Chesterfield business nes Archives - Destination Chesterfield

Educators and employers address regional skills challenges

21st June 2024

Challenges in recruitment and skills across our region’s businesses have been recently highlighted at East Midlands Chamber’s annual People and Skills summit.

The event brought together 200 delegates from the business community and education sector, and hosted a series of talks, keynote speakers and workshops.

The summit was centred around the Chamber’s Manifesto for Growth 2024 – which outlines a set of policy asks for the next government to consider.

Speakers at the summit included: Professor Baback Yazdani, Executive Dean of Nottingham Business School; Kate Lee, Talent & Resourcing Manager, Samworth Brothers; Emma Kwiatkowski, Director, Hays; Craig Brothers, Vice President, East Midlands Chamber; Laura Shepherd, Director of Strategic Partnerships, Loughborough College and Dr Gareth Thomas, Managing Director, Skills and Employment Support Ltd.

East Midlands Chamber Head of Special Projects Richard Blackmore said: “Reforming skills is an essential ingredient to economic growth and all the research we conduct with businesses in the East Midlands – like our latest Quarterly Economic Survey where 66% of respondents in the region reported difficulties recruiting staff – has underlined the need to address the issue. The East Midlands People and Skills summit is one of the ways the Chamber can get right into the heart of the issues faced by businesses, breaking them down and finding solutions to overcome each hurdle.

“Candidate needs are evolving, while factors like technology advance just as quickly. Businesses need to ready themselves for emerging technology like AI and what that might mean for the skills candidates might need in the future. Workplaces need to be attractive to new recruits and be open minded to finding ways to match their needs with those of prospective employees. That can mean consideration of things like having a strong Corporate and Social Responsibility policy, offering employees the opportunity to engage with communities and charities, for example.

“If we can pinpoint the sticking blocks in skills, recruitment and retention, we can fix them and that’s why it’s so important that businesses and educators engage with each other, to solve staffing issues both now and in the future.”

Chesterfield businesses are encouraged to find out more about upskilling their workforce by contacting Chesterfield Borough Council’s Skills Brokerage Service.

More information about the service can be found at: https://www.chesterfield.co.uk/business/business-support/skills/

New series of summer business events launched by Chesterfield’s Great2Work

29th June 2022

Chesterfield’s Great2Work has launched a new series of summer networking and wellbeing events to help support its community of co-working members.

The company, which supports local entrepreneurs and growing small businesses across Derbyshire is giving members the opportunity to attend ‘Stretch and Stroll’ and ‘The Summer Social,’ enabling attendees to network in a relaxed and informal setting.

Stretch and Stroll consists of a wellbeing walk lasting around 45 minutes, led by a walking guide. The event is a chance for colleagues to enjoy a chat while getting out of the office for some fresh air.

The Summer Social will be an end-of-the-week wind down taking place on Friday afternoons throughout July and August. Great2Work say ‘like Club Topicana, drinks are free’ for members who attend the event.

Lynne Pope, Social Media and Content Specialist at Great2 commented: “At Great2 we understand the importance of social engagement and its mental wellbeing benefits. Our Community events are the perfect excuse to get all our members into the coworking office for the day which means they can catch up with colleagues and friends as well as meet new members.

“We have a variety of different events to improve physical and mental wellbeing including yoga, walking and lunches. We are a people-driven business and if our people are not in a good place then it will have an adverse affect on the business so we do everything we can to promote health and wellbeing.

“Our community events are a perfect opportunity to find out about other member businesses and to tell them about you and your business. For our small businesses who use the flexible office space, it is a wonderful opportunity to network with other like-minded people. But it is not all about business, our members are friendly and welcoming and friendships are also made.

“We encourage conversation as a business tool but also to build personal relationships, share experiences and to get advice on all things from the best places to get lunch and fun places to visit with kids to great nightlife hotspots.

“As a company, our values include “Thriving Together” and “Collectively Conscious”. We desire to make conscious choices to improve the lives and communities of the people around us. We have built Great2 to support small business success in the local area.

“We do this by providing a flexible coworking office space that provides small businesses with a place to work from and by providing support services to support their growth. We know that businesses work better together which is why we encourage networking through our community events and why we attend the Chesterfield Champions events.

To find out more about the latest series of events taking place at Great2, go to: https://www.great2work.co.uk/blog/new-summer-events or contact: enquires@great2.co.uk

There is a great range of workspace opportunities in Chesterfield ready for you and your business. Find out more at: https://www.chesterfield.co.uk/business/invest-in-chesterfield/office/

Great2Work supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 200 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.