPROACHES. JULIE FARMER REPORTS.

I

nternational Women’s Day on 8 March is a global celebration of the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future.

Just recently four Sheffield businesswomen scooped prizes at the Forward Ladies Women in Business Awards, proving we have plenty to celebrate in our region.

Numill’s Anne Wilson was crowned overall businesswoman of the year as well as being named the SME businesswoman of the year.

Faye Smith from Keep Your Fork won home based businesswoman of the year while Emilda Morgans, partner at Wosskow Brown, was named professional services businesswoman of the year and Kate Krachai, director of Quality Context was awarded Science, Technology, Engineering and manufacturing

businesswoman of the year.

Figures released by the Government in October 2014 showed that female representation on FTSE 100 boards continues to increase, but business secretary Vince Cable cautioned that companies must not let up in their efforts to deliver 25 per cent gender diversity to their boardrooms by 2015.

In October women’s representation on FTSE 100 boards had increased to 22.8 per cent – up from 20.7 per cent in March 2014, while figures for FTSE 250 boards had increased from 15.6 per cent to 17.4 per cent.

As of July 2014, there were no all-male boards in the FTSE 100.

Business secretary Vince Cable said:

Rachael is a Chartered Tax Adviser, a full member of the Society of Trusts and Estate Practitioners and holds a Diploma in financial planning; she is perfectly placed

32

“Companies need to harness all available talent – better balanced boards are vital to securing the future competitiveness of UK.” Women in Sheffield have the opportunity to join in the International Women’s Day celebrations by attending a free event in Sheffield Town Hall on Saturday 7 March from 12pm midday as well as other events around the city in March. Some events are women only and some are open to everyone.

requiring advice about a trust, but see their accountant for any tax queries. We can provide a package which combines tax expertise, legal knowledge and an understanding of financial investments and pensions, all within our private client department.”

The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day is ‘Make it Happen’ and there are plenty of women across our region who are making things happen.

RACHAEL DRONFIELD is widely acknowledged as one of the leading private client advisers in the region, and has considerable technical knowledge and experience. Prior to joining Shorts, Rachael gained 13 years’ experience with Grant Thornton, specialising in inheritance tax, will planning and trust matters.

“Outstanding progress has been made, but we need to see the pace increase within both FTSE 100 and 250 companies to reach our target by 2015.

“It is really important that I get to know my clients, and fully understand their current financial position alongside their long term objectives, and I often bringing ideas to the discussion which may not have been previously considered. It is extremely rewarding.” to advise individuals and trustees on tax planning opportunities, estate planning and investment strategies.

Rachael said: “It is a common misconception that individuals must see their lawyer when preparing their will or

Shorts’ Private Client team of Wealth Planner and Tax Advisers is a team in excess of 20 tax and legally qualified and experienced advisers, dedicated to looking after the personal interests of all clients.

032 - 033 FFB Mar15_Layout 1 27/02/2015 14:49 Page 2

WOMEN IN BUSINESS

When the liquidators stepped in to BESY Beryl Henshaw knew she had to make a stand. She persuaded her former colleagues to join her in her challenge and the company B&E Together was formed from the ashes. Managing director Beryl is now a role model to the young people and the company she serves, with her persistence, drive, determination and ability to see the bigger picture.

Beryl said: “The service provided by B&E Together is to develop work essential skills in young people with the business community of South Yorkshire and across Europe. The job market is now global and for the good of our business community, local economy and its future workforce I have always been determined this work must continue and diversify to meet market place demands.

Claire Salter combined her experience of working as both an employment lawyer and an HR manager to set up her own HR consultancy, First Point HR. Now in its second year the Sheffieldbased consultancy offers advice to clients across different industries and sectors, ranging from retail to third sector and manufacturing.

A chartered member of the CIPD, Claire works predominantly with SMEs, often as their only HR support, but also with a number of larger organisations and nationals, providing support to their in-house HR team.

She believes her 15 years’ experience of working within law and HR puts her in an ideal position to assist other

services and culture to impact upon future workforce development, employability, social exclusion and social mobility. To date, thanks to Beryl’s leadership, hundreds of young people have embarked on inspirational experiences developing towards successfully gaining employment.

“I am passionate about the service B&E provides to South Yorkshire and its young people and will continue to encourage the South Yorkshires business community to support young people’s development.”

Beryl’s vision is for B&E Together to become the Vocational Education Training Partner of choice embedding internationalisation in its products, organisations.

“My unique combination of experience means I am able to handle situations professionally and sensitively, whilst always keeping an eye on the legal side of things,” said Claire. “Clients know they are getting accurate advice that is delivered in a straightforward and practical way.

“I know how companies work and how important it is to tailor my services to each individual organisation.

Whether a client wants me to sit in on a board meeting, chair an employee forum, assist with a disciplinary or help write a contract, I fit in exactly where I am needed.”

Claire Bell and her husband Jason are co-directors of CJ Signs, a specialist vehicle wrapping company based at Killamarsh, Derbyshire. Claire oversees the company’s ‘office’ duties including accounts, marketing and general paperwork, although she admits she would rather be getting her hands dirty.

“I’d much rather be getting stuck in with the hands-on jobs – and I do from time to time,” said Claire. “I’m a farmer’s daughter so I’ve never been afraid to muck in. My mum and dad always said if you want something you have to work hard for it.”

JJason set up the company in 2004 and Claire became a partner in the business shortly afterwards, not long after giving birth to the couple’s second son. CJ Signs became a limited company in 2011 with the couple taking on 50/50 directorships.

“Working together works really well for us,” Claire said. “At work we’re not really husband and wife; we’re here to do a job. Of course, it has its moments but I imagine all working relationships do.”

Beryl previously worked at T-Mobile where she was an outstanding award winner for developing education and community links around the Dearne Valley, working with other companies in the area to give support to schools and vulnerable groups. This resulted in financial and practical support for schools achieving specialist status, leadership support and ongoing activity linking staff from the workplace environment into schools.

Lisa Pogson, Resources Director at Airmaster, is seeing the organisation continue to go from strength to strength. The team has grown by 20% in less than a year; turnover is rising and the planned growth continues. Lisa is working with senior managers to gain B&ES accreditation and membership in the next few months, which will link to quality processes being revisited.

Lisa recently became Vice President at Barnsley & Rotherham Chamber and has gone at breakneck speed into attending a number of events including the JCI Barnsley (Junior Chamber International) annual dinner at the Holiday Inn, Barnsley, a buzzing New Members event at the HQ in Rotherham and the British Chamber of Commerce Conference in London.

There, she was inspired by an impressive line-up of speakers., which included top politicians, Margaret Mountford from TV’s The Apprentice and former England rugby union coach Sir Clive Woodward.

“He re-inforced my own view,” said Lisa, “He showed amazing insight into how your team needs to be more than talented. Commitment and hard work have got to factor in too!”

33

034 FFB Mar15_Layout 1 27/02/2015 14:31 Page 1

First For Business

HOME OFFICES

MARCH 2015

www.ffb-online.co.uk

IF YOU’RE RUNNING OUT OF SPACE IN THE HOME, WHY NOT EXTEND INTO THE GARDEN? HELP IS AT HAND FROM DORE GARDEN OFFICES.

STEP INTO THE GARDEN H

aving too little space in your home can be frustrating on a daily basis.

Although there are hundreds of nifty storage options available, sometimes it’s just not enough – like when you require a whole new room, for example.

Whether it’s office space, a workshop, or a home cinema, instead of dealing with the hassle and cost of a house extension, why not build a room in your garden instead?

Dore Garden Offices are Sheffield’s only garden building specialists. The company was established in 2011 by Adam Reynolds, who decided after 15 years as a sculptor, to swap metal for wood and use his skills to create beautiful spaces within gardens.

“It all started from one photo; I built my

Testimonial: “Eight inches of snow outside and I can happily spend all evening in my workshop with the heating hardly on at all. Smashing job chaps.” – J. Cockburn, Fulwood own garden office and from that I got one job and then another three after that – then the business was formed.”

Adam now works with three others: Dave Burkett, a project manager with a background in carpentry, Ben Grafton, a former artist with an eye for detail and creativity and Tim Collings, a playground building expert who installed the playground at Millhouses Park.

Together they offer a comprehensive landscaping package and a bespoke tailor-made garden room building service – whatever you have in mind, they can create it.

And if reading this conjures up images of draughty, leaking sheds,

34

then stop right there, because everything – from the insulation and roof, to the doors, window and internal finish – is completed to make the outdoor build feel just like another room in your home.

For those looking for ultimate luxury, there are timber options such as Cedar and Larch. And for the interior, choose from an impressive selection, including LED down lights, under floor heating, internet/phone/television cable, double entrances, electricity and UPVC doors and windows.

Although they still do build many garden offices, since they began four years ago the company has also constructed garden musical workshops, many children’s hobbit holes and art workspaces. The possibilities are endless.

Dore Garden Offices serve any area within 30 miles of Dore and each project typically takes around three weeks to complete. If you require a professional service offering a cost effective, high-spec finish, then Dore Garden Offices is just what you’re looking for.

CONTACT: Dore Garden Offices Tel: 0114 236 2509 Mobile: 07876 201695 Email: info@doregarden offices.co.uk www.doregardenoffices.co.uk

035 FFB Mar15 25/02/2015 13:58 Page 1

WHAT WE DO Whether you need help with a specific issue, want on-going support or have training needs, we have a range of services and packages that can help you. Some of our areas of expertise:

First Point HR Consultants is a HR consultancy with a difference.

With a unique combination of employment law and HR manager experience, we are able to handle situations professionally and sensitively, whilst always having one eye on the legal obligations!

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Discipline & Grievance Performance management Competency Frameworks Recruitment Employee Engagement Employee Contracts & Handbook

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Equality & Diversity Talent Management Restructures/Redundancies Reward Frameworks Strategy & Culture TUPE & business sales

Contact us on 01226 827410 or info@firstpointhr.co.uk to discuss how we can help you.

“Claire quickly finds practical solutions to tricky issues. I would not hesitate in recommending her.”

Peter Mahy, Managing Partner, Howells Solicitors.

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Tel: 0114 288 9911 | Fax: 0114 288 9922 Email: team@airmaster.uk.com | Web: www.airmaster.uk.com 35

020 - 021, 036 FFB Mar15_Layout 1 27/02/2015 14:25 Page 3

FROM PAGE 21 particularly useful for search engine optimisation. Think about using Instagram to post interesting images relevant to your business which can include links to your website. You might also want to try YouTube in order to tell viewers about your products and services.

As part of your social media strategy, you must decide your posting frequency. The key factor here is consistency. Posting at random may make you appear disorganised so it is essential that you keep to a regular schedule when posting.

It is also important that you create an effective on-line profile for each of the social media platforms you decide to use.

Once you have got going, please remember that your on-line presence will be improved tremendously by active participation.

It takes time to create and implement an effective social media strategy. The more successful you are on-line, the more likely it is possible that maintaining a high on-line profile could become a full-time job, so at some point you may wish to employ a social media manager who will take control of your day to day social media activities. Happy posting.

RICHARD DALE PARTNER AT WOSSKOW BROWN Social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are very powerful tools and you are right to think about creating a strategic plan. Who are your customers, who do you want to target with your social media advertising, what is the focus of your presence, do you want to use social media for awareness, loyalty or customer retention?

By knowing what you want to achieve, it will give you greater focus on what you should publish on your ‘wall’ or ‘feed’. All the main social media channels offer great opportunities to advertise to selective audiences. Facebook for instance has fantastic tools to use paid for advertising to a niche group of users selected by you.

Your advertising spend does not have to be wasted on viewers who are not going to be interested in your product.

The popularity that makes social media a

36

great advertising tool also has the ability to make social media a risk to your business. The chances are that most, if not all, of your staff have some personal involvement with social media.

It is wise to be aware of how fast a message can travel on social media whether it is a glowing reference or damaging criticism. You should ensure that you have a solid social media policy for all your staff to adhere to. You need to encourage your employees to engage and promote your company rather than trying to deter them from joining in.

One of your employee’s friends or connections could be your next big customer.

ANN CADMAN DIRECTOR OF THE SOURCE SKILLS ACADEMY It’s great that you’re considering implementing a social media strategy alongside your face-to-face sales activity.

Social media can be a great tool for any business, but first you should start by setting yourself some goals. Think about what you want to achieve through your activity. Some possible answers could be; to increase traffic to your website, increase brand awareness, increase interaction with your customers or reach a new target audience.

Different platforms can be used to reach different audiences, therefore it is vital that you define your target audience and that you choose the right platforms for your business. In your question, you mentioned Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn but depending on your business and product, it may also be appropriate to launch a YouTube channel, creating engaging content such as product walkthroughs, ‘how to’ videos using your product or video testimonials from your enthusiastic customers.

Instagram is another option and one which works particularly well for those in the fashion, food and entertainment industries. Research shows that Instagram has a lot of traction with younger audiences and females in particular, so thinking about your target audience is crucial.

It’s important to ensure that the members of staff who are implementing your social media strategy have the appropriate tools to equip them. Social media management systems, such as Hootsuite or Tweetdeck, provide a dashboard which integrates the platforms so that messages can be easily shared and interaction from customers is clearly displayed. Staff training is vital in achieving the best outcomes; The Source are currently offering fully-funded (subject to eligibility criteria) Digital High Street Skills training which offers an introduction to getting your business online, including tips on finding the most appropriate social media channel for your business and how to create engaging content.

Once you have decided on your platforms and target audience, I would recommend implementing a simple spreadsheet with your key messages and the timescales in which these should be delivered. Your content doesn’t need to be a constant sales pitch; sharing relevant news articles and creating open discussions will mean your followers are less likely to switch off.

Finally, it’s a good idea to measure your social media activity and how this is benefiting your company. This can be difficult to pin down as activity may be increasing your brand awareness but not leading directly to sales. Think about measuring your increase in followers or likes, number of interactions and increased traffic to your website. You can also use Google’s URL builder to create custom links to the same page allowing you to measure which platform is most effective.

I hope this has helped and wish you the best of luck in expanding your business this year.

CHALLENGE OUR TEAM. The team will respond to one selected question in each edition of First For Business.

Send your questions to ffb@regionalmagazine.co.uk.

Name withheld on request

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First For Business

FEATURE

MARCH 2015

www.ffb-online.co.uk

FULL-TIME STUDENT CHIKUMO FISEKO IS RUNNING NOT ONE, BUT TWO BUSINESSES ALONGSIDE HER STUDIES. JULIE FARMER WENT ALONG TO MEET THE YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR.

SWEET SUCCESS tarting a business can be difficult, even for someone with work experience under their belt. But at the age of just 21 Chikumo Fiseko is involved in two businesses as the same time as studying for a BA (Hons) in Enterprise Management at the University of Sheffield.

S

Born in Zambia, Chikumo moved to Sheffield with her parents at the age of seven. It was while a pupil at All Saints High School that she first showed signs of her entrepreneurialism.

“I wanted to go to the cinema with friends and my mum said I could go if I had the money myself,” she said. “As it happened she had recently taught me how to bake muffins and my friends had been really impressed with them. They told me to bake some more and they would buy them for £1 each so I had money to go to the cinema. I took some into school and sold them to friends and teachers and that was the start of Mostly Muffins!”

When Chikumo started at Sheffield College, where she studied business, biology, psychology and maths, she came up with the idea of supplying muffins to the college. She now refers to Mostly Muffins as a ‘part part-time job’.

“I can fit it in around university,” she said.

“Some days I work on it 12 hours, some just one or two. I mostly sell to friends,

38

Talking business: Chikumo Fiseko

family and referrals and also supply gluten free versions for a shop in Sheffield. I can’t commit to supplying large volumes so it is more of a bespoke service.”

While at college Chikumo entered the BiG Challenge, a competition run in schools and colleges on behalf of Sheffield City Council which encourages young people to set up their own business. Chikumo reached the final stage and received a Shining Star award for the post-16 category. She was also runner-up in the main prize, winning a trip to Moscow.

On the back of this Chikumo was asked to speak in schools and colleges to inspire other young people. She was also a guest speaker at the Young Enterprise awards in May 2014.

At a Business Network International (BNI) event Chikumo met a fellow businessperson who was looking for a partner. This led to her taking a share in Tiger J’s, a chocolate brand which supports the Born Free Foundation to save tigers from extinction.

Chikumo has found that running the businesses at the same time as studying business and enterprise has been very beneficial for both her work and studies.

“A few weeks ago I had been worrying as I had got to write a business plan for Tiger J’s and I knew it needed to be really detailed. Then, as luck would have it, we were put into groups at university and asked to write a business plan. One of the group members said ‘can we do your business’? That was incredible! Everything I am learning can be applied to the businesses and vice versa.”

Currently in her second year at university, Chikumo says her plans for the future change year on year, but one thing is certain.

“By the time I am 30 I want to win Businesswoman of the Year. I’ve learnt a lot from Tiger J’s so would also really like to get involved with charity work in Africa.

“I want to keep my mind open and if something comes along I want to try it but whatever I do I’ll always bake, even if it’s just for fun.”

039 FFB Mar15 27/02/2015 09:26 Page 1

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083 ESide Mar15 20/02/2015 12:08 Page 1

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041 FFB Mar15_Layout 1 27/02/2015 14:33 Page 1

First for Business

MOTORING

MARCH 2015

www.ffb-online.co.uk

THE NEW RELEASE FROM MCLAREN IS VERY SPECIAL – BUT COMES WITH A VERY SPECIAL PRICE TAG, WRITES JORDAN CUTFORTH.

ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL This is the McLaren 650S Le Mans (above) created to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the McLaren F1 GTR’s victory at Le Mans.

As the name suggests, it’s based on the 650S meaning at its heart boasts a throbbing 3.8-litre 641bhp V8.

Designed in collaboration with Peter Stevens – designer of the original F1 car – and MSO, it features a Sarthe Grey paint job with a roof ‘snorkel’ air intake and unique alloys all inspired by the F1 GTR racer, a carbon fibre front splitter and rear bumper and MSO designed rear diffuser and side blades. Inside there’s black leather and Alcantara with the seats finished in black and orange Alcantara with Le Mans logos on the headrests.

Fifty units are set to be made worldwide costing £244,500 each.

ELECTRICITY SPORTIFIED Priced at £28,035 – after a £5,000 Government grant – the Golf GTE (‘E’ stands for electric) neatly sits in the range next to the GTI and GTD. This is no coincidence as VW wants the GTE to have the same driving dynamics as its brothers.

Whether it’ll stop, steer and handle like them we’ll have to see, but the go is of no question: 204PS and 350Nm of torque from the combination of a 1.4-litre petrol engine and a 102PS electric motor which produces a 7.6second 0-62mph time, 138mph vmax, 166mpg on the combined cycle and emits just 39g/km.

In pure e-mode, the GTE can travel up to 31 miles and top out at 81mph.

Inside is very GTI, as is the subdued but purposeful exterior look. Available to order now.

VW IS ON THE UP! VW has announced an introduction of two new models to their up! range.

LIGHT FANTASTIC As with the recent Range Rover, Audi’s main aim to improve the emissions of the upcoming Q7 was to make it lighter – 325kg in fact, making this the lightest in its class at just under two tons.

Launching in the summer, it’ll initially come with a 268hp 3.0-litre TDI which’ll be good for 47.8mpg and 153g/km of CO2.

A more efficient 215bhp version of the same unit will follow later on in the year, as will a hybrid version which Audi claims produces 166mpg and emits less than 50g/km of CO2.

Technical highlights include voice control, adaptive cruise control, cross-traffic assist, adaptive air suspension and all-wheel-steering.

BAD TO THE BONE The JCW (John Cooper Works) Cooper hatch – the devil child of the Mini family – is primed to be released to the world.

Based on the High up! trim, the Street up! adds 16-inch Upsilon alloy wheels, a choice of white, black or silver paint, tinted rear windows, leather steering wheel, scuff plates with yellow stripes, black roof lining, unique “Street” cloth upholstery and decals on bonnet, roof, boot and side.

The JCW’ gets new bumpers front and rear with larger air intakes, new side sills and unique JCW alloys, along with up-rated suspension, four-piston Brembo brakes, a new steering set-up and a power hike up to 231bhp and 236lb ft of torque from its 2.0-litre turbo – the most powerful engine ever fitted to any Mini.

The Club up! is much the same apart from different designed 16-inch alloys, the choice of Blueberry metallic or black paint, decals only on the side panels and a Tartan Tonic upholstery.

A six-speed manual (0-62mph of 6.3seconds, 42.2mpg, 155g/km) will be standard with the option of a six-speed Steptronic auto (0-62mph of 6.1seconds, 49.5mpg, 133g/km).

Due on-sale in April starting at £22,865.

Both come with the 75PS 1.0-litre petrol engine which returns 60.1mpg and emits just 108g/km of CO2.

41

042 FFB Mar15 25/02/2015 11:49 Page 1

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42

The Europa

043 FFB Mar15_Layout 1 25/02/2015 16:17 Page 1

First for Business

GRAPHICS

MARCH 2015

www.ffb-online.co.uk

VEHICLE WRAPPING SPECIALISTS CJ SIGNS HAVE INVESTED IN NEW PREMISES AND EQUIPMENT TO COPE WITH BOOMING DEMAND .

IT’S A WRAP! onsidered to be one of the region’s leading vehicle wrapping companies, CJ Signs has recently relocated to cope with growing demand

C

company held an open day where guests could see the vehicle wrapping process in action and chat with Claire, Jason and other members of the team.

For over a decade CJ Signs has been providing stunning vehicle wraps for cars, vans and a range of commercial vehicles.

“The last few months have been really busy for us,” said Claire, “Over the last 10 years we’ve built up a really good client base. Vehicle wrapping is definitely becoming more and more popular and people want it doing well. People see that we have the skills and the quality materials to do the job right and this has resulted in us attracting more customers.

Started by husband-and-wife Jason and Claire Bell, the company now has a dedicated team of fully qualified sign makers and vehicle wrapping technicians who serve clients across the Sheffield City Region and beyond. One of its largest and most regular customers is Autoworld in Chesterfield, which sends new vehicles to CJ Signs every week for car buyers’ customisation requirements to be fulfilled.

CJ Signs was recently successful in applying for a Global Derbyshire grant, which has facilitated the purchase of a new wider format printer capable of producing larger, higher quality images at a faster speed. The grant has also funded the purchase of additional equipment including computer software, workstations, racking and a new large-scale laminating machine.

The company has also moved to new larger premises on the same industrial estate at Killamarsh. To celebrate the move and to showcase the new equipment the

“To cope with this we’ve invested in new premises and in new equipment which has increased the speed of our printing service. The new wider format printer means there are also fewer joins in the graphics, further improving quality and also saving time.

“We put on the open day to let

everyone know we have moved and to show the equipment we have invested in which will make our service even better.

The day was a great success and it was fantastic to see so many faces – some familiar and some new to us – come through the doors.”

CJ Signs now has a team of five technicians including 19-year-old apprentice Jamie Allott.

“We took on Jamie through Skills Made Easy and he’s been fantastic,” said Claire.

“It is really difficult to find talent in this industry. It’s hard enough finding someone who can do the job but finding someone who has the skills, the right attitude and who wants to learn is almost impossible.

Jamie is different – as soon as I saw his application I knew we had to have him.

He’s done his A-Levels, completed two courses and is passionate about learning more. He fits in perfectly!

The vinyl film used in vehicle wrapping protects vehicles against chips, abrasions and weather damage and can be removed at any time.

Other services provided by CJ Signs include shop signage, digital printing, A-boards, window graphics and safety signs.

CONTACT: CJ Signs Limited Unit 5, Rotherham Close, Norwood Industrial Estate, Sheffield, S21 2JU Tel: 0114 247 1501 www.cjsigns.co.uk enquiries@cjsigns.co.uk

43

044 FFB Mar15 27/02/2015 09:18 Page 1

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44

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045 FFB Mar15 25/02/2015 11:45 Page 1

BMW Business Partnership YOUR YOUR CO COMPANY MPANY BENEFITS. BENEFITS.

TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS. B BMW MW 520d 520d M SPORT SPORT SALOON SALOON AUTO. AUTO. M MONTHLY ONTHLY RENTALS FROM £289 RENTALS FROM £289 (P (PLUS LUS IINITIAL NITIAL RENTAL RENTAL O OF F£ £1,734).

1,734).

BMW 420d M SPORT GRAN COUPÉ.

BMW 320d SPORT SALOON. INCLUDES PROFESSIONAL MEDIA PACKAGE WITH NAVIGATION.

MONTHLY MONTHL LY RENTALS REN NT TA ALS FROM FROM £325

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(PL (PLUS US INITIAL RENT RENTAL NT TA AL OF £1,950).

(PL US S INITIAL RENT TAL A OF £1,674).

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Speak Speak to to o our ur L Local oc al B Business usiness Development Development M Manager, anager, L Lee ee D Drewry, rewr y, on on 0114 0114 275 275 5 5077 077 ffor or m more ore iinformation. nf o r matio n .

Sytner Sheffield hef field Sy tner S Hollis H o lli s C Croft, rof t, B Broad road Lane, Lane, She Sheffield f field South South Yorkshire Yorkshire S1 S1 3BU 3 BU www.sytnersheffieldbmw.co.uk w w w.sy tnershef fieldbmw.co.uk O Official f ficial Fuel Fuel Economy Economy F Figures igures ffor or tthe he B BMW MW rrange: ange: U Urban r ba n 1 13.8-64.2mpg 3.8-64.2mpg (20.5-4.4l/100km).

(20.5-4.4l/10 0km). Extra E x tra Urban Urban 26.2-83.1mpg 26.2-83.1mpg (10.8-3.4l/100km).

(10.8-3.4l/10 0km). Combined C o m b ine d 2 20.3-74.3mpg 0.3-74.3mpg ((13.9-3.8l/100km).

13.9-3.8l/10 0km). CO CO 2 E Emissions missions 3 325-99g/km.

25-99g/km.

Figure s may va r y depending on dr i v ing st y le a nd conditions .

S Sytner y tner Sheffield Shef field is is a credit credit broker. broker.

O f f er available to busines s user s only. Pr ice show n for a B M W 520 d M Spor t Saloon Auto exclude s VAT at 20 % and is for a 3 6 month C ontract Hire agreement, w ith a contract mileage of 3 0,0 0 0 mile s and an exce s s mileage cha rge of 13 .53 pence per mile. Pr ice show n for a B M W 420 d M Spor t G ra n C oupé exclude s VAT at 20 % and is for a 3 6 month C ontract Hire agreement, w ith a contract mileage of 3 0,0 0 0 mile s and an exce s s mileage charge of 13 . 89 pence per mile. Pr ice show n for a B M W 320 d Spor t Saloon exclude s VAT at 20 % and is for a 3 6 month C ontract Hire agreement, w ith a contract mileage of 3 0,0 0 0 mile s and an exce s s mileage charge of 11. 24 pence per mile. A pplie s to new vehicle s ordered bet ween 1 Ja nuar y and 31 March 2015 and registered by 3 0 June 2015 (subject to availa bilit y). At the end of your agreement you must retur n the vehicle and vehicle condition, exce s s mileage and other charge s may be paya ble. Availa ble subject to status to UK re sidents aged 18 or over. G uarantee s and indemnitie s may be required. The amount of VAT you c an reclaim depends on your busine s s VAT status . Ter ms and conditions appl y. O f fer may be va r ied, w ithdraw n or ex tended at a ny time. Hire prov ided by B M W G roup C or porate Finance. B M W G roup C or porate Finance is a trading st y le of A lpha bet (G B) Limited, Europa House, B a r tley Way, Hook , Hampshire RG27 9 U F.

021 NSide Mar15 18/02/2015 09:38 Page 1

k c a b s i at l f The

SATURDAY 28 MARCH #THEFLATTISBACK

www.doncaster-racecourse.co.uk 01302 304200 | info@doncaster-racecourse.co.uk Terms & conditions apply. For full terms and conditions, race times and details of the event please visit our website. Booking restrictions and fees may apply.

Doncaster Racecourse encourages responsible gambling. www.gambleaware.co.uk. Please drink responsibly. www.drinkaware.co.uk

047 FFB Mar15_Layout 1 27/02/2015 14:34 Page 1

First For Business

HOW TO...

MARCH 2015

www.ffb-online.co.uk

HOW TO...

TAKE ON AN APPRENTICE DALE ROBINSON, HEAD OF SALES AND MARKETING AT THE SOURCE SKILLS ACADEMY, ANSWERS SOME OF THE KEY QUESTIONS EMPLOYERS MAY HAVE ABOUT TAKING ON AN APPRENTICE. Do I have to pay an apprentice?

Yes. An apprentice must be paid a minimum of ÂŁ2.73 per hour for those aged 16 to 18 and those aged 19 or over who are in their first year. More information can be found at gov.uk. All other apprentices are entitled to the National Minimum Wage for their age; however we do encourage employers to consider increasing this.

How many hours can apprentices work?

Apprentices would normally be employed for a minimum of 30 hours per week; however there may be exceptions under certain conditions. This can include time spent in training with a college or training provider, or for the time whilst at work undergoing training in the work place. There are some special protections in places for learners under 18. For example, young workers must not exceed an eight-hour day or 40 hour week. They are also entitled to paid holidays and rest breaks of at least 30 minutes if their shift lasts more than four and a half hours.

What training is available for the apprentice and does the employer pay for this?

There are a wide range of training courses for apprentices. This training

needs to reflect the job role. The age of the apprentice and the course they are following will determine the necessary employer contribution towards the apprenticeship. Please check this with your chosen training provider before committing to offering an apprenticeship.

How long does an apprenticeship last?

An apprenticeship must last a minimum of 12 months but can take longer. The apprenticeship lasts as long as it takes for the apprentice to complete the training and qualifications.

How can I recruit an apprentice?

You can advertise apprenticeship vacancies yourself or you can use the service of a local training provider, such as The Source Skills Academy, which provides a free recruitment service and runs regular recruitment events for local businesses. Employers can attend these events to meet the candidates directly; the next event at The Source is on 13 March. Vacancies are also advertised through the National Apprenticeship Service website.

Is there any financial help when I take on an apprentice?

There is a grant currently available called the AGE Grant which applies when

recruiting a new apprentice aged between 16 to 24; subject to eligibility rules as specified by the Skills Funding Agency. This is available to businesses employing less than 50 employees and ÂŁ1,500 can be claimed for up to five apprentices taken on within a 12-month period. Your training provider will help you with the application. There may be other support in your area, please ask your chosen training provider who can give you further information.

Apprenticeships can be a great way to develop home grown talent. We are seeing more and more bright and enthusiastic people looking for excellent apprenticeship opportunities, in many cases due to the rise in the cost of a university education. The apprenticeship route can offer the same end result as a degree, the difference is the apprentice is earning whilst learning on the job. Most importantly they are developing new skills to help grow your business, giving you the competitive edge!

For more information about apprenticeships from The Source Skills Academy contact Dale Robinson on 0114 263 6654 or email dale.robinson@ thesourceacademy.co.uk

47

048 - 049 FFB Mar15_Layout 1 27/02/2015 14:36 Page 1

First For Business

MARCH 2015

www.ffb-online.co.uk

LASER CUTTING THE WAY TO SUCCESS Creative laser cutting and engraving from Barnsley-based Cutting Technologies has helped a leading interior design firm achieve awards success.

Style Contracts, based in Knutsford, Cheshire, approached Cutting Technologies to support them in transforming Harrogate’s The West Park Hotel. The finished result was so impressive that the project won a coveted Northern Design Award, in the Hotel Interior Design category.

Jane Robinson, director at Cutting Technologies, explained: “This was a challenging but extremely rewarding project to work on, and it’s great to see everyone’s hard work recognised with a Northern Design Award.

“The intricate detail required for the copper oak leaves would have caused us a real headache in the past, as copper has traditionally been a very difficult material to cut. But thanks to investment in a state of the art Fiber laser, cutting non-ferrous materials like copper has become pretty straightforward, and the results on this project speak for themselves.”

GOLD STAR FOR SCHOOL TRENDS It was a golden start to the year for Sheffield-based uniform company School Trends which is are celebrating an Investors in People Gold accreditation.

School Trends supply personalised school uniform and sportswear to 5,000 local and national primary, secondary and academy schools via a direct-to-school or online service and from its new shop at Carley Drive, Westfield.

The employee-owned company employs 134 staff. The Investor in People Gold status is awarded to organisations that have demonstrated world class people management and engagement best practice.

WORK AND PLAY A MONTHLY ROUND-UP OF NEWS, ACHIEVEMENTS, CELEBRATIONS AND NEW FACES

INOX BREAKFAST CLUB’S CHARITABLE START More than 30 local businesses gathered at the first Inox Breakfast Club of 2015 to hear guest speaker Tchad Western, corporate fundraiser for The Children’s Hospital Charity, outline the story of the hospital.

He collected a donation from Inox Dine and Halifax Hall hotel of £1,000 for The Children’s Hospital Charity’s ‘Buy a Room’ campaign.

THE SHEFFIELD COLLEGE APPOINTS NEW PRINCIPAL The Sheffield College has appointed a new Principal, Heather Smith.

The new post covers all the college’s main sites: Hillsborough College, Norton College, Peaks College, Sheffield City College and The Sheffield College of Applied Engineering. Heather has 26 years’ experience within further education and strong connections to Sheffield.

Prior to the new appointment, Heather was Principal of Hillsborough College, Norton College and Peaks College.

She said: “I am honoured to have been appointed to this role, given that my career started here at the college. I firmly believe in the power of further education and its life changing impact on individuals, communities and businesses.

“Our vision is to build on our strengths, maximise new opportunities and ensure the College is strongly positioned for the future to enable more young people, adults and employers to get the skills they need, and which reflect regional economic priorities.”

The free Breakfast Club is an opportunity for small business owners to meet likeminded people over breakfast at Inox, learn from industry experts and exchange knowledge, experience and opportunities.

The Breakfast Club is held on the last Thursday of each month from 7.30-9am. Book now at dine@inoxdine.co.uk, call 0114 222 6043 or register via the Inox Dine website www.inoxdine.co.uk.

48

Heather Smith

048 - 049 FFB Mar15_Layout 1 27/02/2015 14:36 Page 2

WORK AND PLAY

MASTER CUTLER’S CHALLENGE UNDER WAY Military heroes and young people will benefit from the Master Cutler’s Challenge 2015, which was launched by Master Cutler David Grey in the Cutler’s Hall.

He said he had chosen the Brathay Trust, which focuses on the health and well-being of young people, to benefit from this year’s charity challenge and funds will also be raised for Help for Heroes, a charity close to David’s heart as his stepson was wounded in action in Afghanistan.

The Master Cutler will give companies, groups, associations, schools or individuals £50 and encourage them to use their creativity to turn it into as much as possible over six months.

Challenge sponsor OSL Automotive’s managing director Chris Heaton has already pledged to spend his £50 on running shoes which he will wear for a 100-mile run around the Company of Cutlers’ historic boundary.

Sheffield United’s managing director Mal Brannigan has agreed to organise a charity football match at Bramall Lane. Individuals and companies can buy a place on either the Sheffield Wednesday or Sheffield United squad by pledging to raise £1,000.

Mascot places will also be available.

DOGS HAVE THEIR DAY The Lord and Lady Mayoress of Sheffield, Cllr Peter Rippon and Susan Rippon, and The High Sheriff of South Yorkshire John Bramah were among the 200 guests of Sheffield charity ‘Support Dogs’ Graduation Day at Tankersley Manor Hotel. The charity provides specially trained assistance dogs for people affected with epilepsy or disabilities and children with autism.

John Bramah with Irish wolfhound Titch, Support Dogs’ biggest fundraiser

GREG DYKE INVESTS IN A THIRD VENUE

NEW CENTRE TO BOOST BUSINESS

Already the owner of Best Western Plus Mosborough Hall Hotel and Whirlowbrook Hall, Greg Dyke is certainly no stranger to the Sheffield hospitality scene. But, in December last year, he expanded his business once again by snapping up the Cutlers Hotel on George Street.

Entrepreneurs and small businesses are set to benefit from a unique new service to enable people to protect, research and commercialise their ideas.

This most recent move came about after the Cutlers Hotel had got into financial difficulty. “It was in the hands of the administrator and was up for sale,” said Greg. “I’ve got a good management team, good staff and I like Sheffield, so I thought: let’s buy another one.”

Future plans for the venue include a revamp and making it a top city centre hotel. “The exterior design needs sorting, but the glass windows are beautiful. It feels a bit unloved at the minute and we want to make it feel loved.”

The new Business & IP Centre in Sheffield’s Central Library is one of just seven centres across the UK. It is modelled on the successful British Library Business & IP Centre in London and allows entrepreneurs to take advantage of free intellectual property and business information and expertise.

It will provide access to business databases, market research reports, company data, and information on patents, trademarks, designs and copyright. There will be Patent Clinics, monthly meetings of Sheffield’s Inventor’s Group and an innovator in residence, Roger Tipple, to provide one-to-one advice.

AMRC LEADS NEW ALLOYS PROJECT The University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) will lead a new £6 million European-funded project to develop an advanced lightweight alloy for the aerospace industry.

The MMTech project involves manufacturers and research institutions from across Europe, including two small companies from the Sheffield city region’s advanced manufacturing cluster.

The project will develop new ways of working with an advanced material called gamma titanium aluminide, examining new powder production methods and new casting, machining and 3D printing techniques.

The research consortium includes two Rotherham-based SMEs – precision engineer Advanced Manufacturing (Sheffield) Ltd, and technology development specialist Teks Sarl Ltd – as well as industry partners from France, Italy and Spain.

NETWORKING DATE WEST (Women in Engineering, Science and Technology) is organising the Sheffield Tradeswomen Networking Event from 7pm on Friday 20 March upstairs at the Rutland Arms, Brown Street, Sheffield. It will offer the chance to find out about opportunities for going into teaching the trades plus a chance to catch up and socialise with other tradeswomen. Contact Liz on 0745 4400026 or info@westskills.org.uk to RSVP. For more information visit www.westskills.org.uk.

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First For Business

10 THINGS

MARCH 2015

www.ffb-online.co.uk

10 THINGS… THAT KEEP EVENT ORGANISERS COMING BACK TO SHEFFIELD

BY EMMA FRANCE, MARKETING MANAGER, BUSINESS TOURISM AND TRADE AT MARKETING SHEFFIELD

W

orking in partnership with the private sector, Marketing Sheffield drives the city’s reputation and visitor economy by attracting and promoting major events to maximise economic impact.

1

THE LOCATION

Sheffield lies at the heart of the UK, making it quick and easy to access no matter where delegates are traveling from in the UK. You can travel from London in two hours, Edinburgh in threeand-a-half and, with direct rail links to Manchester Airport and St Pancras, even international delegates can be in the city within just a few hours.

OUR AMAZING COUNTRYSIDE 2

With one third of the city situated within the Peak District National Park, Sheffield offers ease of access to some of the most stunning countryside in the UK, a fantastic added bonus for delegates.

3

THE RANGE OF VENUES

With the largest venues in Yorkshire, Sheffield’s portfolio is impressive and suits a wide range of tastes. From hotel-based facilities to some of the most impressive heritage buildings and world-class sporting facilities, we can match most client requests to a quality venue.

4

VALUE FOR MONEY

Trip Advisor’s annual cost comparison revealed Sheffield to be the best value city break in the UK. Sheffield has some of the most competitive hotel rates in the country.

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5

CITY CENTRE LAYOUT

Our city centre is so compact but offers all the advantages of a major UK city. You can walk to more than 2,000 hotel rooms in ten minutes from the train station and all our central venues are clustered together, which is especially ideal for larger scale events and festivals spread across multiple venues. This also cuts down the need for taxis, which is great for everyone’s pocket as well as their carbon footprint.

6

OUR AMBASSADORS

We work alongside individuals who act as Ambassadors for Sheffield to influence their professional body, association or society and recommend the city as an event destination. Our Conference Ambassadors have brought a variety of fantastic events to Sheffield, from specialist medical symposiums to largescale association conventions. People often don’t realise the depth of Sheffield’s specialisms in areas such as medical research or advanced manufacturing, but these areas of expertise breed great content for great events and there is often an Ambassador in this area making this happen.

7

CUSTOMER SERVICE

Sheffield is often noted for its friendliness as a city, but if you add efficient customer care to this then you have a winning combination. In 2013 Sheffield was ranked Number 1 in the UK for Hotel Customer Service according to a nationwide survey.The research analysed post-stay reviews of over 25,700 hotel guests to reveal the best and worst

service with Sheffield coming out on top.The quality of customer service here is consistently something which comes back to us in testimonials.

8

THE VIBRANCY

Sheffield provides a unique vibrant lifestyle for those who live and work here and this is obvious to those who visit.

With Sheffield Theatres’ fantastic work, an exciting music scene, two art house cinemas, award-winning museums and an all-year-round varied event and festival programme, visitors are never short of new experiences when they come here.

9

THE BEER!

Sheffield’s brewing reputation has steadily been gaining international recognition, with the New York Times even mentioning it last year. It’s not uncommon to hear tales of delegates venturing off to enjoy the brewing delights of the city once a hard day’s conferencing is out of the way and it’s why the SIBA (Society of Independent Brewers) are hosting their annual conference and BeerX festival here for the third consecutive year.

10 SHEFFIELD CONVENTION BUREAU 10

Obviously this last one is a bit biased, but the Sheffield Convention Bureau is a great service for Sheffield to have and one we’re really proud of. Essentially, we offer a whole host of free support services to event organisers to ensure their events happen in Sheffield to maximum satisfaction, because satisfied customers are more likely to return – and they do.

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