Future makers get a helping hand from industry role models
A programme designed to support young people, particularly females, who may be considering or exploring a career working in the built environment, including designing, architecture, surveying and structural engineering, has recently been launched at the new Digital Centre at Chesterfield College.
The programme aims to help students develop their knowledge and understanding of the sector and career opportunities, broaden their horizons and build knowledge and awareness of career pathways. It also helps build their self-confidence and communication skills as well as helping them to learn about planning and organising.
Championed and supported by the D2N2 Careers Hub, led by the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and funded by the Careers & Enterprise Company, the programme builds on a successful pilot programme run in 2021 in partnership with the Chesterfield Property and Construction Forum and Chesterfield Borough Council.
The launch event brought together mentors and role models from local companies, including Whitham Cox Architects, Harworth Group, Henry Boot Construction, Barrett Homes, Mascot Management and Airmaster, and matched them with students from local secondary schools and colleges.
Students got to meet their mentors, interview them and learn about their companies, jobs and own career journeys, including a team building challenge at Chesterfield-based company CBE+. Each student was set an individual bespoke project by their mentor, which they will work together on over the next few months relating to their role and company.
Project manager Alex Gardner, the Work-wise Foundation, who is helping to deliver the programme, said: “It’s just great to see the mentors and mentees getting to know each other and really gelling as a team straight away! What I really love is the enthusiasm and commitment being shown by everyone. The individual challenges set by the mentors all join together to tell the story of a development from initial survey and design to finished structure. This is an added bonus we hadn’t initially envisaged.”
Mentor, Katie Burnham, from Henry Boot Construction Limited, said: “I think the first two initial sessions are brilliant as introduction/ice breakers to the students. It’s been a brilliant opportunity to network as well as participate in the mentoring programme and I think the support from St Mary’s career team is really helping their students to get the best out of the programme.
“All the students seem really engaged with the opportunity and that’s brilliant to see and be involved with. The bridge building activity was a great opportunity to teamwork and learn about the learning style of our mentees.”
Will Morlidge, Interim Chief Executive at D2N2 LEP, said: “Providing young people with meaningful encounters and showcasing opportunities to inspire them into a sector and career is central to the work of the D2N2 LEP Careers Hub.
“It has been fantastic to see this develop from last year’s pilot and we are proud to be funding the new programme. Making links between our ambitious young people and some of our region’s key employers is just one of the ways our Careers Hub is supporting inclusive economic growth.”
For the employers, the programme helps them to make a real difference in a young person’s confidence, knowledge, job and career prospects while developing their own communication and leadership skills and potentially identifying future employees. It also provides a great networking opportunity with others in the sector and a chance to showcase the business and industry as a great place to work.
The learning and outcomes from the mentor and student partnerships and projects will be showcased at a Celebration Event back at Chesterfield College on 8th July 2022.
Allison Homes appoints Gordon More as Non-Executive Director
Gordon More, a former interim Chief Executive and Chief Investment Officer of Homes England, has joined Allison Homes as Non-Executive Director.
Gordon joins the Lincolnshire-based developer as they seek to deliver against ambitious targets.
Interim Chief Executive of Homes England until September 2021, Gordon also has over 30 years’ experience in banking and finance. Before his appointment as interim CEO, Gordon was Chief Investment Officer at Homes England, playing a key role in the development of the strategic housing plan adopted by the UK government.
Speaking of the appointment, John Anderson, CEO Allison Group told Business Link Magazine: “Gordon’s experience, and passion for, encouraging the proliferation of small and medium enterprise (SME) housebuilders will provide invaluable support to Allison’s board as we pursue our targets. As a well-funded SME, we are in a strong position to make a significant impact on the industry, shaking up the way things are done and exploring new avenues to help deliver the homes that this country needs so urgently. I am looking forward to Gordon’s advice and guidance as we continue this exciting phase.”
Gordon More said: “Allison Homes is already marking themselves out as an ambitious company with innovative approaches to the delivery of new homes. The recent announcement of the Legal & General partnership is an excellent example of this, demonstrating a willingness to explore multi-tenure developments – which I believe play an essential role in the future of housebuilding in the UK.”
Along with developing partnerships to support growth, Allison Homes has also turned attention to customer care and is working hard to build stronger customer relationships that last throughout the buying journey and beyond.
Gordon continues: “If SMEs are to compete with national housebuilders, they must exploit the agility of their size and find new ways of operating – whether that’s through establishing partnerships with other housing providers or by building loyalty and lasting relationships with buyers and residents. Allison Homes is already showing huge potential to achieve this, and I look forward to supporting them as they work towards their goals.”
Gordon took up the new role from 1st April 2022.
Henry Brothers Midlands secures seventh framework appointment
Contractor Henry Brothers has been named as a supplier on Crown Commercial Service’s Construction works and associated services 2/Procure23 (P23) Framework alliance. It is the seventh framework appointment for Henry Brothers Midlands, which is based in Nottingham.
Crown Commercial Service supports the public sector to achieve maximum commercial value when procuring common goods and services. In 2020/21, CCS helped the public sector to achieve commercial benefits equal to £2.04bn – supporting world-class public services that offer best value for taxpayers.
The company has been successful on Lot 1.3 to provide design and construction services to NHS capital projects in the East and West Midlands up to £20 million.
Henry Brothers Midlands Managing Director Ian Taylor said: “We are really excited to have been named as a supplier on NHS CCS P23 Framework.
“Henry Brothers has carried out a number of healthcare projects in recent years including a new £15m ‘mock hospital’ facility, the Health and Allied Professions Centre, at Nottingham Trent University to help train healthcare professionals of the future and a new Medical Technologies Innovation Facility (MTIF), also at Nottingham Trent University.
“This appointment on the NHS P23 Framework is fantastic news for Henry Brothers and will help us to build on our work in this area and further expand in what is a key and growing sector.”
The new Construction Works and Associated Services 2/ProCure23 framework has been put together by the Crown Commercial Service with NHS England and NHS Improvement.
ProCure23 is the fourth generation of the ProCure route to market for the provision of design and construction services to NHS capital projects.
The new framework has five lots, with Lots 1-3 specifically for healthcare projects in England. It is valued at £9bn.
Building on past iterations, P23 is hoped to bring the latest best practice in construction methods to the NHS and focuses on delivering greener facilities, reducing carbon emissions, and promoting social value.
Henry Brothers is on its own carbon reduction journey and is committed to cutting its carbon emissions by 50% by the year 2030, and to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Henry Brothers is one of eight successful contractors who have won a space on Lot 1.3 of the framework to provide design and construction services to capital projects in the East and West Midlands up to £20 million.
Henry Brothers Midlands, based at Priory Court, Derby Road, Beeston, Nottingham, is part of The Henry Group, which comprises a number of manufacturing and construction sector companies, ranging from external construction through to interiors fit-out.
Fresh plans submitted to replace Derby hotel with apartment blocks
Fresh plans to demolish a Derby hotel, to make way for new apartments, have been submitted to the city council.
The plans from Elgie Properties would see the La Gondola hotel on Osmaston Road replaced with 42 flats in two blocks.
The proposals for the closed two-storey hotel, which comprised of 20 bedrooms, a restaurant, function rooms and associated parking, follow a previous submission refused in 2021.
The new application sees the scale of the development reduced and also looks to address concerns over bat activity.
Record year for Leicester online electrical retailer
Marks Electrical Group, the Leicester-based online electrical retailer, has hailed a record year.
According to a trading update for its fourth quarter ended 31 March 2022, ahead of announcing its full year results, the company posted record full year revenue with growth of 44% to £80.5m, up from £56.0m in the year prior. Meanwhile Q4 saw revenue grow 19% from £17.4m to £20.7m.
Mark Smithson, Chief Executive Officer, said: “The fourth quarter was another excellent trading period for us, with 19% revenue growth vs. a particularly strong comparative of 127% in the prior year. Our disciplined focus on margin management, capital allocation and cash generation has also led to a strong returns profile from our asset light operating model.
“During the period we have continued to enhance our operational capacity and have added additional resources in our customer services and driver-installation teams, helping us to maintain our market-leading customer service score of 4.8 on Trustpilot. Our USP of free next day delivery with our own fleet of vehicles, combined with our capacity unconstrained single site location, is helping us deliver operational excellence and gain market share in a highly competitive market.
“We continued our focus on improving brand awareness with our offline marketing campaigns, coupled with our search engine optimisation improvements, driving higher levels of organic and direct traffic.
“With face to face meetings back on the agenda, we have met with multiple suppliers during the period and discussed our expansion plans and ways in which we can support each other’s growth objectives. This, coupled with inventory expansion in the second half, as supply constraints start to ease, is making Marks Electrical a more prominent retailer for our brand partners.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank our colleagues and brand partners for helping us achieve a record year, despite a challenging market environment. We are well placed to seize the opportunities ahead thanks to our compelling customer proposition, low-cost operating model and continued focus on profitable market share growth, with more and more people from across the UK coming into contact with the Marks brand for the first time. As we look forward to FY23, our trading momentum has continued during the start of April, setting us up well for our FY23 financial targets.”
Generate business at the Property & Business Investment Lincolnshire Expo
With the Property & Business Investment Lincolnshire Expo just around the corner, register now for the highly anticipated event.
The free to attend expo, for which Business Link is a proud partner, will take place on Wednesday 27 April 2022 at The Bentley Hotel, Lincoln, providing everything you require for a great day of networking and business generation.
A well targeted event aimed at the Construction, Property, Business, Investment, Finance, Professional Services and related B2B markets, exhibitors include Aspbury Planning Ltd, Belvoir, Business Lincolnshire, BSP Consulting, Delta Simons, the Federation of Small Businesses, J Tomlinson, NatWest, Willmott Dixon, and YMD Boon, to name a few.
To see the full list of who is exhibiting click here.
Opening at 9am, the expo will also host a workshop from Team Lincolnshire and Business Lincolnshire. Running from 10:15 – 11:45, it will demystify the procurement process and explore the potential which public sector contracts could bring to your business.
Team Lincolnshire ambassador Neal Wheatley, director and general manager of RG Carter Lincoln Limited, and Barry Taylor, regional director at Parker Technical Service, will be sharing insightful first-hand experiences on winning a major Lincolnshire County Council contract for the construction of the South Lincolnshire Food Enterprise Zone and how supporting the local economy is a core value within the RG Carter Supply Chain Commitment.
Sign up to the free workshop here.
As the exhibition closes, it will roll directly into an informal, open buffet style network lunch – tickets for the lunch are just £25 plus vat and can be ordered and paid for directly online. Spaces for the lunch are limited, so order as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.
Tina King, of Business Shows Group, said: “It’s been a long time in the making thanks to the pandemic, but we are finally nearly there, The Property & Business Investment Lincolnshire Expo is gearing up to be one of the best to date!”
To attend the event, register for free here.
To generate opportunities by exhibiting at the event, click here.
Purchase tickets to the networking lunch here.
Meet more potential clients in one amazing cost effective day, than it would take months out on the road.
Still time for Leicestershire businesses to benefit from up to £10k for low carbon improvements
Businesses in Leicester and Leicestershire are being reminded that they have just a few weeks left to apply for grants to help to pay for energy efficiency improvements.
Leicester City Council’s Green BELLE scheme offers grants of up to £10,000 to small and medium-sized businesses to help cover the costs of low carbon, energy efficient improvements to their premises.
Green BELLE grants can be used to support a wide range of measures such as installing efficient heating systems, low-energy lighting, building insulation or solar PV panels.
Grants can be awarded to cover up to half of the total costs, with the remaining amount paid for by the business as match-funding.
So far, the scheme has provided a total of £812,904 of grant support to over 150 local businesses. It is estimated that has helped result in carbon savings of over 1,000 tCO2e per year – equivalent to the total carbon footprint over 300 typical homes.
Businesses have also seen a significant reduction in their energy bills as a result of improvements made through the Green BELLE scheme.
Deputy city mayor Cllr Adam Clarke, who leads on environment and transportation, said: “These grants give local small and medium-sized businesses the chance to become more energy-efficient and save money on their running costs.
“We have ambitious plans to help make Leicester a carbon neutral and climate-adapted city. The Green BELLE scheme is a really good way to welcome more local firms on board and show them that becoming more energy efficient is good for business and for the city.”
Cllr Danny Myers, assistant city mayor for jobs and skills, said: “Leicester’s wider future economic development is going to be driven by our large, thriving and diverse small and medium sized business sector. This scheme is a great way to both save these businesses money and ensure that the city has a more environmentally sustainable economy.”
Businesses must express interest in the scheme by the end of May 2022, and the deadline for submission of full applications is currently the end of June 2022. There is a limited amount of funding available being allocated on a first-come-first-served basis.
All works must be completed by December 2022.
Green BELLE stands for Green Business Energy in Leicester and Leicestershire. The project is run by Leicester City Council’s sustainability service with support from Leicestershire County Council.
Leicester businesses invited to join fully-funded summer internship scheme
The University of Leicester has launched a new summer internship programme, designed to boost graduate employment in the regional economy.
This fully-funded internship scheme is one in a series of projects to commemorate the University’s Centenary.
Citizens of Change internships will take place between Monday 4 and Friday 29 July 2022, and are targeted at middle-year undergraduate students. Students will be given the opportunity to undertake a community-focused project in a Leicester or Leicestershire based organisation for a total of 140 hours over the four-week period.
Rob Fryer, Director of the Career Development Service at the University of Leicester, said: “Alongside the Leicester Graduate City Project internship, the Citizens of Change programme will undoubtedly benefit both the local economy and the University’s talent pipelines.
“And with our focus on employability, these internships will help to boost students to secure ongoing work and create a pathway towards their chosen careers.”
The benefit to business are that salaries costs are completely covered, providing access to talented undergraduates to support projects and add real value.
Fahad Manier, from city-based personal trainers Team Fighting Fit, said: “These internships are really valuable for both the business and the students involved. As a community engagement initiative, these funded schemes really help to promote local business and make a difference to the lives of the people in Leicester.”
Organisations who host projects with a focus on community engagement and/or impact are invited to submit expressions of interest. Categories of interest should align with the University of Leicester’s strategic goals, including; health and wellbeing; innovation; environmental sustainability; equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI); or research.
If you are an organisation interested in participating get in touch with Mariyah Mandhu, Project Manager (Internships) on mm977@leicester.ac.uk by Friday 29 April 2022.
Plans progress to bring Friar Gate Goods Yard back to life
Clowes Developments, owners of Friar Gate Goods Yard and surrounding land running from Friar Gate, Uttoxeter New Road and Great Northern Road have been working closely with local authorities and professional advisors to secure a viable future for the historical landmark in the centre of Derby.
In the last few weeks, there has been a noticeable increase in activity at the site whilst works permitted under planning applications have commenced including;
1. 21/01157/LBA; “Structural stabilisation works to dismantle damaged and unstable construction elements and to make safe the existing external walls. Temporary protection works to the remaining structure to prevent further collapse of residual roof elements and prevent ongoing water ingress” and;
2. 21/01158/LBA; “Structural works to ensure the lateral stability of the external walls and loose items of building fabric. Erection of scaffold for footpath protection and to allow access to window and roof level and provide restraint to the building. Roof works to include capping beams or reinstatement roofing and remodelling of the external ground levels.”
The proposed plans include a commercial and residential mixed-use development with a large, open, green space located at the centre of the scheme. The provisional plans include restoring the external walls of the historic and protected bonded warehouse building which they hope will remain an integral feature of the design of the scheme moving forward.
Land & planning director at Clowes Developments, Robert Hepwood, commented on the scheme: “Clowes Developments have been engaging in conversations to secure a viable use for the site for several years. We are delighted to finally be moving forward with these exciting proposals.
“Working closely with Derby City Council, Historic England and other parties including Friends of Friar Gate Bridge we have created an award-winning team of advisors including Maber Architects Ltd, Jackson Purdue Lever and Rigby and Co.
“We feel we have the right team in place to bring Friar Gate Goods Yard back to life and develop a scheme which Derby will be proud of whilst restoring some of the city’s most iconic historical buildings.”
Offer accepted for Derby County Football Club
The joint administrators of Derby County have accepted an offer from American businessman Chris Kirchner to acquire the football club out of administration.
The bid is for the purchase of the football club only with the terms of the club’s ongoing occupation of Pride Park stadium to be negotiated with external stakeholders.
Mr Kirchner had initially expressed an interest in acquiring the club in late 2021.
Quantuma says discussions have taken place with key stakeholders, and Mr Kirchner has been named as the preferred bidder for the Club, with immediate effect.
The joint administrators have entered into a period of exclusivity with Mr Kirchner and his advisers, during which further operational, commercial and contractual discussions will take place.
Carl Jackson, joint administrator, Quantuma, said: “We are delighted to be able to name Mr Kirchner as preferred bidder, which the Joint Administrators consider represents the best deal for creditors and one which will secure the long-term future of the Club.
“The naming of our preferred bidder represents a significant milestone in the administration, and we look forward to working with Mr Kirchner and his team to complete the sale of the Club.”
