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Promising response to Green Entrepreneurs Scheme from Derbyshire businesses

More than 130 people from businesses and community groups across Derbyshire joined the virtual launch of Derbyshire County Council’s Green Entrepreneurs Fund – a £2 million grant fund for organisations interested in developing and investing in green energy and carbon reduction schemes.

Businesses and organisations heard details about how they can apply for funding through the scheme being run in partnership with the University of Derby to help support green economic recovery across Derbyshire.

There are 3 separate funds:

Green Entrepreneurs Demonstrator Fund
£1.2 million set aside for a small number of high-quality projects from entrepreneurs wanting to establish green, alternative energy or low carbon initiatives in Derbyshire to provide community heat and power schemes. The minimum grant available through this fund would be £100,000. Applications for expressions of interest will open 1 April 2021.

Green Entrepreneurs Small Grant Fund
Grants of £10,000 – £20,000 for new and existing businesses with game changing proposals in alternative energy, clean fuel and carbon reduction. £500,000 will be made available through this fund. There will be 3 separate rounds in which to apply for funding – the first will launch on 1 April 2021 followed by further rounds opening on 4 October 2021 and then 3 January 2022.

Green Entrepreneurs Scholarship Fund
A training fund to support individuals to retrain with skills to enable them to enter the field of alternative energy. £100,000 will be made available through this fund. Grants will be awarded monthly from July 2021 onwards.

Leader of Derbyshire County Council Councillor Barry Lewis added:

“We’re championing business innovation and want Derbyshire to become a leader in the field in the development of green energy as part of our bold ambition to cut the council’s carbon emissions to net zero by 2032 and that of the Derbyshire economy by 2050.

“We believe there is a unique opportunity to bring greater benefits to local communities and the local economic conditions to create high quality jobs driven by utilising the local skills base in engineering and manufacturing.

“We’re excited to be able to offer businesses the financial support needed to help turn their ideas into reality, through game changing proposals that help to tackle climate change and impact positively on the way we all live in the future both in Derbyshire and further afield.”

Councillor Tony King, Cabinet member for Clean Growth and Regeneration, said:

“We’ve had an unbelievable response to the scheme so far from businesses and community organisations across Derbyshire.

“I’m really looking forward to seeing the applications start to come in with proposals for projects to kick-start the county’s carbon reduction and alternative energy agenda and boost the local economy in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

“I would urge anyone who was unable to join the virtual launch to visit www.derbyshire.gov.uk/gef to find out more.”

Professor Kathryn Mitchell DL, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Derby, said:

“I am delighted that the Green Entrepreneur launch was such a success. It is really encouraging to see so much interest and enthusiasm from local businesses in taking up opportunities like this to operate more sustainably and to make a real contribution towards reducing their carbon footprint.

“We look forward now to working with the county council to deliver the scheme to our entrepreneur community, and to make Derbyshire synonymous with sustainable business.”

Find more information about the programme including application forms, timetable for grant funding and eligibility criteria.

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Spireites Community Trust launches scheme to kick-start careers for young people

Chesterfield FC Community Trust is encouraging young people to access a new traineeship scheme aimed at helping to boost careers and employment across North Derbyshire.

The Trust’s REBOOT traineeship programme is offering an opportunity for young people looking to kick-start their future, reboot their career and achieve their goals.

The course takes place in the relaxed and welcoming atmosphere of the HUB at the Technique Stadium and is delivered by a friendly and supportive team of tutors.

Scott Atkinson, the Trust’s head of education and wellbeing, said: “Our expertise in working with children, young people and adults with additional support needs, through both our education and health & wellbeing programmes, makes REBOOT a great option for anyone who has struggled to overcome barriers in engaging with mainstream education.

“Although the course is focused on enabling students to achieve positive outcomes in education and work experience, we give equal importance to providing unrivalled pastoral care, through engaging personally, instilling confidence, raising aspirations and inspiring change.”

The 12-week traineeship course is for 16-24-year-olds who are not in education, training or employment (NEET). You may have just lost your job due to redundancy, completed your education but have not moved into employment yet, or need further work experience in an area you would like to work in or gain your qualifications.

It includes functional skills Maths and English (if required), employability skills, work experience and confidence building activities.

The support on offer has so-far achieved a 90% average of getting people into the next stage of their career either into employment, training or further education.

To enquire about the programme, email education@spireitestrust.org.uk. The course is due to begin on Monday, 19th April 2021.

Chesterfield FC supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through  Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

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National Accolade for Chesterfield Royal Hospital Pharmacy Team

The Chesterfield Royal Hospital’s Haematology and Oncology Pharmacy Team has won a prestigious national award.

They’ve been named ‘Pharmacist Team of the Year 2021’ at the Clinigen Direct Love Your Pharmacist Awards 2021 at the 25th European Association of Hospital Pharmacists (EAHP) congress after a year where they’ve had to adapt their service due to the Covid pandemic.

Principal Pharmacist for Haematology and Oncology, Ibrahim Al-Modaris, said: “This year we’ve had to work differently for a number of reasons, not least because we were urging a lot of our patients to stay at home as they may well be shielding but also because lots of our team have young children who might force us to isolate if they become slightly unwell (like all children do!) which would put a strain on our specialist service. Remote access and the ability to work from home had to be developed as a priority.

Remote working

“We set up remote working, so we can log in to the Chesterfield and Weston Park systems, look up patients’ results via ICE and access clinic letters. We have access to almost all the relevant information we need for a consultation electronically. With a lot of our consultations with patients taking place over the phone or via NHS Attend Anywhere it is possible to do a clinic from home, and if we discover that there is a need to see the patients face to face, we have been able to arrange appointments or admissions as required. As good as it is being able to log in remotely however, being on site, in clinic, with our hardworking clinic support colleagues is still the more efficient way of working.

“The most important thing is that we have been able to keep most chemotherapy and anticancer treatment for our patients going after doing risk assessments for the treatments we offer. Despite the stressful time we were all in, I believe we managed to reduce some of the stress many of our cancer patients would have been feeling, worrying about how to get their medication while shielding for example. Each patient and each regimen had to be reviewed individually and we worked closely with their consultants and specialist nurses to deliver patients their medication while reducing their risk of exposure to COVID.

“For example, some of the oral chemotherapy we supply, to reduce the need for our patients to come in we have, in some cases, managed to supply two months’ worth of medication rather than just one. This not only reduced their number of attendances to collect the medication, but also the need to have monthly blood tests. We have also been able to arrange for homecare delivery of prescriptions in some cases, including by taxi for more patients who were shielding. We of course continued our counselling in clinic or from home to help advise patients on how to get the most out of their supportive medicines to reduce side effects from their chemotherapy as well.

Satellite Pharmacy

“I am very pleased to say that we’ve also been able to get our satellite pharmacy up and running in the NGS Macmillan Unit. This means that we have a Pharmacy Technician, Helen, in the building Mon to Friday, 9 to 5 who can supply and counsel patients on their oral medication. We have also kept the training going to enable more of our pharmacists to become prescribers which gives more flexibility in clinics with more staff able to assess chemotherapy patients and prescribe their treatment. This enables the consultants in clinic to spend more time with complex patients and address their needs. We are now also expanding this role from oncology to haematology as well.”

“This role of assessing chemotherapy patients and prescribing their treatment is one of the most exciting aspects of working as a haematology and oncology pharmacist at Chesterfield Royal and it really allows us to build good relationships with our patients. We are able to use our expert knowledge of medicines as pharmacists to help optimise patient’s cancer treatments at the point of assessment. We have also undergone the additional training required to request scans that patients will need to monitor the effectiveness of their treatment.

Redeveloping and improving inpatients services

“As well as this we have started work to develop and improve our inpatient service. This work will ensure a continuity of service as we work with our inpatient colleagues by providing specialist chemotherapy and cancer advice as needed. It also gives our patients a familiar face from clinic to reassure them during their inpatient stay.

“We have always worked very closely with our nursing and medical colleagues at Chesterfield Royal and Weston Park and that has continued. All the specialist nurses and healthcare assistants in clinic are always on hand to assist us in arranging various things like blood transfusions or scans that patients require, while our medical colleagues always offer helpful advice when things get complicated. We also rely on the efforts of everyone in the pharmacy production unit who prepare and supply all injectable chemotherapies for the patients as well as the ordering office and dispensary staff who keep us stocked up with medication for patients. Without the work of all these staff we would not be here now.

“It has been a difficult time for everyone, but I am very proud of how our team have risen to the challenge and embraced different ways of working to help each other and benefit our patients. I am sure that some of the ways of working we have adapted and developed will continue once we all get back to normal. We are very grateful to receive this award which is for everyone in our fantastic team and it should encourage us to keep the good work going.”

Chesterfield Royal Hospital supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through  Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

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Plans to revamp Chesterfield Market move forward

Chesterfield Borough Council’s plans to revamp the town’s historic market have taken a further step forward, with expected works to be completed in around a year’s time.

Last December, the council asked residents, market traders and local businesses to share their views and help shape the future of Chesterfield Market.

The aim of the surveys was to understand what people enjoy about Chesterfield Market, what might encourage them to visit more often, and understand how they think it can be improved.

This was the first step in the £3.25m Revitalising the Heart of Chesterfield project which includes plans to revamp the town’s historic outdoor Market Place, as well as improve the public space around Elder Way.

Councillor Kate Sarvent, cabinet member for town centres and visitor economy, said: “Chesterfield Market is the heart and soul of the town. It’s crucial that we work together with residents, market traders and local businesses to make sure improvements meet their needs. It was fantastic to receive hundreds of responses to our surveys, which shows the market means so much to everyone in Chesterfield.”

The surveys showed support for changing the layout of the market. 72% of the public, 89% of local businesses and 46% of market traders, supported changing the layout of the market

There was strong support for events, particularly specialist and event markets. These could include food festivals, farmers markets or vintage markets.

The public survey results show strong support for market traders and a desire to support local businesses.

Councillor Sarvent added: “Work is now underway to develop options for the market design and these will be available for comment as part of a consultation with the public, market traders and local businesses this summer. It is especially encouraging to see the public support for traders and local businesses as we move towards re-opening the town centre from lockdown next month.”

Details of how to take part in the next stage of the market consultation will be available from the council’s website this summer. Following this, it is expected works will be complete in Spring 2022.

As well as looking at the future of the market, the Revitalising the Heart of Chesterfield project will also include improvements to the public space between the town centre and the Northern Gateway site.

The Revitalising the Heart of Chesterfield project has benefitted from £650,000 of funding through the D2N2 Local Growth Fund.

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Over £23m to be invested in council housing across Chesterfield

More than £23 million is to be spent improving and increasing the housing supply across Chesterfield – as part of Chesterfield Borough Council’s commitment to enhance the borough’s housing offer and meet the needs of residents.

Councillors have agreed to the ambitious Housing Capital Programme – which sets out the council’s investment priorities for 2021/22 and the medium-term investment through to 2024/25.

The Housing Capital Programme sets out the priorities to ensure that council housing in the borough continues to meet the decent homes standard and provide the good quality, affordable homes for people in Chesterfield.

Modernisation and refurbishment of the council’s existing housing stock continues to be a main focus of the council’s programme of works – including roof repairs, the installation of windows and improvements to estate environments to ensure all properties continue to meet the decent homes standard.

Since 2019 the council will have added 64 new homes to its housing stock and a further 53 homes in the pipeline for 2021-2023, meaning the council will meet its target of adding new 100 new homes to the housing register by 2023 – giving local families more choice and access to modern properties.

The council will also continue to invest in homes for older people, with works currently progressing well at Mallard Court and Leander Court. When completed, this will offer modern, affordable and attractive housing for older people in Staveley for the future.

In response to the climate emergency that was declared by the council in July 2019, the council is also committed to ensuring that all of its homes are energy efficient – allowing Chesterfield to become a low carbon, resilient and sustainable borough.

Councillor Chris Ludlow, cabinet member for housing, said: “Our aim as always is to enhance Chesterfield’s housing offer so that people of all ages can find, and live in a quality home they can afford. Our capital programme shows that we are committed to improving our housing stock to ensure it meets the needs of the people of Chesterfield, as well actively contributing to the climate change agenda by ensuring all homes are energy efficient.

“Investing in affordable and social housing has never been as important, given the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has had on many people financially, so it is vital that we continue to enhance the borough’s housing needs and supply affordable living. Our programme of investment has been developed and amended to recognise the challenges which have arisen from the Covid-19 crisis and, together with our partners, we are doing all we can to ensure any minor delays to key projects are resolved, allowing us to achieve our goals.

“We are committed to building a sustainable future and in response to the climate change emergency declared by the council in 2019, we’re taking measures to ensure our homes are energy efficient – which will not only help the planet, but will also give our residents access to affordable warmth.”

“During 2020 – 21 we achieved some key milestones in improving our housing stock and we’re proud that 100 per cent of our properties meet the decent homes standards. By continuing to refurbish and modernise our homes and estates, we can continue to ensure we maintain these standards for local families.”

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Chesterfield businesses offered free membership of crime-fighting partnership run by East Midlands Chamber

Up to 2,000 businesses in Chesterfield can sign up for free to an East Midlands Chamber-run scheme that helps to reduce town centre crime and anti-social behaviour. The Business Crime Reduction Partnership (BCRP) has secured funding from Chesterfield Borough Council to offer access to Disc, an online crime information-sharing system that connects businesses with local police forces.

There will be no cost for the first 12 months, with subsequent years costing up to £100 – and potentially lower if enough businesses take up the programme permanently.

Jackie Roberts, BCRP manager at the Chamber, said: “Businesses in town and city centres are struggling at the moment and crime will only make this worse.

“The Disc portal is an integral part of crime reduction strategies as it makes it so much easier for businesses to share intelligence about incidents and offender images between members, police, community safety officers and other partners such as the BCRP team.

“We’ve had a lot of reports during lockdown because police resources have been really stretched due to sickness, so the BCRP fills the gap where police can’t deal with petty crime.

“By working with local authorities such as Chesterfield Borough Council, we’re delighted to offer this scheme for free to businesses in order to make them more resilient – a key theme during the post-Covid economic recovery.”

What is the Business Crime Reduction Partnership?

The BCRP, one of 200 such programmes in the UK, is funded by both the Chamber and the Derbyshire Police and Crime Commissioner Hardyal Dhindsa.

Its remit to reduce crime in participating towns, cities and retail parks fits into an overall objective to make them a safer place to work, visit, socialise and shop.

Members pay a fee and benefits include a GDPR-compliant data-sharing system that facilitates direct reporting to the police without the need to use the time-consuming 101 system.

Intelligence and crime reports can be submitted electronically to the police and other BCRP members, who also have access to app and web-based image galleries of people who have been arrested or are known offenders.

How BCRP membership will help Chesterfield town centre

There are currently about 80 businesses in Chesterfield signed up to an advanced version of the BCRP scheme that also includes radio connections.

The council’s funding will give about 2,000 businesses in sectors such as retail, hospitality and tourism the opportunity to sign up for the basic package, which uses the online Disc system.

It will be launched at the beginning of May ahead of the reopening of hospitality in the Government’s roadmap to ending lockdown.

Councillor Jill Mannion-Brunt, Chesterfield Borough Council’s cabinet member for health and wellbeing, said: “It is fantastic news that this funding has been made available for our local businesses.

“This project will help strengthen the link between retailers and the police which should help limit crime and anti-social behaviour in our town.

“I want to encourage every local business to sign up to this programme because I believe it will be a positive step for our town.”

Hardyal Dhindsa, Police and Crime Commissioner for Derbyshire, added: “Tackling retail crime is a priority for me and I am pleased that my funding of the Business Crime Reduction Partnership with the Chamber is enabling partners like Chesterfield Borough Council to join us in tackling criminality. This is an excellent way of supporting businesses to reduce the crime and antisocial behaviour that they have said concerns them.

“We have been working hard, with local partners, to successfully address other problems in Chesterfield Town Centre through the Chesterfield Town Summit, and this is another tool in the box.

“I welcome the fact that Chesterfield Borough Council has recognised the important of supporting local business and I hope that in time we will be able to roll this programme out across Derbyshire with other local authorities.”

Further plans for BCRP roll-out in Derbyshire

Discussions are ongoing on how to roll out the offer to Staveley, while there are plans to roll out the Disc scheme in Matlock and Bakewell, in which a combined 40 businesses are signed up to the radio system.

Jackie added: “The hope is that by signing up businesses for the first year, they will be able to see the benefits of continuing with the scheme thereafter.

“The more businesses that are involved in the BCRP scheme and sharing information, the stronger it will be – and the better the area will be as a result.

“Councils and regeneration teams are placing crime reduction high on the agenda in order to bring back footfall into their towns.

“It also removes barriers to reporting crime as the Disc system automatically notifies the police when an incident is logged, while police are able to input feedback so businesses can follow what happens to offenders.”

The British Retail Consortium’s 2020 retail crime survey, published in March just before lockdown, found there were 424 violent or abusive incidents towards staff per day nationally, while businesses lost £770m due to theft and £2.2bn resulting from overall crime.

Anyone interested in discussing how to get involved with the Derbyshire Business Crime Reduction Partnership can email jackie.roberts@emc-dnl.co.uk.

 

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Chesterfield’s NLT Training launches walk-in service to help unemployed people get work ready

A brand-new initiative has been launched by Chesterfield-based training provider and registered charity NLT Training Services to help get people work ready ahead of lockdown being lifted.

A free walk-in job support centre at NLT’s Brimington offices on Station Road, is offering use of IT equipment, free internet access, advice, training and guidance to anyone currently unemployed. It aims to boost confidence and enable people who are facing unemployment to create their own personal roadmap back to the workplace.

The service is available to use now. To ensure Covid social distancing guidelines are adhered to, people are asked to simply call ahead and make an appointment to access the service.

The walk-in job support centre builds on NLT Training Services’ successful Step into Employment 12-week programme which it launched last year following funding from the Community Funds Grant.

Employment specialist Janice Parker, who ran Step into Employment, will be running the new walk-in job support centre. She will be on hand to support people looking to get back into the workplace. Janice can advise on CV creation, interview techniques and even arrange work experience to help people regain confidence.

Sarah Temperton, Chief Executive of NLT Training Services explained: “With the prospect of lockdown ending soon, there has never been a more important time than now to ensure that people feel ready and confident to work. Our walk-in service offers full support to people who may otherwise feel daunted and vulnerable at the prospect of searching for employment during this unprecedented time.

“Our friendly team offer invaluable support and expertise on all areas of employment. With the service offered as a walk-in rather than run as a course, NLT will be able to focus on the more individual needs of people.”

NLT Training Services, based in Chesterfield, has been delivering workplace training to individuals and companies since 1968 and is registered as a charity.

If you would like to book an appointment, please get in touch with Janice Parker on 07947 550 571 or email janice.parker@nlt-training.co.uk

NLT Training Services supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through  Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

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Derbyshire vaccine programme reaches 100-day milestone

One hundred days ago Derbyshire began the biggest vaccination programme in the history of the NHS, and today (Wednesday 17th March) it is celebrating that important milestone.

The first Covid-19 vaccine doses were administered at Royal Derby Hospital and Chesterfield Royal Hospital on December 8, just six days after the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine had been formally approved by the MHRA.

One hundred days and 430,000 doses later, Derbyshire has 25 vaccination sites, ranging from GP practices and community halls to a converted theatre and the enormous mass vaccination centre at Derby Arena.

The first person to receive their vaccination in a primary care setting in Derbyshire was 101-year-old Robert Stopford-Taylor at Stubley Medical Practice on December 17.

Vaccination sites were undeterred by Storm Christoph on January 22, or heavy snow in southern Derbyshire in the following days, with vaccinations continuing thanks to the efforts of

staff and volunteers. The public did their bit as well, braving difficult weather to get their vaccinations.

Another highlights of the past 100 days was the visit to Derby Arena by Prime Minister Boris Johnson on February 8.

Joined Up Care Derbyshire Executive Medical Director Steve Lloyd said it was a moment to reflect on an incredible effort by many people across the county: “The last 100 days have seen us roll out an incredibly effective vaccination programme to hundreds of thousands of people, and I want to thank the thousands of staff and volunteers who have contributed to this.

“From those on the front line delivering the vaccine to those organising and co-ordinating, it has been an amazing effort. Volunteers have streamed in to help, many of them former staff coming out of retirement, and they have been essential.

“It’s also important that we pay tribute to all those in our hospitals, GP practices and in community settings who are still delivering essential care.

“I’m very proud of all their efforts on behalf of patients, and it’s encouraging that we are 100 days closer to getting back to some sort of normal life.

100 days stats and dates

· Total doses: 430,000

· Vaccination sites: 25

· First vaccinations: December 8, 2020 @ Royal Derby Hospital and Chesterfield Royal Hospital

· First primary care site opened: Stubley Medical Centre, December 18

· Mass vaccination site opened: Derby Arena, January 25

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Chesterfield-based Solicitors Elliot Mather announces new additions to residential property team

Chesterfield-based full service law firm Elliot Mather is demonstrating further growth and success by announcing new additions to the company’s Residential Property team.

The firm’s latest recruit, Daniel Lindon joins the team as a Senior Associate Solicitor. Daniel has worked in the legal profession for many years, qualifying as a Solicitor in 2005. Daniel brings with him over 15 years’ experience in Property Law. During his career he has worked across offices in Nottinghamshire, as well as West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire. He brings a wealth of local knowledge to the department.

This appointment comes just shortly following recent appointments of experienced Associate Solicitors; Tina Rana and Rabi Miah.

Tina possesses a high level of expertise in residential conveyancing, allowing her to advise clients locally and regionally on matters, including: residential sales and purchases, re-mortgaging, new build purchases, right to buy, declaration of trusts, auction sales and purchases, help to buy mortgages and transfer of equity.

Rabi qualified as a solicitor in 2017 after having achieved her LLB from the University of Warwick and her LPC from Nottingham Law School. She has extensive experience in dealing with all aspects of residential conveyancing including: leasehold, unregistered title, adverse possession, shared ownership, as well as new builds.

Alan Grant, Chief Operations Officer at Elliot Mather said: “The recent recruits in our Residential Property team, as well as those across the Practice, demonstrates our desire to deliver our client focused legal services to a wider audience.”

The new recruits now mean that the Residential team comprises of 5 qualified members to service the needs of more clients based locally, regionally, and even nationally.

Andrew Yates, Head of Elliot Mather’s Residential Department said: “We have been very lucky to have such talented and dedicated staff to make the department what it is today and likewise in being able to make appointments at this level in such a buoyant market. These are exciting times for the firm.

Having invested considerably recently in IT to enable us to deliver legal services efficiently and securely, together with the additional appointments to enable us to continue to develop and provide the best legal services to our customers competitively. Whist due to COVID no one is sure what will happen in the future we just wish to ensure we are number 1 in the property market.”

The team will be working from Elliot Mather’s Nottingham office, which opened its doors in 2019.

Elliot Mather supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through  Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

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New local radio station set for launch in North Derbyshire

A new local radio station serving Chesterfield and North Derbyshire is launching later this month, providing people across the area with local news and information along with a variety of music.

The team at the newly-created North Derbyshire Radio says it aims to ‘fill the void’ left by recent broadcasting changes by providing local news, sport and entertainment, as well as supporting local charities and businesses across North Derbyshire.

The service will be launched on on Monday 22nd March and has been created by Former Peak FM presenter and programmer Naz Premji, now a regular contributor to BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC TV’s Final Score’s football coverage.

“I spent many great years at Peak107/Peak FM after the people really welcomed me with open arms when I arrived in 2001,” says Premji.

“I’ve always had an affinity with the area and the people of North Derbyshire. With the help of some familiar faces and voices and some new ones too, I’m hoping we can bring truly local radio back to this very distinctive part of the country.”

The line-up includes several local presenters who are familiar voices to listeners in the area, including Mark Chadwick, Claire Salanyk, Naz Premji and the return of the legendary Richard Spinks who will be back with his famous Late Night Love Songs show.

North Derbyshire Radio will also feature another former Peak FM favourite, Jason Hardy, as well as John Isherwood, Richard Shaw Wright and Michael Weadock.

The station will play a variety of music and provide local news and information throughout the day.

North Derbyshire Radio will be available online at www.northderbyshireradio.com and on the North Derbyshire Radio Android and Apple smartphone app and on smart speakers.

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Funding available for Chesterfield businesses to take on remote-working interns

Small businesses in Chesterfield and Derbyshire can receive up to £7,000 in funding and support to recruit remotely-based student and graduate talent into their workforce.

The rise in remote working due to the COVID-19 pandemic means the University is now able to work with more businesses than ever before, including those who previously may not have had the office space to accommodate a graduate.

The opportunities are provided by the GRADS for D2N2 project which is part-funded by the European Social Fund (ESF) and is part of the ESF High-Level Skills programme.

ESF supports activities to extend employment opportunities and develop a skilled workforce. The GRADS for D2N2 project is delivered by the University of Derby as part of the High Level Skills consortium which also includes Nottingham Trent University, Derby College, Nottingham College, and Nottingham City Council.

Chesterfield small business (SME) owner Rebecca Erskine, owner of Yellow Bird Marketing and Communications recounted the benefits of working alongside the University after taking on a graduate, Maciej Rus and current University of Derby student, Freya Padmore.

The team put together a series of remotely-filmed videos showcasing the virtues of remote working and the importance of internships as a way for students and graduates to gain “a competitive edge” and “apply the skills learnt at the University to the workplace.”

Rebecca said: “I recently took on two interns from the University of Derby. I think it is really important that the University, regardless of its name, supports businesses across the county of Derbyshire and that is the benefit of this particular programme.

“I think that when people are hard-working, they deserve real opportunity in life. Very often there are things that sit on the back-burner as far as your business is concerned.

“As a small business owner, obviously what brings in the money is the billable work and that has to be your priority, but it can’t be at the expense of business development or promoting your business so the interns coming into the project have really helped me make sure that I am looking at every element of the business. Remote working has given me the perfect opportunity to get the candidates that I really wanted for the project, regardless of where they’re based.”

Freya said: “Having experience that I can talk about in interviews and my applications gives me just that competitive edge compared to some other students who haven’t had any experience yet.

“I’m working in a really small team now so we can really bounce ideas off each other. It’s just given me a much better idea about what I want to do when I graduate.

“I don’t have to commute to work anymore. I can literally just sit at my desk and everything’s there that I need. I can literally log on whenever I want to, finish working when I want to, just based on when I feel like working.”

Support available to SMEs includes organisations needs assessments, talent grants, graduate internships, Employability and Apprenticeship workshops, curriculum co-design and more.

For more information please contact driven@derby.ac.uk

The University of Derby supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through  Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 180 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

 

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