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Junction Arts intern progresses into apprentice role

Chesterfield-based community organisation Junction Arts is continuing it’s growth, by promoting intern Martha Bramwell into a full-time Projects Apprentice role.

Martha is now aiming to become a full-time projects assistant with Junction Arts, following the completion of her apprenticeship.

Originally starting with Junction Arts back in December 2020, Martha was looking to gain hands on experience within community arts to support her Foundation Art Course at Chesterfield College.

However, Hannah Bowdler, Relationship Fundraiser at Junction Arts explained how much of an impact the young intern made since joining the organisation: “Martha has made a huge impact on the charity. During her time with us, she has worked with each of our team members getting a wider understanding of the running of a community arts charity. With each person, she has shared her enthusiasm and energy making Junction Arts a truly positive place to work.

“Her direct impact on the charity includes, redesigning our new office layout in West Studios, after we downsized. It is now a welcoming and practical workspace for us to use as a hub for all our projects and activities.

“Project wise, Martha has been a vital deputy during projects including the Chesterfield Lantern Parade. Supporting a project coordinator to run a busy and complicated celebration event whilst learning what’s needed to make a large scale project successful.”

Hannah added that she was delighted to see the continued growth of the charity: “It’s a very exciting time for the charity, whilst in our 45th year Martha has enabled Junctions Arts to take the next steps to increase our capacity. Through her supportive role within the charity and with this soon to increase, the types of projects and number of communities we can work with and support has really increased in the years leading out of the pandemic.”

Martha expressed her delight at being taken on in a permanent capacity: “I am absolutely ecstatic to be offered a permanent role with Junction Arts. I can honestly say receiving the Job offer from our Managing Director, Paul, was one of the happiest moments in my life. As I feel I have worked really hard and this area is something I am really passionate about and I’m so excited for my future with Junction arts.

“Every day I’m surrounded by a supportive team who have individually worked with me trying to give me the best experience possible over the last 15 months.

“I love having roles in events and being with local communities. In December, I played a part in creating Chesterfield’s first lantern parade. I had an overwhelming sense of pride seeing all the lanterns made by school children and members of the community walk together from Queen’s Park into the town centre and will treasure this memory forever. After a difficult couple of years, I’ve never seen so many smiling faces in one place. At 19 years old, I feel so grateful that my days are filled with creativity, exciting projects and great people.

“I love the community we have here in Chesterfield and I think that’s what makes chesterfield such a great place to live, work and enjoy! I am very excited to see Chesterfield in the future and how it will develop into a town with creativity in every corner and street.”

Hannah added that the charity is now looking to further support young talent in the region by taking on a new intern: “Within the next month, we will start the process for advertising for a 1 year Internship from July 2022. It is currently an unpaid role of up to 15 hours a week, depending on the applicates availability. Applicants are to be 18yrs +.

“The Intern is positioned at the centre of the charity, with opportunities to work with all the team, support on projects and events, access to training and involved in the planning of projects. This is an entry level role into the creative/community arts/charity sector.

“We are actively looking for funding to make this a 2 day paid for position, as an investment into young people and new careers within the area.

“As a busy charity, we are always looking for volunteers on our events and projects to help them run smoothly and have a positive impact on those to attend. More details of volunteering with Junction Arts can be found here: https://junctionarts.org/volunteer/”

Junction Arts supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 200 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

Junction Arts at the Tapton Lock Festival

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New ‘bubble tea’ shop open in Chesterfield

A new shop specialising in popular ‘bubble tea’ drinks has opened on Cavendish Street in Chesterfield Town Centre.

Boba Shack offers a huge range of ‘pick & mix’ bubble tea drinks options as well as a pre-mix menu for those that are unsure of what to order.

The beverage, which has become popular in recent years orginated in Taiwan. It is an iced fruit or milk tea drink which traditionally includes soft and chewy tapioca pearls. It has evolved over the years and now includes the addition of popping bubbles and various other fillings and toppings.

Boba Shack owner, Philip Price explained why the drink has rose to prominence: “It is essentially popular because it fills a gap in the market in terms of dink options. Consider someone wants a drink, either for refreshment or flavour. The options before bubble tea were essentially a canned or bottled drink from a shop or a cup of tea, coffee, or chocolate from a café. Bubble tea sits in the middle of these. Much more flavoursome and exciting than a can of pop and much more tuned to the younger market than a hot cup of coffee.”

Philip also explained how the idea to open the shop came about: “Myself and my business partner Steve Smith were looking for something new to do in Chesterfield afer a few years of virus affected businesses. I realised that over the past two years my daughter has been persuading me and her sister to drive her all the way to Meadowhall and back just to buy a bubble tea. It struck me that if something is so much of a draw then it must be something worth investigating.

“After a short period of research and analysis we decided that Chesterfield should be able to support its own bubble tea shop, even with a much smaller population than Sheffield. So we made the decision to open. Signed the lease for an empty shop on the 4th Feb and opened 15 days later on the 19th. There were a few very long days to make that happen.”

Both Philip and Steve are excited to be bringing another unique offer into Chesterfield Town Centre: “The response and feedback has been amazing. We’ve enjoyed queues outside the shop on numerous occasions in just our first few weeks of opening, and we’ve even been told that we are becoming a reason that people are visiting the town centre. A real destination of sorts for local people, which we feel is a great thing for the town centre and will help other businesses and traders.”

“I think we are seeing a small turn in attitude as new and exciting things start to appear on the town centre. We hope we can play our small part in revitalising the town centre. We are not a franchise or big brand. Just a couple of old blokes who live in Chesterfield and have a real passion to make it an exiting and vibrant town. We’ve invested a lot of time, effort and money into getting up and running, but hopefully, the wonderful people of Chesterfield will appreciate not having to travel for their Bubble Tea anymore.”

To find out more about the range of shops, bars, restaurants and visitor attractions in Chesterfield, go to: https://www.chesterfield.co.uk/visiting/

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Chesterfield chef featured on BBC’s Great British Menu

A Chesterfield chef has been wowing audiences on national television this week, serving up a number of signature dishes on the BBC’s Great British Menu.

The popular cookery show sees some of the UK’s top chefs battle it out to create a dish for the final banquet in the series finale.

Mark Aisthorpe, head chef and owner of The Bulls Head in Holymoorside, Chesterfield explained how he felt about being selected for the show: “I was so excited and terrified all at once, but totally honoured to be asked to be one of the chefs .

“It was a bit like a dream come true. I suppose every chef wants to showcase their work and WOW what a platform.”

While being showcased on a national platform, Mark added that he was excited to showcase some of the amazing produce North Derbyshire has to offer.

He said: “Our location in my opinion is one of the best in the country.  We have such amazing local suppliers and a variety of independent farmers just on our doorstep. Highfield Farm’s amazing Derbyshire Lamb, farmed just minutes from the restaurant.

“Foraging in the local woods which are rich in ingredients all make our food at The Bulls Head what it is today and gives me inspiration for my menus.”

Mark described competing amongst the nation’s best chefs was both ‘fun and stressful,’ adding: “Competing anywhere is hard but in a different kitchen, you don’t know and against amazingly talented Chefs is even harder.”

With recruitment proving a challenge in hospitality at the moment, Mark had encouraging words for those considering a career in the industry: “It’s hard work, long hours but I feel it one of the most rewarding jobs.  Taking one thing and making it into something that is enjoyed by people is such a good feeling.  The satisfaction you get from positive comments and reviews is amazing.”

In terms of future potential TV appearances, Mark added that he would be open to further opportunites to showcase the pub’s locally sourced produce: “My aim is to continue making The Bulls Head as good as it can be. I would love to get recognition what we are doing there.  The Bulls Head is my main priority but never say never to further opportunities.”

Chesterfield boasts award winning restaurants that are attracting national media recognition, and independent coffee shops and pubs with a belief in local produce. Find out more about dining out in Chesterfield at: https://www.chesterfield.co.uk/visiting/eating-out/

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Derbyshire’s investment strategy named one of best in Europe by FT

Derbyshire’s strategy for attracting overseas investment to the county has been named as one of the best in Europe in rankings compiled by the Financial Times.

Part of Marketing Derby’s Invest in Derbyshire service involves attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) to the county.

And in the prestigious Financial Times’ fDi European Cities and Regions of the Future 2022/23 rankings, Derbyshire has been placed fifth within the top 10 Small Regions for FDI Strategy category, which recognises the regions who have devised the strongest strategy for attracting investment.

Derbyshire is ranked alongside other regions in countries across Europe, including Ireland, Switzerland, Finland, Croatia, Spain, Norway, Austria and Serbia – and is the only UK region to feature in the top 10.

John Forkin, managing director of Marketing Derby, said: “This is really good news as we have put a lot of effort into developing the successful Marketing Derby inward investment service into the county.

“We have worked very closely with our partners at Derbyshire County Council, Derbyshire Economic Partnership and Destination Chesterfield in doing this.”

Derby and Derbyshire also enjoyed success in a category which recognised the efforts of Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs).

The D2N2 LEP (Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire) was ranked seventh in the Connectivity category.

fDi Intelligence is a service from the Financial Times and is the largest Foreign Direct Investment centre of excellence globally.

The rankings are one of the industry’s most prominent benchmarks of FDI competitiveness.

For this year’s rankings, fDi’s research team assessed 356 European cities and 148 European regions.

Both awards will be presented at a ceremony to be held at MIPIM, the global property fair that is set to take place in Cannes, in the south of France, next week.

The success comes hot on the heels of the launch of a new Derbyshire Investment Prospectus, showcasing 23 projects that will help lead the county’s regeneration.

Mr Forkin said: “The investment prospectus lists over £1 billion of opportunities across Derbyshire.

“This complements our new Invest in Derbyshire website and promotional films, which have just been released.”

A number of developments are currently underway in Chesterfield, providing a range of fresh investment opportunities across the town. They include Chesterfield Waterside, Northern Gateway, Elder Way, Staveley Regeneration Corridor, Markham Vale and much more.

For a full overview of the developments taking place across Chesterfield, go to https://www.chesterfield.co.uk/developments/

Find out more about why Chesterfield is an ideal place to locate your business, go to: https://www.chesterfield.co.uk/business/invest-in-chesterfield/

To read a digital version of the new Derbyshire Investment Prospectus please click here.

 

Northern Gateway Enterprise Centre

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Support for Chesterfield residents looking for work and learning opportunities

Local people are being encouraged to access support and advice from Derbyshire Careers Service as part of National Careers Week, taking place from today (Monday, 7th March 2022)

The team from Derbyshire County Council is encouraging residents to attend a drop-in session or register their interest in attending an online workshop.

There are weekly drop-in sessions with highly qualified local career coaches across the county and regular online workshops to support with interview skills, CV and searching for jobs, as well as specific support for over 50’s.

The sessions are free and open to anyone over the age of 19 and 18-year-olds who are not currently in education, employment, or training. Support is available year-round for anyone unable to attend during National Careers Week.

Derbyshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Education, Councillor Alex Dale, said: “Ensuring local people have access to the support and advice they need to be successful in the workplace is really important to the Council.

“The Derbyshire Careers Service is a great resource for residents looking for advice on changing their career, preparing for interviews, or searching for jobs.

“I would encourage people to attend one of the workshops or drop-in sessions during National Careers Week or to reach out to the team if you need support in the future.”

For more information on virtual workshops, please visit – Careers workshops – Derbyshire County Council and for information on regular drop-in sessions and details about local career coaches visit – Careers service – Derbyshire County Council.

Chesterfield is the first town in the UK to declare itself an Apprentice Town – demonstrating its commitment to growing the future and careers of young people alongside business and the economy by retaining and developing young talent in the town in order to attract more employers to invest here.

Businesses throughout North Derbyshire employ a large number of apprentices and there are currently hundreds of vacancies available in and around Chesterfield. Find out more: https://www.chesterfield.co.uk/apprenticeships/become-an-apprentice-in-chesterfield/

ApprenticeTown

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Plans to boost town centre to be put under the spotlight at Celebrate Chesterfield

After securing nearly £20m of Levelling Up funding, plans to boost the town centre and enhance its cultural offering are set to be unveiled at the annual Celebrate Chesterfield event on Wednesday 23 March.

At the event, Chesterfield Borough Council will unveil its plans for the modernisation and further development of the town centre as part of its journey to become a go-to destination for residents, retailers, and visitors.

A new Inward Investment Campaign for Chesterfield, focused on attracting further investment to the town, will also be launched at the event.

Now in its twelfth year Celebrate Chesterfield, which is organised by Destination Chesterfield in association with The University of Derby and sponsored by CT and Markham Vale, is one of the most hotly anticipated business events in the area attracting around 250 delegates.

This year, the event will also host the Derbyshire Festival of Business Exhibition, designed to showcase Derbyshire’s extensive business offer and capabilities.

Fully booked every year, businesses are being urged to book their tickets now to the free in-person event which is being held at the Winding Wheel from 7.30am – 11.00am.

Speakers at the event include Dr Huw Bowen, Chief Executive of Chesterfield Borough Council and Professor Warren Manning, Provost Innovation and Research at the University of Derby

In addition to plans for the town centre, the conference speakers will also address progress on the town’s multi-million pound commercial and residential developments, office space and the Digital High Street programme.

Last year the popular Celebrate Chesterfield event was held online. Peter Swallow, Chair of Destination Chesterfield commented: “Chesterfield’s business community demonstrated resilience through the pandemic and continued to make significant progress in all areas. I am pleased we can finally come together in person and celebrate all that we have achieved in such testing times. It’s also important we look to the future and capitalise on the progress we have made to ensure the town remains a place where people want to live, work and invest.”

Dr Peter Dewhurst, Director, Strategic Projects at the University of Derby said: “The University is once again proud to be the headline sponsor of the Celebrate Chesterfield event, which we see as presenting an excellent opportunity to bring together and showcase the talent that is helping Chesterfield recover from the challenges of recent times. What’s more, this year’s event is being promoted as part of the inaugural Derbyshire Festival of Business that is being used to elevate our fabulous county as a great place to launch and grow a successful business.”

Ian Snow, Managing Director of CT said: “CT is delighted to sponsor this event and continue our support to promote Chesterfield as a great business destination. We are proud that our roots are in Chesterfield. The fantastic central location, together with the investment into Chesterfield to build a town people want to both live and work in, is supporting the growth of our business to offer a nationwide IT service. We are lucky to be in good company, surrounded by exceptional businesses from the legal, manufacturing and engineering sectors and we look forward to meeting everyone at this great event later this month.”

Anthony Clitheroe, Director at HBD which is jointly developing Markham Vale in partnership with Derbyshire County Council, said: “Markham Vale is at the heart of the business community, so we’re pleased to be able to support Celebrate Chesterfield and the launch of the Derbyshire Festival of Business – there’s no better advert for Derbyshire as a place to do business than the ambitious, growing companies based at Markham Vale. Benefiting from excellent connectivity and a great local skills base, they continue to create new jobs and attract investment into the region.”

Markham Vale

Councillor Tricia Gilby, leader of Chesterfield Borough Council, added: “Celebrate Chesterfield is a fantastic opportunity for our business community to come together to hear and discuss the significant investments that the council and its partners are making across our town and borough. We need a strong business community to maximise the opportunities created by these investments and to contribute to our aims of making Chesterfield a thriving borough and improving the quality of life for local people.”

For more information on the FREE event and to book a delegate place at Celebrate Chesterfield 2022, please visit here: www.chesterfield.co.uk/celebrate

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Entire FM to support people affected by conflict in Ukraine

An urgent mission to get supplies and aid to those who have been affected by the current conflict in Ukraine is being organised by Chesterfield’s Entire Facilities Management.

The business has quickly organised a team which will be loading up a handful of vans with essential supplies and heading to the Poland-Ukraine border. The aid will be distributed to those in need from there.

Entire FM says it is now looking for both physical and financial donations to support their efforts.

If anyone would like to offer physical donations, these items can be dropped off at the Entire FM Chesterfield Warehouse (Unit 2 Old Brick Works Lane S41 7JD).

The team is appealing for items such as, but not limited to the following:

  • Warm hats and gloves or similar outwear
  • Sanitary products for both men and women
  • Baby related items such and milk powder, nappies, wipes, bottles
  • Sleeping bags, air beds, blankets
  • Pet food

Peter Currey, Chief Executive Officer at Entire FM commented: “The idea came about from a conversation with a friend over at Orca Cleaning. We’re sitting here watching the media coverage and talking about how terrible it is but we both agreed that more could be done to support those people who have been pushed out of their homes and who have had to head to the Polish border.

“It was therefore a very quick decision to utilise the resources we have at hand and to try and make a small difference.”

Entire Facilities Management supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 200 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

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“There has never been more opportunity for young people to build a career in hospitality in Chesterfield.”

Destination Chesterfield Chair, Peter Swallow has given his thoughts about exciting developments taking place across Chesterfield as we enter March.

Spring is in the air. I for one cannot wait for the longer, warmer days and, rather than staying indoors. I, like many of you, am starting to think about venturing out again in the evening.

Whilst some of us may have been hibernating during the winter months, it is pleasing to see that the hospitality sector in Chesterfield has not been. Despite the challenges that the pandemic has thrown at it, new bars and restaurants have opened in the last six months, and more are opening soon.

Most recently Vicar Lane Shopping Centre welcomed Pizza Pi and before that Albert’s Jüngerer Bruder opened in Rykneld Square in November last year. The town centre will also shortly welcome The Dirty Habit on Holywell Street, taking over the unit that once was the Rising Sun. This new bar will also have outdoor space.

The pandemic has helped us all appreciate the outdoors, and it is great to see more businesses using their outdoor space to draw people to their venue. It benefits not only their business but also the high streets and town centre too.

With the transformation of the former Co-op on Elder Way into units for bars and restaurants, which also has fantastic outdoor dining space, it is fair to say that Chesterfield town centre’s night-time economy is set to get livelier in 2022.

As well as boosting Chesterfield’s night-time economy, giving local people and visitors more choice, these businesses are also creating jobs and opportunity. Albert’s Jüngerer Bruder has created 20 jobs alone.

Outside the town centre, Chesterfield’s hospitality scene is thriving. The Batch House at The Glass Yard is shortly to open and will offer everything from Indian street food to craft beer. While Chesterfield’s four-star hotel, Peak Edge, has recently been awarded the best wedding venue in Derbyshire.

With more than 16,000 students in North Derbyshire set to gain their GCSE and A level qualifications in the next five years, there has never been more opportunity for young people to build a career in hospitality in Chesterfield.

It is not just the hospitality sector which offers opportunity to young people.  At the recent Chesterfield and North Derbyshire Skills and Employability Conference it was revealed that that green and digital skills are most in demand from employers. This highlights the need for businesses and education and training providers to work together to ensure that young people are equipped with the skills needed to get good jobs.

Looking to the immediate digital skills needed to support the local economy, however, the Chesterfield Digital High Street campaign has been instrumental in enabling retail, hospitality and leisure businesses across the town to get online and trade digitally alongside their high street presence.

Ensuring young people know about the opportunities available to them now and in the future cannot just be the responsibility of businesses and skills and education providers. The proverb ‘it takes a village to raise a child’ comes to mind. It highlights the importance of community and what we can all do to support young people leaving education this year and beyond.

From offering work experience to simply telling young people about your job, we can all help them take their first step onto the career ladder and build their future right here in Chesterfield, ensuring the local economy thrives now and for future generations.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Apprentice Town, Blog, Business, Celebrate Chesterfield, Destination Chesterfield, Development, Featured, Leisure, Love Chesterfield, Made in Chesterfield, Property and Construction, Uncategorised, VisitingTagged in , , , , , , , ,

Plans approved for Stephenson Memorial Hall

Ambitious plans to refurbish Chesterfield’s historic Stephenson Memorial Hall, which houses the museum and the Pomegranate Theatre have been approved by Chesterfield Borough Council’s planning committee.

This approval means that Chesterfield Museum is now closed to begin the complex process of moving the historic collection into safe storage.

The refurbishment of Stephenson Memorial Hall is projected to cost around £17 million with £11 million of funding being secured via the Government’s Levelling Up Fund. Chesterfield Borough Council has received almost £20 million through this Government fund, the other £8 million will be used to support and enhance the Revitalising the Heart of Chesterfield Project.

Together this funding will help ensure that Chesterfield is a vibrant market town by improving connections across the town centre and enhancing the visitor economy.

Under the plans the refurbished Stephenson Memorial Hall will bring together an extended Pomegranate Theatre, a reconfigured and modern museum, alongside new gallery space, a café bar, education and community facilities.

The work will also protect the Grade II listed building and ensure that it remains part of the borough’s heritage for many more generations to come.

Creating a more accessible experience is another key aim of the proposals. The plans include three new lifts which will significantly improve the accessibility of the building for visitors, artists, and employees.

Also included in the plans are improvements to lighting, heating, and ventilation.

Revolution House, which tells the story of the Revolution of 1688, will reopen on Friday 15 April. The free museum will then be open every Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday from 11am to 4pm until Sunday 18 September.

Chesterfield Museum will also be launching Museum on the Move later this year, this will see some of the popular interactive events hosted in alternative venues around the borough. More details on these events will be released soon.

Whilst the Museum collection is moved the Pomegranate Theatre will continue to operate as normal and tickets can be booked by calling the box office on 01246 345 222 or by visiting the Chesterfield Theatres website.

More detail on the ambitious plans will be outlined by Chesterfield Borough Council’s Director of Economic Growth, Neil Johnson at Celebrate Chesterfield 2022 taking place on Wednesday, 23rd March.

To find out more about the event and book your place, go to: https://www.chesterfield.co.uk/celebrate/

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Staveley Town Deal project aims to build skills for the future

A project that ensures Staveley residents can develop the skills they need to have great careers and bright futures has been given the green light.

The Construction Skills Hub will provide a practical platform for construction training, careers activity and work experience on a live construction site in Mastin Moor. Over ten years, it aims to provide training, careers insights, and work experience for over 5,000 learners.

The Skills Hub is one of the eleven projects that will be funded by the £25.2m Staveley Town Deal. Following formal Government sign-off, work to secure a training provider and develop the site can begin.

Councillor Tricia Gilby, leader of Chesterfield Borough Council, said: “This is a fantastic project for Staveley as it will help residents to access the training they need to secure good quality jobs. It serves as a great example of what we hope to achieve through the Staveley Town Deal – the creation of new opportunities, open to all. We can now start to work towards delivering this project and encouraging people to register their interest.”

Initially the Skills Hub will provide training in site and bench joinery, brickwork, ground works and electrical installation but in time the offer will expand to include training in retrofit and green technologies. It will be open to school leavers and other residents seeking to train or retrain.

There will also be a careers insight programme, which will be developed in collaboration with local schools, and opportunities for work experience to help young people make informed decisions about their futures.

The project has received support from local construction companies.

Ivan Fomin, Chair of the Staveley Town Deal Board, said: “Establishing the right connections between construction companies, training providers and local people from the outset will be key to the success of this project. It is critical that the training provided meets the needs of the sector. We want Staveley to be a place where everyone has the opportunity to succeed – to start, to stay and to grow.”

A site has already been identified for the Construction Skills Hub in collaboration with the Devonshire Group who will be bringing forward a new housing development in Mastin Moor from the Autumn. This will allow trainees to develop their skills on a live housing site whilst in time there will also be opportunities to gain experience on other Staveley Town Deal construction projects.

A training provider will shortly be appointed to deliver the skills packages and operate the Hub. The provider will help influence how the Hub is developed to ensure that the space and facilities are optimised to meet the needs of learners and the sector.

The first cohort of learners will be engaged from September 2022 with the training compound expected to be fully operational from September 2023.

Staveley is set to benefit from £25.2 million of investment through the Town Deal. This investment will support eleven different projects across the town and provide a once in a lifetime opportunity to help shape the future by improving transport links, creating new housing, providing skills for local people, enhancing community facilities, and regenerating the town centre.

Find out more about Staveley Town Deal on the council’s website: www.chesterfield.gov.uk/staveley-town-deal

 

Meet the buyer

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New mentoring programme to support young people across North Derbyshire

The D2N2 Careers Hub, Led by the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership and funded by the Careers & Enterprise Company, are expanding an innovative mentoring programme to support more young people across North Derbyshire, in partnership with The Work-Wise Foundation.

The launch follows a successful pilot in 2021, initiated by leaders from Chesterfield’s Property and Construction Forum, in partnership with Chesterfield Borough Council and D2N2 Careers Hub.

The Future Makers, Creators, Designers and Builders Mentoring Programme is designed to support people who may be interested in exploring or pursuing careers working in the built environment. This might include designers, architects, surveyors, structural engineers, builders, and construction workers.

The pilot, which ran from March 2021 to January 2022 and was led by The Work-wise Foundation, saw female students from local Careers Hub schools and colleges; St. Mary’s Catholic High School, Chesterfield College, Whittington Green School, Springwell Community College and Brookfield Community School partnered with mentors from Whittam Cox Architects, Woodhead Group and Chesterfield Borough Council.

As part of this, students took part in construction themed activity days at CBE+ in Chesterfield and had regular meetings with their mentors to introduce them to the world of work and enthuse them about a career in the industry. In January, The Work-wise Foundation visited the students in their schools/colleges with D2N2 Careers Hub and their mentors to award them with certificates to celebrate their achievements.

Hannah Higley, Hub Coordinator for the Derbyshire North Careers Hub at D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership said, “It has been fantastic to see this programme develop over the last year. D2N2 Careers Hub and our local steering group are proud to fund the expansion of this successful model, in partnership with the Careers & Enterprise Company cornerstone employers in D2N2, to support more young people in exploring what their next best step might be”

Cllr Amanda Serjeant, Deputy Leader of Chesterfield Borough Council said, “I am really pleased to see the continuation of this project.  Improving the skills and work readiness of people in Chesterfield is our top priority because it will help ensure our ambition to create a thriving borough.

This programme is a great example of how partnership working can strengthen the links between education and business and help ensure that more school leavers are developing the skills they need to enter the workplace.  I am especially excited to see programmes that inspire with young women in sectors where they are underrepresented is key to ensuring success.

Women currently make up around 14% of professional roles within the construction industry, a number which we hope is set to rise with more and more women choosing construction jobs as a result of programmes like this.”

Following the success and positive feedback received from the schools/colleges, businesses and young people involved, the programme is launching to schools across the North Derbyshire region this month.

The programme will seek 15 mentees who may be interested in exploring or pursuing careers working in the built environment and partner them up with role models from industry who will work with them to build confidence, knowledge, and career prospects.

Over a 6-month period, mentors will receive relevant training which will help them work with their mentee on a bespoke project relevant to their mentors business and/or industry. The programme will finish with a showcase event on 8th July where students will present their projects and celebrate their achievements.

A launch event is scheduled to take place on Friday 18th March 2022 at Chesterfield College and any individuals interested in becoming mentors, or schools interested in their students’ becoming mentees, should contact The Work-wise Foundation at info@work-wise.co.uk or call Alex Gardner on 07726 362067.

To get in touch with D2N2 Careers Hub, contact hubs@d2n2lep.org

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