university of derby

University invites Midlands businesses to sign up to employee mental health support scheme

Businesses across Chesterfield and the Midlands region are being offered the chance to boost productivity by working with the University of Derby to provide better mental health support for employees.

The Mental Health and Productivity Pilot will see the implementation of new workplace interventions at pilot organisations and the rollout of existing approaches in small, medium and large businesses across the Midlands Engine region.

The programme aims to:

● contribute to the reduction of mental health distress
● break down the barriers to accessing care faced by people experiencing mental illness
● support their continuation in and return to work
● make a positive contribution to organisational productivity, in terms of wellbeing and economic outcomes

Dr Paula Holt, Pro Vice-Chancellor Dean of the College of Health and Social Care at the University of Derby, said: “The cost to the economy of mental health across the Midlands could be in excess of £45bn this year. Yet research shows that for every £1 invested in supporting the mental health of employees, the return to the employer in productivity is £5. Those returns are greater still when employers take preventative, rather than reactive, steps to help their staff.”

Around 1,900 employers took part in the first phase of project, exploring the issues of how mental health and wellbeing are currently dealt with in the workplace and its impact on performance.

Around a third of those taking part reported sickness absence among staff due to mental health issues, and a similar proportion recorded presenteeism, particularly in the hospitality and business services sectors.

Factors negatively affecting mental health of employees include:

● Lone or remote working
● Client expectations on time, quality and cost
● Job insecurity
● Recruitment practices

Dr Holt added: “A healthy and inclusive workplace is essential for all businesses, so providing appropriate support for employees, creating a culture of openness and tackling discrimination and stigma, will help to remove some of the barriers to growth and development for firms.

“The research we have carried out shows that employers recognise that understanding how to address mental health issues effectively can boost morale, engagement and motivation, but also reveals that they are not always sure where to obtain the help they need.”

The pilot will link employers directly to initiatives such as Every Mind Matters, This is Me and Mental Health First Aid, which all provide expert guidance. Once embedded into an organisation, the guidance aims to help reduce the prevalence of mental health difficulties and increase productivity among the workforce.

The University is now offering businesses of all sizes and from all sectors in Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Stoke and Staffordshire, Shrewsbury and Shropshire, and Herefordshire the opportunity to work with them integrate effective mental health provision into their organisation.

Training courses which not only help to raise awareness but could be used to support continuing professional development (CPD) are also available.

Businesses taking part will be asked to commit to an initial meeting to discuss how the programme would work for their company, creating a roadmap for its success, and promoting their commitment to the pilot in the workplace.

To find out more about the pilot, visit our website: https://www.derby.ac.uk/business-services/midlands-engine-mental-health-and-productivity-pilot/

Cash Funding for Clever Ideas

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Conference hears how Chesterfield’s resilience has set the town on a path of swift pandemic recovery

Chesterfield’s resilience in the face of adversity has been borne out by figures shared at today’s (31 March) Celebrate Chesterfield event organised by Destination Chesterfield in association with Addooco IT.

At the virtual conference it was revealed that SMEs are reporting growth in turnover and staff numbers during the pandemic, while estate agents in the borough are achieving up to 103 per cent on asking price with up to eight buyers per property.

Despite the pandemic, more than £1bn of regeneration projects are currently underway in the borough, including the multi-million pound Chesterfield Waterside, Glass Yard, Northern Gateway and PEAK schemes.

Speaking at the conference Dr Huw Bowen, Chief Executive of Chesterfield Borough Council praised the sector’s can-do attitude during the pandemic.

He said: “There is a fantastic landscape of development happening in the town in the middle of the pandemic. I think it says everything about Chesterfield in terms of the ambition of the place and the fact we are not going to just bunker down but actually get on and invest in quality developments right across the town and borough.”

Work has also begun on a McDonalds restaurant and drive-thru on the site of a long-derelict former multi-storey car park at West Bars. Sixty-five jobs will be created when the fast-food giant opens at the location later this year.

Most recently, Staveley received £25.2million from the Government’s Town Deal programme. It is being billed as one of the largest economic programmes in the borough in recent history.

Speaking at the conference Ivan Fomin, Chair of Staveley Town Deal Board, said: “We want Staveley to become a place to start, to stay and grow to deliver inclusive growth opportunities for the people of Staveley over the next five years.”

While 1,100 Chesterfield businesses temporarily closed during the latest lockdown, Dr Bowen is optimistic they will re-open and access the support and grants the Council has put in place to enable them to re-start. Nearly £60million in business rates relief and grants has been distributed by Chesterfield Borough Council to businesses during the pandemic.

“Our first priority is to support existing businesses to survive and restart,” added Dr Bowen.

Marketing the town, he said, was critical to the council’s Economic Recovery Plan post pandemic and praised the work of Destination Chesterfield in its work to attract inward investment.

He added: “We want people to relocate and start up in business here, so we are working closely with other Derbyshire councils and the East Midlands Chamber to make available start-up funding to encourage entrepreneurs to the town and borough.”

Peter Swallow, Chair of Destination Chesterfield welcomed Dr Bowen’s comments saying: “Chesterfield has proved time and time again that it is a resilient and strong town which consistently performs well in the face of adversity.

“During the pandemic we have seen major projects start to come out of the ground which is testimony to our forward-thinking council and a key reason why investors from outside the area are keen to do business with us on major projects like PEAK, Waterside and HS2.

“Twelve months ago our annual Celebrate Chesterfield event looked to be anything but a celebration. However, we have attracted investment, jobs have been created and a plan is in place to ensure not only that we recover quickly from the pandemic but that we are stronger because of it. There is much to celebrate now and for the future of Chesterfield.”

In addition to Dr Bowen, speakers at the annual free event also included Andy Dabbs and Jillian Mitchell the Chair and Vice Chair respectively of the newly formed Property and Construction Group, which is organised by Destination Chesterfield and was launched at Celebrate Chesterfield 21

The group brings together leaders from the area’s property and construction sectors to shape and drive forward collaboration, investment, sustainability and skills within Chesterfield.

Celebrate Chesterfield 2021 was sponsored by University of Derby, Whittam Cox Architects and Markham Vale – Derbyshire’s flagship regeneration scheme, who joined headline sponsor Addooco IT.

Richard Walters, owner of Chesterfield technology specialist Addooco IT Ltd, commented: “The concept of ‘Celebrating Chesterfield’ really resonates with me as there is such a rich history of innovation here. Having identified early in 2020 how challenging the next 12 months and beyond would likely become we accelerated our investment plans to help minimise the impact of the situation, whilst creating four new job roles to help cope with demand. This ensured ample capacity and performance for our existing clients and those who we’ve welcomed to Addooco over the last year.”

If you were unable to attend the live Celebrate Chesterfield 2021 event, the presentations are available to watch via the online platform until 14 April. For free access to the platform please contact mollie.brown@chesterfield.co.uk.

Posted in About Chesterfield, Business, Celebrate Chesterfield, Destination Chesterfield, Development, Featured, Home, Made in Chesterfield, UncategorisedTagged in , , , , , , , , , , ,

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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Students wow the Gateway at PEAK development team with architectural designs

Students at the University of Derby have impressed the team at Milligan, who are developing the Gateway at PEAK, after unveiling their architectural visions for the UK’s first fully-serviced national park gateway based in Chesterfield.

The Gateway at PEAK will be part of the 300-acre PEAK Resort, consented on the eastern boundary of the Peak District. As part of developer Milligan and landowner Birchall Properties’ partnership with the University of Derby, undergraduate and Masters level students responded to a live brief and were challenged to assume the role of architect on the project.

The students were asked to consider local communities, wildlife preservation, sustainable design with a Net Zero Carbon objective, and respectfully incorporate the Peak District’s natural beauty into their designs.

The students worked in teams to envision scheme designs and complementary uses such as F&B, retail and exhibits, delivering unique concepts that offered a broad spectrum of options for the developers to consider.

After all the proposals were submitted, the Milligan development shortlisted four finalists who were awarded a share of £1,000.

The Gateway at Peak architectural designs – University of Derby

Dr Boris Ceranic, Course Director for Masters Programmes and Centre of Excellence Leader at the University of Derby, said: “I was impressed by the quality of the work and particularly pleased by the way undergraduate and Masters students have worked together as a team to deliver such complex and demanding design charrette briefs.

The designs were inspiring, with highly sustainable and distinctive visions of unique visitor experiences, resolved through proposals that blurred the boundaries between the open and enclosed, solid and transparent, static and fluid, natural and built environment.”

Lecturer, Graham Markwell comments, “This live project has allowed us to work with industry partners to deliver a high-quality experiential learning initiative. The students have produced innovative solutions to the brief provided and have greatly benefitted from interacting with professional clients and real-world projects.”

The Gateway at Peak architectural designs – University of Derby

Gary Dawson, second year student on the BA (Hons) Interior Architecture and Venue Design talks about the project and the valuable experience it provided; “We really enjoyed working on the project, being able to apply our creative skills to a public space of the future was fantastic and gave a real sense of how we will apply the skills we are learning in future careers. Having the opportunity to push ourselves and see what we can accomplish, in the limited time we had, helped us all begin to realise what we are capable of achieving and what our futures might be like.”

For Milligan the project was a great way of not only accessing some fresh thinking for the development but also a way of inspiring the next generation of creative talent within the industry.

Paul Hanegraaf, Creative Director at Milligan notes “I was blown away by the quality and thought put into each submission – especially as the students had little under a week to prepare.

We have been developing the plans for the Gateway at PEAK for some time and will soon be announcing the architect we have appointed before revealing their plans later in the year.

It’s wonderful to have input and inspiration from the next generation of designers, planners and architects, after all, it is that generation we’re building this inspiring place for.”

The Gateway at Peak architectural designs – University of Derby

Rupert Carr, Director of Birchall Properties adds “I was delighted with the quality and the quantity of the work produced by the students in such a short period of time. It was nothing less than remarkable and I was genuinely uplifted by the thinking and consideration behind the concepts the students shared.

“Of particular note for me was the way all teams expressed real enthusiasm for and belief in the potential for a better built environment, one with an underlying philosophy to deliver social and environmental benefits as well as great commercial opportunities”.

The Gateway at PEAK is part of PEAK Resort, where works for the all-weather, all-year, all-ages Summit at PEAK, are already underway. PEAK Resort also has planning permission for up to 2,000 hotel rooms and 250 lodges as well as a whole range of leisure, education and entertainment facilities, attracting investment and creating employment opportunities.

The Gateway at Peak architectural designs – University of Derby

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University of Derby supports Chesterfield businesses with free recruitment assistance

The University of Derby is supporting small to medium-sized businesses in the D2N2 region to survive and thrive with free recruitment support and thousands of pounds provided in funding.

Local recipients include Community Chesterfield, and biotechnology company, Bio 8 Ltd.

Community Chesterfield is a partnership between Derbyshire Voluntary Action and the University of Derby, which aims to strengthen the voluntary sector in Chesterfield by harnessing skills from the University.

Community Chesterfield have recently hosted two interns through the University of Derby scheme, including University of Derby Media Production graduate, Hayley Beaumont.

Project Manager Charlotte Repton told us: “Using Hayley’s design skills and expertise, Community Chesterfield was able to offer branding services free of charge to voluntary organisations, which included refreshing logos and designing webpages, delivering over £1000 worth of services during her short internship”.

Oliver Peabody, General Manager of Chesterfield biotechnology company, Bio 8 Limited, said “during the COVID-19 pandemic, which presented us a time of accelerated growth, we were approached by the University as we had highlighted two new job roles within our business, a Graphic Designer position and our second Customer Service Representative.

“The funds received from the University of Derby have allowed us to buy better equipment for our new employees and offer them better training than we have been able to in the past”.

In light of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the University has adapted its service to provide businesses with a wide range of remote working internships.

This has enabled the team to work with more SMEs than ever before, including those who might not have had the office space to accommodate an intern.

To find out how your small to medium-sized business might benefit from the University of Derby’s support funding, email driven@derby.ac.uk

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

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. For more information please visit www.derby.ac.uk/rebuild

 

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The Unversity of Derby St. Helena Campus

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University offers free funded consultancy to local businesses

The University of Derby is offering businesses in Chesterfield and North Derbyshire funded consultancy free of charge as part of its commitment to helping the region thrive.

The consultancy service will give companies the opportunity to work alongside the university’s research and technical team to bring innovative new solutions to their organisation.

The project can relate to any area of business and support will be tailored toward the individual needs of each organisation. This could include getting a different perspective on a new idea for your organisation, or if your company is faced with a business problem that you would like support with.

Some of the areas which the University has already developed solutions for include:

  • Business processes and efficiencies
  • New product development
  • Identifying future opportunities
  • Marketing and market insight.

The University of Derby offers a wealth of expertise in a range of industries, from science and engineering to the arts and professional business services. The academic team are at the forefront of the latest industry developments, offering the highest standard of insight and research.

By taking part in the scheme, organisations will receive up to 40 hours of consultancy, and £500 towards any consumables that may be required.

Cara Roberts, Business Advisor at the University of Derby said: “We invite any Chesterfield business interested in exploring the opportunity to access our funded consultancy to contact us today, we look forward to reviewing how this could deliver real benefits to their organisation by addressing challenges or supporting innovation.”

If you would like to find out more about the University’s business consultancy services, or discuss working in partnership with them, Contact the Business Enquiry team on 0800 001 5500 or businessgateway@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.

University of Derby St. Helena campus, Chesterfield

 

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A Year at St. Helena- Update from Dr Paula Holt MBE, Destination Chesterfield Board Member

The following blog has been written by Destination Chesterfield board member, Dr Paula Holt MBE, Pro Vice-Chancellor Dean of the College of Health, Psychology and Social Care at the University of Derby.

Dr Holt covers the progress made this year at Chesterfield’s  St. Helena University of Derby Campus, along with the challenges faced by the University throughout the Covid-19 pandemic…

2020 started like any other year at the University of Derby’s St Helena Campus in Chesterfield. Our September cohort of Nursing students had settled in, we were preparing to welcome a new cohort in March, our calendar of business events kicked off, and our business incubation tenants returned after the Christmas break. But life and study changed dramatically in March, when the government announced a UK-wide lockdown due to Coronavirus.

Staff and students adapted quickly to new ways of working as teaching moved to online delivery, and later to a blended approach with a mixture of on-campus and remote learning.

Around 500 of our nursing students from the University’s College of Health, Psychology and Social Care have supported frontline workers in local hospitals and other care settings. The University has provided a range of support to the NHS, local councils, organisations and communities, including the loan of a digital mobile x-ray machine to Chesterfield Royal Hospital, iPads to help patients keep in touch with their families while in hospital and extensive donations of PPE when supply was low.

As we approach the end of the year, we also move towards the completion of the D2N2 Local Growth Fund (LGF) project to develop the Chesterfield University Campus, which we started back in November 2015. The £3.48 million investment from the LGF, plus investment from the University, has allowed us to deliver higher level skills opportunities for school leavers and adult learners, many of which are the first in their family to go to university, and support the economic growth and resilience of businesses in Chesterfield.

I am delighted that, six months before the deadline, we have hit all LGF output targets set for project, including learner numbers, short courses completed, job creation, knowledge transfer partnerships, and refurbished learning space. This is testament to the hard work of our teaching staff, commercial team and strategic partners, including Destination Chesterfield, Chesterfield Borough Council, Chesterfield Royal Hospital, and Derbyshire Voluntary Action.

CommUNIty Chesterfield, a National Lottery funded project putting the ‘UNI’ into the community, has supported residents, the voluntary sector and students through this challenging period. We have missed not having face to face contact with the community on campus, however we have been reaching out in various ways, such as student placements, virtual shared learning sessions and community led initiatives.

As a University, we take our civic role seriously, and I am immensely proud of the work our staff and students have been doing during the pandemic. As we look ahead to 2021 we will embrace the new ‘normal’, learning from the creativity and innovation this strange period has manifested, and we will continue to support the Chesterfield community and businesses through, and beyond, these challenging times.

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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Sustainable East Midlands campaign launched to put region at forefront of UK’s ‘Build Back Greener’ vision

East Midlands Chamber has urged the region’s businesses to go green and reap the benefits to their bottom line in a new campaign.

The Sustainable East Midlands initiative will highlight both the business case and regulatory requirements for companies that engage with the low-carbon agenda.

It includes a new online information portal that will point firms to financial support available to them and a series of educational events, beginning with the East Midlands Energy Summit later this month.

The campaign has been launched following research by the Chamber and University of Derby, which highlighted how sustainability is rising up the business agenda – but also showed a gap in awareness for many organisations.

East Midlands Chamber chief executive Scott Knowles said: “With the seismic shift in the economy and the way businesses look to develop new ways to operate, there is no better time to focus on the opportunities and the potential offered by the sustainability agenda.

“With its manufacturing heritage, innovative businesses and academic base, the East Midlands has the raw ingredients to be at the forefront of delivering a low-carbon economy – particularly important at a time when the UK Government has a vision to ‘build back greener’ from the pandemic.

“This isn’t just about sustainability for the sake of being greener, as this translates into the bottom line of businesses through efficiency and resilience. Adopting greener credentials reduces running costs and helps to win new contracts and business.

“The Sustainable East Midlands campaign will play a pivotal role in shining a spotlight on the great companies already heavily engaged in the low-carbon agenda, while signposting more businesses in this direction – because now is the time to take responsibility and reap the rewards.”

University of Derby and East Midlands Chamber research on sustainability engagement and awareness among businesses

Sustainable East Midlands is the product of a long-standing partnership between the Chamber and University of Derby, which has yielded unique data about the region’s engagement with the sustainability agenda.

In February, the university included a set of questions related to this topic for the Q1 2020 edition of the Chamber’s Quarterly Economic Survey, which explores a range of business interests to gauge the state of the region’s economy.

More than 400 Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire businesses took part in the survey and it showed the percentage of businesses deriving turnover from low-carbon and pro-environmental goods and services has nearly doubled between 2015 and 2020 – growing from 16% to 31% during this period.

Just over a third (35%) of businesses said they were integrating clean growth into their business plan, while the proportion of firms not considering clean growth opportunities at all had decreased from 36% in 2018 to 14% in 2020.

On the flip side, four in 10 businesses said they did not feel well-informed about support for clean growth.
Dr Fred Paterson, an associate professor at the University of Derby and the Low Carbon Business Network lead at Derby Business School, led the research team.

He said: “There is growing evidence that companies putting environmental sustainability at the heart of their operations are more successful and more likely to survive over time than other firms.

“At the same time, the UK low-carbon economy has been growing steadily for more than a decade and has weathered storms like the financial crash of 2008 and the Covid-19 pandemic better than other sectors of the economy.

“It’s no surprise that our research has shown the number of businesses in the East Midlands that provide pro-environmental goods and services has doubled over the past five years.

“The Sustainable East Midlands initiative is therefore a really welcome support for the increasing number of smaller business that want to build their sustainable credentials and grow their business in ways that are also positive for the environment.”

The topic of sustainability was also discussed recently at the Destination Chesterfield Round Table event, with several local business figures speaking on what more can be done to drive sustainability in our region.

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