Stopfords Chesterfield LLP are pleased to announce Jess Godrich has now achieved her level 4 AAT Qualification.

Jess has been studying her AAT Level 4 alongside working at Stopfords since she joined in 2016. Jess started studying her AAT Level 2 at 16, straight after leaving school. It took her a year to complete both her AAT Level 2 and 3, and it took her two years to complete her AAT Level 4.

Jess said:-

‘Seeing the result that I had passed my final exam filled me with pure relief. After having some real issues with my level 4 (for various reasons) and knowing that I only had until the end of December 2017, I was really nervous about not completing it in time or at all. So, when I saw I had done it, I was just so happy and proud of myself.

“I couldn’t wait to tell everyone who I feel helped me complete it; such as my colleagues at my current and previous workplace and my college peers. I will be Jessica Godrich MAAT, and it makes me feel really professional. I can now say I have a full accountancy qualification.

“Anyone who is thinking of becoming an accountant, I would highly recommend the apprenticeship route and studying of AAT. It gives you the knowledge you need but you also have the opportunity to “earn while you learn.”

Businesses are being asked to identify their biggest concerns about recruiting apprentices.

East Midlands Chamber, which employs apprentices and is also a successful apprenticeship provider, is using its Quarterly Economic Survey for the final three months of 2017 to delve deeper into why firms don’t make more of this form of training.

The survey follows recent research by the British Chambers of Commerce which found that many businesses were struggling to understand the Government’s Apprenticeship Levy.

What the researchers at Middlesex University found was that 23% of levy-paying firms had no understanding of how it worked. That figure rose to 66% of non-levy-paying firms.

And 15% of respondents said they didn’t expect to recover any of the added cost while 36% said they expected to recover all of it and possibly more. Almost nine-out-of-ten (86%) of firms said the levy scheme had increased their overall costs.

Commenting on that research, Scott Knowles, Chief Executive at East Midlands Chamber, said:-

“Worryingly, what this research shows is that, at one end of the scale, there are firms paying additional costs for something they don’t understand and don’t ever expect to see a return for and, at the other end, the very firms which should be taking money out of the pot to fund apprenticeships seem to have no idea how it works.

“It seems that since implementing the levy, the Government has simply left firms to work out for themselves what they are supposed to do instead of making sure they fully understand it and how to maximise its potential.

“We have the expertise to help members make the most of the levy and, rather than ignore it, we would urge them to call us so that we can talk them through it.”

To better understand why businesses are not making more of apprenticeships, the Chamber has added four questions to the Q4 QES:

• What are the biggest barriers you face when deciding to take on an apprentice?
• Where would you go to find out more about apprenticeships?
• What one thing could the National Apprenticeship Service do to better engage with your business?
• What do you need more information about?

Chris Hobson, the Chamber’s Director of Policy, said:-

“For a few years, the concept of apprenticeships took on a negative connotation, somehow not as good as a university education, but for a very long time before that they were regarded as the best way to learn a skill and be paid for your training.

“The situation has now gone back to where it should have been all along, which is recognising that apprenticeships help to close the county’s appalling skills gap between what employers need and what is offered by those leaving academia.

“But the delivery method changed at the beginning of this financial year with the introduction of the Levy and it seems that businesses have yet to fully grasp how it works.

“What we want to do is find out where any confusion lies, what the barriers are to recruiting apprentices and, once we have that information, devise a programme to help firms make better use of the whole apprenticeship system.”

Firms don’t have to be Chamber members to take part in the Quarterly Economic Survey.

Stopfords Chesterfield LLP welcome another employee to their ever-growing team as Bryony Miller joins Stopfords as an apprentice accountant.

Bryony said:-

‘‘I have been through university and found it wasn’t for me as I like to be in a work environment. I think the advantages of completing the apprenticeship is having a job and being in the work environment whilst studying.

“I knew I wanted to do an apprenticeship in accounting due to the knowledge and experience I already had. I soon found 3AAA college. After an interview there, and a couple of assessments, I was put in touch with Martin Swain.

“After my interview at Stopfords LLP I waited three days to hear I was successful. I was ecstatic to have been offered the job and be able to start my apprenticeship in accounting.”

Stopfords is an experienced and trusted chartered accountants committed to helping businesses grow and increase in wealth. That’s been the firm’s focus since the practice was first formed. As well as helping the clients grow there is a definite focus on helping their staff grow.

The firm provides a full range of accountancy and taxation services, as well as a comprehensive range of extensive services including payroll, bookkeeping, business planning, software training and much more.

Bryony joins a highly skilled and experienced staff who are dedicated to the success of clients. The team includes qualified accountants, a specialist tax department, corporate finance advisors and a host of other experienced professionals.

Martin Swain, Partner at Stopfords, says:-

“The time was right to expand our team further. With our recent success in hiring Sophie and Josh in admin and marketing I thought it was the perfect time to hire a trainee accountant.

“I was delighted to meet with Bryony and impressed with her previous experience and knowledge. 3AAA were very helpful throughout the process.”

Chesterfield Champions, Addooco, is delighted to announce the latest new recruit to their growing team – apprentice IT technician – Dan Oakley.

Dan joins the business after a successful stint of work experience.

Addooco provides Managed IT, Cloud & Communications solutions to a wide range of progressive businesses. The focus is towards easily scalable systems, securely accessible by authorised users anytime, anywhere. Exceptional customer service is at the heart of the business alongside a strong value proposition. Competitive monthly pricing helps clients keep to a budget whilst future incidental spends are minimised.

Dan said:-

“Joining Addooco at 16 years of age opens up a lot of opportunities for me, I can now look to the future with real positivity.

“I am already gaining loads of experience here, constantly growing my skill set and becoming better by the day. I’m very grateful for being accepted into the Addooco Team and I aim to help the team constantly improve the great service.”

A representative from the management at Addooco said:-

“Dan has already impressed in several areas. He showed patience and commitment before being made a formal offer and really impressed in his interview, which included a strong presentation.

“He has made a good impression since becoming a full time employee, showing maturity, confidence and a genuine interest in learning the ropes.”

Stopfords Chesterfield LLP welcome another employee to their ever-growing team. The new addition is business admin apprentice, Sophie Kelley.  She joins Stopfords after just finishing her final year at school!

Sophie said ‘The advantage of doing this apprenticeship is that it gives me a chance to work towards a qualification and have a job at the same time. It lets me gain skills and knowledge that I’ll need to succeed in the business industry, whilst gaining valuable experience in the workplace.

When I was told that I was successful in getting the apprenticeship at Stopford’s, I was amazed and so happy. I couldn’t wait to start! Everyone here is so lovely and have made me feel comfortable.’

Martin Swain, Partner at Stopfords says ‘Due to the increase of administration workload in the business, we needed to hire another member of staff, and I am pleased to announce that Sophie has filled that position. We chose to hire someone on an apprenticeship as I value supporting young people; and getting them into the workplace to gain the experience required to succeed in such a competitive world. Since Sophie joined the team she has exceeded expectations and has modelled how effective and positive an apprenticeship scheme can be for a business as well as the individual.’

Find out becoming an apprentice in Chesterfield

Too many businesses are struggling to understand the Government’s Apprenticeship Levy, according to research published this morning.

British Chambers of Commerce commissioned Middlesex University to find out whether businesses were making the most of the levy scheme, which was introduced for the start of the current financial year.

The levy is a tax businesses have to pay to fund new apprenticeships. It is set at 0.5% of payroll but an allowance, currently £15,000, means that only firms with payroll exceeding £3m a year have to pay into the fund.

But any firm wanting to recruit an apprentice has to be registered with the scheme, even if not paying into it.

What the researchers found was that 23% of levy-paying firms still had no understanding of it. That figure rose to 66% of non-levy-paying firms. And 15% of respondents said they didn’t expect to recover any of the added cost while 36% said they expected to recover all of it and possibly more.

Almost nine-out-of-ten (86%) of firms said the levy scheme had increased their overall costs.

Jane Gratton, Head of Business Environment and Skills at the British Chambers of Commerce, said: “For many businesses that pay the Apprenticeship Levy, it can feel like an additional employment tax, much of which they are unable to recover, and one that is deflecting training budgets away from other important training needs.

“Firms need greater flexibility on how they can use their levy monies and a system that is fully operational as quickly as possible, is simple and efficient, and that enables them to access good quality training.

“Our survey shows that many firms are still unaware of the Apprenticeship Levy and how it will impact on their business.

“With many companies across the country facing critical skills shortages, more information and support is required to ensure businesses continue to invest in training.”

Scott Knowles, Chief Executive at East Midlands Chamber, which is itself a levy-paying business and an apprenticeships provider, said: “Worryingly, what this research shows is that, at one end of the scale, there are firms paying additional costs for something they don’t understand and don’t ever expect to see a return for and, at the other end, the very firms which should be taking money out of the pot to fund apprenticeships seem to have no idea how it works.

“It seems that since implementing the levy, the Government has simply left firms to work out for themselves what they are supposed to do instead of making sure they fully understand it and how to maximise its potential.

“We have the expertise to help members make the most of the levy and, rather than ignore it, we would urge them to call us so that we can talk them through it.”

Major local employer Tarmac is marking its long-standing partnership with Chesterfield College by celebrating more award-winning talent at the company, through the success of 20-year-old Apprentice Molly Bardwell, who has just been chosen as the College’s ‘Student of the Year’.

Molly’s ‘determination to succeed in her academic and practical studies’ and ‘outstanding work ethic’ has set her apart from her student colleagues.  She was one of 25 nominees from the College’s 10,000 students. This was whittled down to a shortlist of three, before she was announced as the winner.

Eyam-based Molly was awarded an electrical apprenticeship with Tarmac in the summer of 2016 and has spent her first year in full-time study at the College.  This summer she continues her apprenticeship at the company’s Tunstead site, where she will gain experience across all three of the operations there – cement, lime and quarrying. When she finishes her four years with Tarmac, she will gain a HND in electrical engineering.

Molly was prompted to look at an engineering apprenticeship by her experience of her family’s Sheffield component business; and by a fellow student at the college who was already on the Tarmac apprenticeship scheme. She said:-

“I was delighted to receive this Award and I am already enjoying being part of the Tarmac team.

Reg Gartside, Engineering Services Manager at Tarmac, said:-

“We were really pleased when Molly accepted our offer of an apprenticeship last year.

“And we congratulate her on this huge recognition for her work and achievements so far.

“With only nine per cent of the UK engineering workforce female, and an international campaign to encourage more girls and women to look at Science Technology Engineering and Maths as career subjects, it’s important that Tarmac plays its part.”

As part of its continued efforts to recruit young people into the industry, Tarmac has recently become a member of the 5% Club. The 5% Club is a group of leading businesses with a programme to target 16-24 year olds, striving to achieve 5% of their workforce consisting of apprentices, sponsored students and/or graduates on formalised training schemes within five years.

Abigail Finney has just come to the end of her four year-apprenticeship at Tarmac Tunstead, having gained a range of qualifications including a HNC Level 4/5 in Mechanical Engineering.  Now that Abby is celebrating securing a permanent role at the Cement Plant, it is fitting that she now ‘passes on the apprenticeship baton’ to Molly as she too was a Chesterfield College award-winner.  In 2013/14 Abby won the Apprentice of the Year Award and was also a shortlisted finalist for Student of the Year. She said:-

“My apprenticeship with Tarmac has given me a wide range of challenges and responsibilities.  As I move on to my new permanent role as a cement plant fitter, it’s great to welcome Molly on board.  I am sure she will get as much out of her time here as I have so far.”

Julie Richards, Principal and Chief Executive of The Chesterfield College Group, said:-

“Molly and Abby’s achievements are fantastic examples of how an apprenticeship can provide a great start to a career in engineering as well as a signal to other would-be female engineers to follow their dreams. Tarmac works really hard to ensure they are developing the skills of the next generation of engineers and welcome women into the industry. We are very proud that our long-standing relationship with the company has allowed many young people to develop the appropriate skills to become valued members of their organisation.”

Thousands of young people visited the first day of Derbyshire Skills Festival − the county’s largest careers event.

Derbyshire County Council, who organise this event with Derby City Council and is aimed at students aged 15 to 19, including those in Year 11 who are considering their options after school.

The first of this year’s 3 events was held at Queen’s Park Sports Centre in Chesterfield on Thursday 14 September with employers, colleges, training providers and voluntary organisations offering free support and guidance.

Young people also got the chance to take part in have-a-go sessions including engineering, media and health and social care.

This week Derbyshire Skills Festival moves on to The Roundhouse, Derby College, Derby on Wednesday 20 and Thursday 21 September.

Councillor Alex Dale, Cabinet Member for Young People at Derbyshire County Council, said:-

“We’re delighted with this year’s turnout to the Derbyshire Skills Festival in Chesterfield − it was fantastic to see so many enthusiastic young people exploring all of their career options.

“We received lots of positive feedback from students on how useful they found the event and the fun-packed ‘have-a-go’ sessions were very popular too.

“The festival moves to Derby this week so if anyone missed the Chesterfield event they can come long to the Roundhouse, Derby College on either Wednesday or Thursday and I am very much looking forward to meeting some of the students there.

“I’d like to thank everyone involved for making the event such a success.”

There will also be sessions for young people with special educational needs and disabilities and young people who aren’t in education, employment or training will also be invited.

In the wake of Chesterfield being named as the UKs first official ‘Apprentice Town’ in April, the UK Asbestos Training Association (UKATA) is supporting the initiative by seeking to recruit two Business Administration Apprentices to work at its Markham Vale headquarters.

With 4,000 jobs set to be created in and around Chesterfield in the next four years, the Apprentice Town scheme is key to attracting more employers to invest in the town, by ensuring the availability of a highly skilled workforce – something UKATA is keen to support and benefit from over the coming years.

Craig Evans, General Manager at UKATA, said:-

“With headquarters at Markham Vale, UKATA has a strong commitment to Chesterfield and we are proud to be part of the Apprentice Town initiative.

“Access to a skilled workforce is essential for business and we are looking forward to welcoming the first of what we hope will be just the first of many apprentices to walk through our doors. Working for UKATA is a fantastic opportunity for someone to develop key skills with a major national association with global links.”

With a closing date of 22 September, a full summary of the apprenticeship, including the salary, job description and qualifications and personal qualities necessary for the successful candidate can be found here.

Support for the Apprentice Town scheme complements UKATAs role with the Chesterfield Champions, a thriving network of 170 local organisations committed to raising the profile of the town and highlighting the advantages the region offers business. Manufacturing employment in Chesterfield is still above the national average and this latest scheme promises to deliver another welcome boost to the local economy.