Connections are crucial to the success of any business. Visit our latest news to keep up to date with the latest business news from across the region.
Connections are crucial to the success of any business. Visit our latest news to keep up to date with the latest business news from across the region.
Connections are crucial to the success of any business. Visit our latest news to keep up to date with the latest business news from across the region.
Become a Chamber member today and access a range of benefits to connect, support and grow your business
Connections are crucial to the success of any business. Visit our latest news to keep up to date with the latest business news from across the region.
Blogs
Check out our blogs section where Chamber representatives, members and high-profile business figures write about a range of topics. If you are a member and want to submit a blog, please click here.
Stress – The great enemy of fertility stress
By Asha Berzon | mindAbility Hypnotherapy
This blog is a reflection of our experience- this includes my husband’s views. That it is not to say it is a typical journey which every couple will experience but there will be elements that sound familiar. Fertility is a taboo subject and I hope by being open and honest, it resonates with you. We hope you find comfort in knowing you are not alone. After 3 years of being in a relationship and not conceiving naturally, we decided further tests were required. I did not qualify for free NHS IVF treatment (I was ‘too old’). Ironically, the same NHS consultant delivering the news became our privately paid Consultant. We began saving – no exotic holidays, random nights out and life became dull....
Read more
Debt recovery – collection agencies scrap for priority
By Linda Heyworth | Sydney Mitchell LLP
If you are owed money, you should seek legal advice straight away or face finding yourself at the bottom of the pecking order of creditors. Just that situation arose in a guideline High Court case in which rival debt collection agencies scrapped over which of them had priority to cash recovered from a debtor. Two creditors obtained money judgements against the debtor and entrusted different collection agencies with the task of enforcing them. Writs of control were obtained by High Court enforcement officers (HCEOs) and were passed to certified enforcement agents (EAs) employed by the agencies. The writs entitled the EAs to seize the debtor’s goods, or cash in lieu, in order to satisfy or part-satisfy...
Read more
Technology in care: What Britain’s ageing population expects
By Jayne Scarman | Unique IQ
From waking up to an alarm clock on our mobile phone, to using a computer at work and interacting with smart televisions at home, using technology has become second nature to humans. We have become confident using our phones to book a holiday to the other side of the world or buy a piece of movie memorabilia from a certain auction website, but we are still lagging behind in the everyday use of technology in the management of our health and care. Ageing expectations A report conducted by Caterplus¹ in June 2019, found that 66% of the 3,000 people interviewed between the ages of 45-65 expected technology to have advanced significantly by their retirement age. There has already been a considerable...
Read more
Security awareness: Three big reasons why an annual webinar is not enough
By Rob Savage | Avatu
Given that 49% of organisations have faced critical security consequences as a result of employee errors, the need for security awareness training for all employees is undeniable. But how frequently must this be delivered to reduce threats? This blog outlines why training must be given significantly more frequently than an annual refresher course to mitigate against cyber-attacks. Reason #1: Security threats are evolving rapidly Germany’s AV-Test Institute holds one of the world’s largest collection of malware samples and, each day, over 350,000 new samples are registered. Because of such an incredible pace of change, security awareness training material must be continuously reviewed and...
Read more
Building business with brands
By Kate Curry | The Curry Design Studio
The UK construction industry is huge - worth an estimated £110billion per annum - but it can be a rocky road for many businesses in this sector, in a fluctuating UK economy, and is one of the first to be impacted in times of uncertainty. So what can be done to help ensure your business continues to build? 1. Brands build confidence Brand messaging is a key element of any business, but particularly important in highly competitive industries. In a boom-or-bust world, you need more than just a great product or service to ensure you survive, and thrive, during the good times and the bad. A well designed brand captures attention and inspires confidence - not just outwardly for your customers...
Read more
How is Millennium Cargo preparing for Brexit?
By Chadd Blunt | Millennium Cargo
With Brexit just a month away, I thought it was time to let our clients know what we’re doing to prepare for the big change. The honest answer is, it’s kind of hard to prepare for something, when you don’t know what it is you’re supposed to prepare for! Until there is an agreement in place, or a No-Deal Brexit is confirmed, we can’t really know exactly what to expect. This level of uncertainty makes things a tad tricky, but be sure that here at Millennium we’re on the ball and doing all we can to minimise the impact of Brexit on our customers. Basically, we’re prepared to prepare for the changes when we find out for certain what they will be! We’re holding regular meetings to discuss any developments...
Read more
One in three cant use First Aid
By Luke O'Connor | LUPE Training
At the start of each First Aid course that I undertake, I will always ask the question 'has anyone not done first aid before?' Due to the type of client groups I work with(Social Care Staff and Teachers) they have normally all undertaken training before. However today I was fortunate enough to work with a staff team from an industrial setting and when I asked my usual question I was amazed to see that over half of the course had never done a first aid course and wouldn't have known what to do in an emergency. I thought I would look into this further as it intrigued me as to how many people would feel confident in using first aid skills learnt on a course. I found an article from the Daily...
Read more
Why e-learning is an industry that must be recognised
By REZA PAZHOHESHNIA | Star IT Euro Ltd.
Rapid advances in technology and modern workforce needs are transforming the way, workforce learning & training is delivered and training courses are created. Today’s tech-savvy, social and mobile learners are no longer interested in traditional classroom training and demand learning techniques that blends best with their current working style and outlook. Let us look at top online learning trends that organization must incorporate in their learning programs. Mobile learning Mobile Learning enables you to present smaller sized, interactive online learning to your employees without restricting them to a particular time or a place. Employees with busy schedules or the ones who are always...
Read more
Why doing good is good for business?
By Kelly Farrell | Mondelēz International
Kelly Farrell has been part of the Mondelēz International team for 20 years, starting her chocolatey career at Cadbury World. Following two weeks emersion with cocoa farmers in Ghana, she saw first-hand how business can be a force for good. Inspired and determined to make a positive difference in peoples’ lives – she joined the company’s community affairs team and is now Community Affairs Manager for Northern Europe, based in Bournville, where the Cadbury brand was born. Bournville and Cadbury are synonymous, and it’s possible neither would exist without the other. Kelly gives her insight into why it’s so important to continue the Cadbury legacy and how doing good is good for business. According...
Read more
Why bother?
By John Dooner | Employability UK
I’ve been a teacher, head-teacher and worked in Local Government in education-related areas. The majority of my work has been with young people who faced challenges that have worked their way to the surface, all too often in “acting out” behaviour. Then there were the young people who “acted in”, they built a fortress on non-engagement, got in it and stayed there. There were good and bad times and in heat of bad times we all ask ourselves “Why bother?” Here’s why. Let’s imagine that your positive impact on one person enables them to re-asses their current position and because of this the following happens. * Instead of confusion there’s clarity * Instead of fear of the unknown there’s...
Read more