As National Apprenticeship Week (7-13 February) gets underway, new research from Grant Thornton UK LLP shows that East Midlands medium sized businesses are increasingly making use of apprenticeships as a means of upskilling their people at all levels. With job vacancies and resignations at record highs, Grant Thornton’s latest Business Outlook Tracker survey shows that there’s an upward trend of apprenticeship use in the mid-market which is set to expand in 2022. 66% of respondents in the East Midlands agreed that more of their people will be trained using apprenticeships this year than in 2021. Employers saw additional strategic benefits to apprenticeships, with two thirds (66%) of the business leaders surveyed saying that apprenticeships had helped to improve social mobility in their business and more than half (60%) agreed that formal development supports employee wellbeing. The study found that mid-market organisations are now using apprenticeships at all levels of the business from entry level to senior management. The majority of those surveyed (54%) said that the Apprenticeship Levy had been a motivating factor in the increased use. This growing use of apprenticeships in the East Midlands mirrors the national picture. From the 601 UK-wide respondents to Grant Thornton’s latest Business Outlook Tracker survey, all but one business said that they currently use apprenticeships to develop their people. This has increased from a similar study conducted by the firm in 2018, when 86% of mid-market respondents said they used apprenticeships in their organisation. Sue Knight, partner and practice leader at Grant Thornton UK LLP in the Midlands, said: “Apprenticeships are increasingly being seen as an agile and valuable tool that can help businesses achieve a variety of goals. Most notably, with job vacancies and attrition currently reaching record highs, the ability to attract and retain key talent has become a priority challenge for many employers in the East Midlands. “Thanks to the personal developmental potential that apprenticeships offer, they are being embraced as an effective solution to this problem. “We’re seeing businesses become ever more strategic with their use of apprenticeships to address a variety of issues such as improving diversity in the workforce, achieving sustainable recruitment and replacing traditional graduate programmes with highly desirable qualifications. “The ability to tailor apprenticeships to specific development requirements is especially useful, with many firms using courses to add valuable new skills in the fields of digital, finance and data analysis into their organisation.” According to rolling data from Grant Thornton’s Business Outlook Tracker, investment expectations for skills development in the East Midlands mid-market have fluctuated greatly throughout the challenges of 2021. At the start of 2021, 58% of businesses in the East Midlands said they intended to invest more in skills development over the next six months, a figure which has gone up and down throughout the year, last recorded in December at 32%. Sue Knight suggests that this dip in investment expectations has less to do with appetite for skills development than it does with rapidly changing priorities: “The expectations for investment in skills reacts according to the confidence that businesses have in the strength of the economy. In short, when optimism is high, expectation for investment in skills is high. “The upheavals that firms have faced since early 2020 means that whilst businesses recognise the need for development, they also require cost effective solutions tailored to their business needs. The Apprenticeship Levy helps with this and has become an integrated part of Learning and Development funding for many employers by providing full funding for qualifications up to master’s degree level.”

Arc Partnership and Nottingham Trent University have announced a new strategic partnership focusing on developing career pathways for growing local talent across the construction sector and sharing insights and opportunities of the skills needed by the future workforce. The partnership will explore areas of mutual benefit and take a collaborative approach to the sharing of knowledge in response to sector challenges. The partnership will include working with research groups from the University’s School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment and sharing learning from the EnergiSprong approach used by NTU in its Remourban EU Project, a scheme which explored the retrofitting of residential properties in Nottingham. Arc Property Services Partnership Limited, trading as Arc Partnership, supports public sector clients in the creation of efficient, safe and sustainable land and property portfolios.  Formed in 2016 as a Joint Venture Company between Nottinghamshire County Council and SCAPE, its services include multi-disciplinary property design, consultancy, master planning, regeneration, project and programme management, emergency, reactive, risk management, asset management, and planned maintenance. Dan Maher, Managing Director of Arc Partnership, said: “Against the backdrop of a climate emergency and the local economy rebuilding itself post-pandemic, a focus on employability and maximising the skills and knowledge to deliver on Nottinghamshire’s net zero ambitions has become mission critical. “But it’s no secret that the construction industry is faced with a large skills shortage that may affect its ability to tackle these challenges. Our partnership with Nottingham Trent University will enable us to share our industry insight and pool resources to nurture the talent of the future and help to plug the green skills gap.” Executive Dean Andrew Knight echoed the sentiment, adding: “Working closely with Arc Partnership presents a unique opportunity for our students to gain first-hand experience of working in industry, allowing them to learn about the real challenges facing professionals. “It will also enable our students to provide potential solutions for businesses which may not have been considered before, helping shape the sector of tomorrow in new and innovative ways. “We have ambitions to develop a centre of excellence for low carbon construction skills and retrofitting expertise to help create and retrofit buildings to meet all of society’s sustainability expectations. We see Arc Partnership being pivotal in the development of this, and providing the essential bridge between industry and academia.” Councillor Reg Adair, vice chairman of the Economic Development and Asset Management Committee at Nottinghamshire County Council said the tie up between the private, public and university sectors was vital as so many new industries are coming to the fore. Councillor Adair said: “Today’s students are tomorrow’s workforce and they need to be equipped with the skills and knowledge needed for jobs in the construction, energy and technology worlds going forward. “Nottinghamshire County Council recently declared a climate emergency and we are putting the green agenda right at the heart of our pledge to achieve Net Zero by 2030. This is the trajectory of most companies throughout the country and gives a clear indication that the green agenda and achieving Net Zero targets will very much be at the core of local authority and private industry’s plans for the foreseeable future. “That is why a partnership like this is so important so that we can garner knowledge from industry and the workplace to inform universities of the skills and training needed for jobs over the coming decades. This in turn will no doubt have a significant knock on effect for the economic prosperity of Nottinghamshire.”

Time-consuming hospital paperwork could become a thing of the past thanks to a Nottingham company providing much-needed hope to healthcare managers looking to drive down Covid-hit waiting lists.

Health software company Trisoft, of Castle Gate, is launching a powerful new tool, AQUA theatreman, which streamlines patient journeys and provides vital information for hospital staff.

The comprehensively designed tool builds on Trisoft’s existing theatreman software, already in use in some hospitals. It allows staff to move away from cumbersome paperwork enabling them to manage both patients and resources much more efficiently – and get more people treated in a day.

With the British Medical Association (BMA) reporting a record high NHS England waiting list of 5.98 million in October, the tool is likely to be welcomed by many hospital trusts trying to get patients seen quicker in 2022 and beyond.

Jane Woolford, who is using theatreman at East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Since East Kent University NHS Foundation Trust introduced theatreman, processes have improved greatly, streamlining theatre activities where before paper systems were in place.

“Despite operating in a Covid environment, problem resolution is quick once a problem is allocated to a technician, contact is made and resolution is usually achieved during the call.”

Dominic Claxton, client success manager at Trisoft AQUA theatreman, said: “We are proud to be launching our new AQUA theatreman software in 2022 – the perfect time to help hospitals still badly affected by the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on waiting lists.

“Also, by working just as well on the Internet cloud as it does via a hospital’s own systems, AQUA theatreman is helping the NHS achieve its digital goals – which will in turn help reduce carbon emissions.

“We are passionate about helping to make healthcare in this country the best in the world and we hope that with its smart scheduling capabilities our AQUA theatreman software can play its part in achieving those aims.

“Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic the world has seen just how under pressure doctors, nurses, porters, managers and all hospital staff have been, in coping with this dreadful situation. Let’s hope that AQUA theatreman can start to make things a little bit easier in 2022 and into the future.”

The AQUA theatreman system can be used on a mobile, tablet or desktop device and offers hospital staff the ability to digitally process a patient’s journey from ward to theatre. The aim is to help busy hospital surgery departments get patients in and out in a more efficient way, with features such as booking slots, and up-to-the-minute dashboards showing each stage of the surgery process.

The software also gives hospital personnel a range of other information at their fingertips, including waiting lists for different departments, and what equipment will be required for each surgery. It allows them to see which patients are ready to leave which theatres, as well as reviewing activity from previous days and filtering precise information.

The D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) has refreshed its Local Skills Report. The new report sets out the actions needed to make sure everyone has the skills which will allow them to get good jobs, both now and in the future —and how it will also help the region address other issues, from climate change to regional inequality. Since 2018, Skills Advisory Panels (SAPs) have been bringing together employers, skills providers, and key local stakeholders to better understand and resolve skills mismatches at a local level. The D2N2 LEP, in its capacity as organiser of the region’s Skills Advisory Panel (SAP), is fostering greater collaboration and engagement with key local stakeholders to support its leadership role in the local economy. Drawing on our regional skills and labour market strengths, challenges and ambitions, the report is a springboard for future engagements, partnerships and conversations. It offers a wealth of insights and ideas for use by any individual or organisation with an interest in skills development in the region. Since the publication of the first D2N2 Local Skills Report in March 2021, the D2N2 area has been successful in securing additional funding for resources and provision to address skills mismatches across the area. Most notably, there have been two Strategic Development Fund pilots, the extension of the Digital Skills Bootcamps, and the recently announced successful bid for an East Midlands Institute of Technology, led by the University of Derby. The strategies and action plans presented are all designed to contribute to the wider ambitions for the region, responding to local needs and development priorities, and to clearly align with government strategies aimed at growth and levelling up. The report outlines how stakeholders can assist to build more inclusive and sustainable economies and societies:

• Government: Provide funding continuity; increase access to reskilling; use SAPs to enable a strategic focus on skills encompassing all funding streams and audiences.
• Post-16 Skills Providers: Continue to reassess delivery against the shifting needs of the economy; build collaborative skills pathways; embed digital and low carbon in all learning pathways.
• Schools: Provide senior support of careers activity; promote all technical skills pathways; embed careers inspiration and core digital skills in the curriculum.
• Local Authorities: Work from this common evidence base for new developments such as County Deals; facilitate relationships between local employers and schools.
• Employers and Business Representative Organisations (BROs): Make skills core to recovery and growth planning; engage with colleges, universities and other providers in the skills system to develop the future workforce; support workers in retraining, reskilling and upskilling.

Fiona Baker, head of people of skills at D2N2 LEP, said: “Major economic changes have been driven by skills demand trends and technological changes, and then accelerated by COVID-19 and Brexit. During the pandemic, our focus has been on mitigating actions. With the worst of the labour market impacts seemingly now behind us, we are now able to increase attention on medium-term initiatives. “We have made good progress since the first Local Skills Report was published in March 2021, but we must maintain momentum to achieve our ambitions. This report will drive wider influence and national leverage by feeding into the Department for Education’s (DfE) Skills and Productivity Board, and into our regular reporting to the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. We all have important roles to play in delivering the priority interventions we have identified.” This second iteration of SAPs’ Local Skills Reports comes at a time when DfE is trailblazing new Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs), in eight areas of the country. Developed by Employer Representative Bodies, LSIPs are part of a suite of reforms launched in DfE’s “Skills for Jobs” White Paper that aim to put employers more firmly at the heart of the skills system. An evaluation of the eight Trailblazers will inform the national roll out of the programme. In the meantime, and before LSIPs are rolled out across the country, it is DfE’s intention that Skills Advisory Panels and this Local Skills Report should continue to influence the behaviour of local partners and feed intelligence to central government, including to sectoral focussed skills teams and the national-level Skills and Productivity Board (SPB).

Derby’s Our City, Our River (OCOR) project has received an exciting boost as £17.7 million has been awarded as part of the Government’s initiative to protect homes and businesses from flooding. This extra funding, which will be formally approved by Cabinet on Wednesday, will go towards the delivery of flood alleviation measures at Derby Riverside around Stuart Street, Phoenix Street, and Exeter Place. The hope is that the investment will create a new area of the city on the east side of the river. The OCOR programme will unlock the redevelopment potential on the east side of the river with the creation of a new area of the city, and support the construction of more homes for Derby and commercial space for up to 1,000 jobs. To achieve this, further design work and a refresh of the planning consent will continue over the next two years. Earlier phases of OCOR defences were put to the test in November 2019 when river levels reached new records. Closing the city’s floodgates saved over 1,200 homes and properties, highlighting the value of the programme. In response to the funding being agreed, Councillor Steve Hassall, Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Decarbonisation & Strategic Planning & Transport said: “This funding is great news for the OCOR project and the whole city. We’re delighted to receive this substantial investment towards the next phase of our flood defences and the regeneration of the east side of the river. “We know the importance of protecting the livelihoods of our residents and the major changes proposed with this funding will be key to protecting homes and businesses. The major regeneration of this area will allow us to embrace the potential of our river and also support Derby’s economic recovery. “This funding and the proposals have the potential to transform our city centre and open up new spaces and opportunities for residents and visitors.  We’d like to thank the Environment Agency for their ongoing support throughout the Our City, Our River project.” Paul Lockhart, Area Flood & Coastal Risk Manager for the Environment Agency, added: “It is great news for the people and businesses in the city of Derby that a further £17m of government funding has been awarded for the Our City Our River Derby Flood Alleviation Scheme. “We know the devastating impact that flooding can have, which is why protecting people and communities and mitigating the impacts of climate change is our top priority for the Environment Agency. “Securing this additional funding to further regenerate the River Derwent area in Derby and reduce flood risk brings the total to £27m for phase II of the scheme; £10m was secured in 2020. “This partnership scheme between the Environment Agency and Derby City Council provides flood protection to infrastructure, residential and commercial properties and also facilitates the regeneration aspirations of the Council.” As funding for package 2 has been secured, work has begun the construction of a new pumping station on the Mill Fleam in the final stages of the Munio Project. The new pump station will discharge water from Markeaton Brook into the Derwent, rather than it backing up through the brook under the city, increasing the risk of the city centre flooding. This will provide further protection to homes and businesses, mitigating the social and economic impacts of any future flooding event. To prepare for construction, some trees will need to be removed over the coming weeks. Following completion of the project, a programme of tree planting will begin on site and at other city centre and riverside locations to compensate for the lost trees as much as possible. Many of the trees to be removed, particularly on the banks of the Mill Fleam are self-set and overcrowded. Replacement planting will be with more suitable species and with room to mature. Project Munio works have also created opportunities for wider environmental improvements on Bass’s Recreation ground, including woodland planting, the creation of a fish refuge lagoon on the Mill Fleam, and improvements to the park entrance and events area. This is on top of the programme of improvements that OCOR has already delivered along the river corridor in partnership with volunteer and Friends groups. These include:

• Darley Park –tree management, wildflower meadow seeding, river bank improvements and planting, riverside path and boardwalk
• Nutwood Local nature reserve – restoration of swamp area and habitat creation, improved access path, invasive species management
• Alvaston Park – lake improvements and planting, creation of lagoon adjacent to the river

Councillor Steve Hassall, Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Decarbonisation & Strategic Planning & Transport said: “Residents may have already noticed the preparations for this final step of Project Munio. The new pumping station is the last piece of the jigsaw on the west side of the river, and its completion will leave the city centre with a reliable flood defence system that will protect people’s homes, businesses, and livelihoods. “We appreciate how essential trees are in the city and it is unfortunate that displacement of trees has had to take place. This is an essential and intrinsic element to the flood defence programme and has to take place in this strategic and specific location in order to protect our city and its residents for years to come from the devastation that can be caused by flood waters. “We want to be absolutely clear that we will be undertaking a replanting programme and other environmental works to compensate for the trees lost as part of the flood protection project, and that the net outcome will be the introduction of better quality and a more appropriate species of trees.”

NEW jobs for young people on Universal Credit are currently available with the city council as part of the Kickstart job creation programme. Kickstart has been devised by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to help get young people aged 16 to 24, who claim Universal Credit, into meaningful jobs with local businesses. And to mark National Apprenticeship Week (7-13 February), the city council is highlighting the 29 Kickstart jobs it currently has on offer, complementing the 27 council Kickstart roles that have already been filled. Currently out for recruitment are Kickstart roles in areas including sports, housing, social care, libraries, administration and procurement. Kickstart jobs are all guaranteed for at least six months, with options to progress to apprenticeships or further work placements. The city council’s adult education service also provides council Kickstart employees with a six-month employability training scheme to help them further their career prospects. Organisations taking part in Kickstart offer a six-month work placement for a minimum of 25 hours per week, paying at least the minimum wage.  The jobs must be new, of good quality, and focus on specific, detailed roles. The DWP will pay 100 per cent of the age-relevant National Minimum Wage, National Insurance and pension contributions for 25 hours a week, but employers can also top up this wage. The DWP will also pay employers £1,500 for set-up costs such as uniforms or training for people they take on. Manveer Gill, Kickstart Employment Advisor at the DWP, said: “Seeing young people getting into jobs and learning new experiences through Kickstart has been incredible. For someone to be able to work in a sector that really interests them but might not necessarily have had the experience or skills to get into that sector through a normal recruitment experience, means that we can have really rewarding conversations about the direction a young person wants their career to go in.” As well as already employing 27 Kickstart employees itself, the city council is acting as an intermediary to help small and medium-sized local businesses take part in the Kickstart scheme. Leicester City Council is well placed to do this, as its specialist Leicester Employment Hub works to put candidates in touch with employers across the city and county. In this way, a total of 112 Kickstart vacancies across Leicester and Leicestershire are either already filled or in the process of being filled. Assistant city mayor for jobs and skills Cllr Danny Myers said: “We know these are tough times for youth unemployment, so it’s really important we offer meaningful opportunities and support. We’ve offered a number of 12-month city council contracts – longer than the minimum of six months – to reinforce our commitment to Kickstart. “As National Apprenticeship Week gets under way, it’s the perfect time to highlight our Kickstart vacancies and make sure that young people know there are opportunities out there for them. “We’ve also been funded by the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership (LLEP) to create a Kickstart extension programme. This will help local employers to extend their placements for a further six months, allowing young people the chance to start a career.” Nahida Ahmed, 23, is a Kickstart employee who started a community facilitator job in public health with Leicester City Council in September last year. She said: “Working as a community facilitator has stretched me and taken me out of my comfort zone. Joining regular team meetings to communicate with professionals across Leicester has helped me to improve my communication skills and grow in confidence. I have come out of my shell and I feel much happier in myself, as I know I will be making a difference in the community.” Joel Carter, 24, also a Kickstart community facilitator with the council, said: “Kickstart has been perfect for me. I always struggled with applying for jobs and this meant I got straight to an interview. I’m very grateful, it’s been a great experience that has taught me a lot and hopefully will kickstart my council career. What made the whole job even more special was my colleagues and managers who made me feel so welcome, which really helped my mental health and self-worth.” Nazira Vania, a project manager in public health at Leicester City Council, said: “The young people that have joined us through the Kickstart scheme are full of talent and potential. They have been a great asset to our team and have brought valuable skills and perspectives to our project.” The Kickstart scheme and Employment Hub are both key part of Leicester’s Economic Recovery Plan, which lists the ideas and actions the council and its partners are developing to help ensure Leicester’s local economy, jobs market and businesses can remain resilient and flourish in these challenging times. Kickstart vacancies are promoted only through the DWP, where work coaches discuss available opportunities with young people. For more information on city council Kickstart opportunities, young people can email kickstart@leicester.gov.uk or chat with their work coach.

Leicestershire’s Business Gateway is offering small businesses support with a difference from 22 February with a programme of four webinars. Designed to give business leaders the skills they need to encourage new ideas from their teams, the four free webinars will be delivered by Loughborough-based Qinesis. Dr Cham S Kang of Qinesis explains the difference: “The Business Gateway are keen to make their support as relevant as possible to participating businesses so we will be contacting each one of them beforehand, to get some context and understand their specific challenges. It will be very different from some of the generic webinars that people may have attended before and much more valuable we hope.”

The Business Gateway is encouraging small business owners and leaders to attend the whole programme so that they can make sure they introduce a culture of new ideas within their business and sustain it in the longer term. The first session will focus on the importance of the leader. A good leader will let their team know that new ideas are welcome and encourage suggestions from all staff around reducing costs, improving efficiency and even new products or services. If a business leader does not feel that they have the skills to do this, this programme will solve that issue. Dr Kang continued: “A lot of small businesses in Leicestershire are already thinking creatively and we saw many examples of that during the pandemic with businesses adapting to the circumstances that no one saw coming. Our programme will help businesses embed these skills as part of their DNA so that they can adapt when the next challenge comes, and do so profitably.” As with all Business Gateway programmes, places are fully funded and therefore free to participating businesses. The four webinars in the programme are: Running a small business is a lonely place, who listens to the leader? – 22 February, 8.00am-9.30am Creative thinking for growth in your non-creative businesses – 9 March, 8.00am-9.30am Creative thinking to sustain long-term growth – 29 March, 8.00am – 9.30am Developing an individual action plan for growth – 14 April, 8.00am – 9.30am At the end of the programme participating companies will have the ability to develop, implement and lead different thinking in their teams and a plan of action to embed it in the company for the long term. The programme is aimed at small businesses with ten employees or fewer and more details can be found at https://bit.ly/Qinesis