< Previous20 East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk COMMERCIAL PROPERTY and beverage space, and a day spa, aiming to bring international interest to Nottingham, were submitted recently. Proposals for the multi-million scheme also feature a 100 metre-long atrium, co- working space, apartments, green public realm and leisure facilities. Nottingham’s Guildhall is also set to be transformed after Nottingham City Council granted planning permission for its multi-million- pound development. Locksley Hotels Ltd and Ascena will create a 162-bed, four- star hotel, which will include a rooftop fine dining restaurant, spa and wedding and conference facilities. While some schemes flourish, the city has seen struggles for a key project with Intu’s plans for Broadmarsh scuppered as the shopping centre operator collapsed. Nottingham City Council however has re- committed to major regeneration taking place in Nottingham including the transformation of Nottingham Castle, the new Nottingham College City Hub, a new Central Library, car park and bus station, major public realm improvements and the Island Quarter development. Speaking about Broadmarsh, City Council Leader, Councillor David Mellen, said: “At Broadmarsh, good progress was being made on the redevelopment before the global pandemic but unfortunately the retail sector has been particularly badly hit. As owners of the land we had for a number of years been seeking to bring about major improvements to what was a badly outdated shopping centre not fit for a major city in the 21st century. intu’s plans for the centre focussing on leisure as well as retail had been well received. Nottingham people will rightly feel let down that intu hasn’t been able to progress its plans. The current state of affairs is hugely disappointing but we will work to find a way forward.” Now, new alternative, green-focused plans are being put forward for Broadmarsh. Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust has reimagined the area as one- hundred per cent natural greenspace, 18-21.qxp_Layout 1 08/02/2021 11:46 Page 3www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link 21 COMMERCIAL PROPERTY while the Green Party and the Liberal Democrats in Nottingham have put forward proposals including demolishing the West side of the Broadmarsh building and the replacement of this and the central walkway into the city with a park, the use of the shell of the old East side of the Broadmarsh to create a building providing a mix of leisure and small/start-up business units with a green roof and vertical planting, and the creation of an eco-building for co- working in the day and a creative arts hub in the evening. Additional plans from a coalition of Nottingham community organisations, residents and businesses propose a New Green Quarter integrating nature with affordable eco housing, A-rated green business premises, visitor attractions, urban agriculture and healthy places to eat and buy fresh food. Down in Leicester, work has begun on the major £13.5 million redevelopment of St Margaret’s Bus Station. Leicester City Council is planning to rebuild the bus station and revamp surrounding streets as part of a major scheme to regenerate this part of the city centre. Demolition work will be carried out by DSM Demolition and is expected to take around four months, with construction on the new building due to begin by late- spring 2021. The bus station building will be glazed from floor to ceiling and feature a curved aluminium roof that appears to float above the main concourse hall. Bus passengers will benefit from a redesigned internal layout with a new café, better seating and real time digital passenger information. There will also be increased capacity for national and regional bus services, and energy efficiency and renewable energy measures will help make the bus station a carbon neutral building. Further change for Leicester is on the horizon, with recently revealed plans for a BTR residential scheme at Highcross in the city centre. The scheme will provide over 300 homes alongside bespoke resident amenities including co-working space and a private dining room. The development would see part of the former Debenhams department store at Highcross transformed. The retail frontage onto the mall at Highcross will be retained and the space will become smaller and more flexible space for retail and leisure brands. A planning application is to be submitted in early 2021. Moreover, Leicester’s Waterside regeneration is powering ahead, with construction underway on a development of 300 homes and 60,000 sq ft of Grade A offices. Keepmoat Homes is delivering the city centre regeneration scheme in partnership with Leicester City Council. Supported by Brackley Property Developments Ltd, who are constructing the office accommodation, the partnership will redevelop the eighteen-acre brownfield site, located by the Grand Union Canal and River Soar, into a brand-new neighbourhood. The developments discussed here are just a drop in the ocean, with numerous other schemes underway across the region, such as Chesterfield’s Waterside regeneration project, Northern Gateway, and HS2 Station Masterplan, and Mansfield’s Stockwell Gateway project. Derby’s new 3,500-capacity venue St Margaret’s Bus Station 18-21.qxp_Layout 1 08/02/2021 11:46 Page 422 East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk ENGINEERING SPOTLIGHT It goes without saying that business is not in a good place right now. The economy is expected to shrink drastically, remaining at a contraction of four per cent even by 2025, and many business owners in the region are expecting to not see signs of recovery at all until mid-2022. Asking for companies to focus on innovating new technology at this time may seem ridiculous, and yet we are living in a world that is at this very moment changing and adapting. If engineering does not change with it, it may well be left behind. Or more realistically, those companies who do not embrace it will be overtaken by those who do. Research is discovering new and exciting ways of applying artificial intelligence (AI) to engineering. AI may seem like something rooted firmly in the future or science fiction, but AI learning has been used in other industries already and identifying where it can be utilised in engineering and manufacturing would mean great strides in the field. In the long run there may well be fears of job losses thanks to this, but here and now with lockdown and COVID, removing the human element where it can be may be the safest thing possible. This could be especially useful if AI 24 Á Innovation through strife It can be hard to talk about innovation when COVID, Brexit and lockdowns are causing problems across the region, but businesses must continue to adapt and innovate, and engineering will always be at the forefront of that. 22-25.qxp_Layout 1 08/02/2021 11:49 Page 1www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link 23 ENGINEERING SPOTLIGHT © Shutterstock /vladimir salman 22-25.qxp_Layout 1 08/02/2021 11:50 Page 224 East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk ENGINEERING SPOTLIGHT could take over some jobs that have been notoriously difficult to fill of late due to the lack of engineers in the market. The skills shortage has long been a problem for engineers of all kinds; design, civil and technical. Universities have in the past been pushing for more engineering students, but universities have also been hard hit by COVID-19 owing to the high levels of students living in confined conditions, and the difficulties adapting to online or digital classrooms. These changes within our region are a prime opportunity for the engineering sector, but the long term must be kept in mind as much as the short. The country may be facing a crisis now but the engineering sector is going to continue through its own crisis – though fortunately existing engineers, in their high demand, will be more than safe. Though it may seem a benign problem; that the industry has more work than workers, this will become a serious problem in the future that might lead to less new investment being made in the country. Many are now looking toward the possibility of in-house training to tackle the issue. Why wait for graduates who might not choose your company, when one can work on already loyal and paid employees who are more likely to stay if up-skilled and invested in. Keeping talent in the company, as it were, can also help to offset the rather seasonal nature of recruiting graduates, while also giving people a greater sense of self- worth. Of course, it does require a longer investment in terms of both capital and time, so a short term solution must be found as well. For many, this is outsourcing their engineering needs to other companies, especially those with intense experience in a given field. With engineers already being a hot commodity, it’s understandable that many of the best have chosen to set up and join their own agencies, offering their skills on a temporary basis. © Shutterstock /Hrynevich Y ury 22-25.qxp_Layout 1 08/02/2021 11:50 Page 3www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link 25 ENGINEERING SPOTLIGHT Automation is one of the best ways to make savings in a manufacturing environment. Repetitive, time- consuming tasks that were traditionally carried out by factory operatives can now be completed quickly and efficiently by machines. As such, factory automation makes it much easier to meet large supply demands. It makes sound business sense to invest in the latest automated solutions, which in turn drives development in the components industry. The two go hand in hand. In a similar way, allergen management is now a major concern for many companies, particularly those in food and drink or pharmaceuticals. Rather than risk reputational damage, litigation, or face costly product recalls, companies are investing in high-tech technologies such as barcode readers, sensors and other ID readers which can spot mislabelled products on the production line. These instruments, known as Optical Character Verification (OCV) devices, are now capable of operating at bewilderingly high speeds, and are sensitive enough to catch even the most imperceptible errors. Theoretically, no product containing an allergen – nuts, shellfish, wheat, eggs and so on – will leave the factory without an accurate warning label. The introduction of this kind of technology on a widespread scale will benefit consumers, whose brand preferences may be determined by these concerns, and producers alike. Whether it’s innovation in technology of innovation in tackling a shortage of skilled workers, or just innovation in how a company deals with lockdown, those who do more than try to survive are likely to reap rewards once the current situation is over. While that may not be as easy for some – cash flow being a constant issue – it remains that the market is changing, and that perhaps our current predicament is just a sign that we are not changing fast enough to keep up with it. © Shutterstock /A_Lesik 22-25.qxp_Layout 1 08/02/2021 11:50 Page 426 East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk TRAINING AND APPRENTICESHIPS workforce Tomorrow’s today 26-29.qxp_Layout 1 08/02/2021 11:59 Page 1www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link 27 TRAINING AND APPRENTICESHIPS A shrinking talent pool, increased digitalisation, and economic influences are forcing the skills gap to widen, and it is affecting the nation’s productivity. However, training and apprenticeships offer a means to provide a talent pipeline for the future and ensure existing employees have the skills they need for success. Organisations in the UK are shelling out £4.4 billion a year because of this skills shortage, with well in excess of half of employers having struggled to find staff with the required skills in the past year. Increased recruitment costs, inflated salaries and the training required for those hired at a lower level than needed, as well as temporary staffing are all highlighted as causes for this expense. Our region is fortunate in being the host of world class training facilities and training providers. The East Midlands is rife with opportunities for business and education institution collaborations in particular. For instance, Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is offered by universities across the region. CPD refers to the learning activities employers and employees complete to grow, develop and enhance their skills to ensure their academic and practical qualifications do not become outdated, enabling continuous development of professional abilities and allowing employers and employees to stay at the 28 Á © Shutterstock /Stock Rocket © Shutterstock /industryviews © Shutterstock /goodluz 26-29.qxp_Layout 1 08/02/2021 12:00 Page 228 East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk TRAINING AND APPRENTICESHIPS forefront of their professions. While universities, with their specialist up to date knowledge, offer a range of readymade courses for individuals and organisations, from using people analytics in HR to courses in system safety engineering for those working in computer science, if there is a precise development path one needs employees to follow, bespoke education programmes can be designed in collaboration with many of the region’s universities. Custom programmes present a variety of flexible and effective education options that will inspire talent. Universities are prepared to work closely with business to understand them and the challenges they face, to meet learning needs as well as form courses that fit to a preferred time frame. With CPD talent can be retained, a team’s specialist skills developed and a business’s productivity enhanced. Courses on offer vary from short courses offering a combination of strategic, practical and core skills to re- enter the workplace with, to longer term leadership and management programmes for new, middle, and senior managers, business owners and entrepreneurs, to sector specific training courses designed for one’s industry, to online and distance learning so one can study flexibly from anywhere. These can be credit or non- credit earning. Building a culture that features growth and leaning opportunities is important for a plethora of reasons - not only is it good for businesses and has an impact on the bottom line, but up-skilling can impact employee satisfaction and retention. Twenty-one per cent of employees indicate the they are more likely to stay at a business that supports their development. Businesses can also collaborate with universities and other education institutions to gain access to high calibre students, for instance by developing a partnership to offer degree apprenticeships that allow students to gain work experience while getting the qualification of a degree and professional accreditation, but also opening up a talent pool with the skills needed by employers. In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, online training has grown in popularity and prevalence. Although online training has existed in one form or another for decades with many people – © Shutterstock /Syda Productions 26-29.qxp_Layout 1 08/02/2021 12:01 Page 3www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link 29 TRAINING AND APPRENTICESHIPS from students right through to senior staff – taking advantage of it. Since lockdown, however, it has exploded in usage as apprentices look to maintain their learning, companies complete their employees’ training, and individuals that are now based from home, or have been made redundant in the wake of outbreak, to upskill. Outside of the pandemic, the appeal and popularity of online training lies in its flexibility. From a home office or smart device, it can be worked around any schedule, fitting in with other engagements and appointments. It can also even be undertaken on-the-go, turning that daily train or bus commute into a learning opportunity. That same flexibility is what gives online training an edge, allowing an uninterrupted learning stream for all manner of individuals while they observe social distancing regulations. Small surprise that many traditional training providers have made the transition to online learning, in part or in full. No doubt misconceptions existed around online training before the pandemic with some employers perhaps reluctant to use them over the misguided perception that they aren’t the equal of in-person training or lack the range of subjects. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Online courses cover a diversity of subjects from health & safety, administration and quality assurance right through to management and everything in between. Because of the nature of e-learning and the flexibility we’ve already touched on, it means training providers are uniquely positioned to get creative with their content and how it’s delivered. This ‘out of the box’ thinking offers a great opportunity to make courses and learning content more engaging, memorable and, thusly, more effective. It also means that content can be continually refreshed and updated with the latest research and findings in a way that traditional location-based courses simply can’t compete with. Providers also have access to analytic data from which they can see what does and doesn’t work about the courses they provide and, crucially, the way in which they’re delivered. As we look towards future, training of every kind will prove crucial to ensuring there’s a talent pipeline in place for all sectors to draw from and that the skills shortage diminishes rather than continues to widen. © Shutterstock /Kate Kultsevych 26-29.qxp_Layout 1 08/02/2021 12:01 Page 4Next >