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FREE PR AUDIT At Press For Attention, our approach to PR and marketing support is ±ĬĜƋƋĬåÚĜýåųåĹƋţ eÏƋƚ±ĬĬƼØĜƋűŸ)¥ÚĜýåųåĹƋţ For a FREE PR audit ahead of 2025, www.viridisbsl.co.uk sustainable@viridisbsl.co.uk +44 (0)1636 703 101 WE ARE BUILT ENVIRONMENT ENGINEERS WITH A PASSION FOR THE ENVIRONMENT... We believe that there is a better way of doing things and you shouldn’t QHHGWRVDFULȴFH1HW=HURDPELWLRQVDJDLQVWFRVW and regulation pressures. <285/($'(56721(7=(52 VIRIDIS OFFER FRIENDLY ADVICE TO YOUR NET ZERO JOURNEY YOUR DECARBONISATION PARTNER FOR YOUR SUSTAINABLE JOURNEY, THAT WON’T COST THE EARTH DECARBONISATION - RENEWABLES - LOW CARBON - LOW ENERGY - MECHANICAL - ELECTRICAL OUR SPECIALIST TEAM WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU “Let’s talk Net Zero. We’d like to discuss how we can apply our FUHDWLYHHQHUJ\UHDO ZRUOGHQJLQHHULQJH[SHUWLVHDQGSDVVLRQIRUWKHHQYLURQPHQWWRKHOS\RX deliver healthy and sustainable buildings, for the present and future generations to come, without costing the earth.” D E C A R B ON I S A T I O N R E N E WA B L E S M E C H A N I C A L & E L E C T R I C A L WHAT WE CAN HELP YOU WITH: and others, get in touch to see how we can help youAt the heart of every business is it’s people. Blueprint Interiors transform workspaces where people thrive in an environment that motivates, inspires and connects them to their colleagues. Our spaces harness culture and bring values to life, equipping businesses with the resources they needto fulfil their true potential. Through our proven consultative approach, we first gain an in depth understanding of the physical, emotive and cultural drivers behind how a business functions. 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TRENTBRIDGE.CO.UK East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk EDUCATION AND TRAINING C ontrary to popular belief, in house training can be cost effective. If multiple employees need training, it allows all employees to attend at once, rather than training them individually. This also reduces travel costs and expenses, as the training could be held in-office or somewhere close by, meaning that mileage or even hotel bills do not have to be considered. It also means that new starters could be trained from day one, rather than waiting until an external trainer is available, thus increasing the productivity of the new employee early on. Training is an exceptionally valuable resource to a business. In a recent survey, 56% of UK workers stated that they would leave their current role if their workplace stopped providing training. 31% of those surveyed had in fact left a position after experiencing this. In house training generally means that one employee is used to run a training course for other employees of the same business. This usually involves the use of the company’s own expertise, resources, and unique perspective. This can be at their workplace, or at an external venue. This provides many benefits to both employers and employees. However, in house training can be difficult for businesses to justify, given the time away from other duties required to develop and run these programmes. So, what are The cost of key skills With soaring inflation and the cost of living, training staff may feel like a painful expense – but training staff internally is likely to be cheaper than trying to recruit someone perfect for the role, especially in the current climate. www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link EDUCATION AND TRAINING the key positives derived from taking the in-house training plunge? Employment of internal training allows businesses to put their own stamp on training courses. It means that trainees can be educated in the unique product, way of thinking and, or working that makes the business successful and distinctive. This helps to promote a group mindset, and a consistent way of working. It also means that all employees can be highly educated on the product or service they provide, increasing their understanding and ability to utilise their own services. In house training removes the need for unnecessary mixing, as those training them are people with whom they would already be interacting. Moreover, courses can be delivered online, via platforms such as Microsoft Teams. These sites allow screen sharing for easy demonstration and have a hands-up function to allow employees to easily ask questions. As many businesses continue to operate on a © stock.adobe.com/Right 3 © stock.adobe.com/ insta_photos 48 Á East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk EDUCATION AND TRAINING hybrid basis, this could seamlessly integrate into everyday operations. Whilst taking a day out for training will result in some lost productivity, an employee who is unskilled or incorrectly trained could result in a long term lack of productivity as the potential for mistakes and having to rectify them increases. Furthermore, businesses miss out on the opportunity to upskill employees and help them to develop new skills. This helps the business to stay current and provides the opportunity for diversification of thinking and business approach. This could entail a training programme of creative problem solving, technical knowledge implementation, and out of the box thinking. As well as increasing business productivity, it stimulates employees and motivates them to take on other responsibilities. This has the dual benefit of making them less interested in looking elsewhere. So how can a business put together an effective training programme from scratch? Firstly, it is important to conduct an analysis of the performance gaps within the organisation and base the training around this. This can be done through an ongoing analysis of managerial attention. It is imperative that regulatory and legal requirements are covered in training, and are regularly reiterated to employees, such as health and safety training. This maintains compliance and quality assurance and reduces the likelihood of legal concerns over employee and customer safety. Secondly, combining in person and online methods provides the flexibility and safety of online learning, whilst being able to have someone physically present for more challenging sessions. Recorded video sessions could also provide flexibility for employees to go through and open at their own pace, which means that there would not need to be a significant workforce drop for a period. However, it should be noted that this is not always a good replacement for hands on learning. A survey found that 33% of office workers preferred to learn by doing, whilst being guided by an expert. Training should be seen as fundamental to business growth, given the potential it provides for honing and exploring new talent and ideas for expansion. Investing in the ability to provide internal training could save the huge cost of hiring training services, as well as provide the opportunity to take stock of the workings of the business, and how they could be improved. Whilst developing a new training initiative could involve significant up-front effort, as well as the potential to hire a training manager, it will likely provide massive savings long term, as well as ensuring that all new starters are properly trained from day one. Ultimately, internal training promotes consistency within business operations, which could mean significant streamlining of work and communications internally. © stock.adobe.com/Pixel-Shotwww.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link WATER AND WASTE MANAGEMENT As the population in the UK grows, water is becoming ever more important, and recent failures in water treatment and disposal have brought uncomfortable attention on the sector. While some businesses have been doing things the right way, others have prioritised profits over the environment – and been punished for it W ater being a keystone of life makes the industry important, and it is that same commitment to life that led water companies in the UK to agree in 2020 on an ambitious plan to make the water treatment industry net zero by 2030, twenty years ahead of the Government’s 2050 deadline. Water UK estimated that the pledge could lead to a saving of ten million tonnes of greenhouse gases. That is because water treatment and transportation is energy intensive, which is very expensive in today’s economic climate especially. Government projections put water supply as becoming scarcer in the future as demand on limited supplies increase, which is why businesses are being tasked with becoming more water efficient, and why water treatment is so integral. The cornerstones of water treatment involve the treating and safe release/disposal of water used in business processes back into the environment. This can have major ecological impacts when handled ineffectively, harming biodiversity and causing ecological, as well as environmental, damage. We live in a world where these factors are prized more than ever by consumers and customers who, in a more digital world, are quick to find fault and criticise companies who cause damage to the landscape. Wastewater – and waste management in general – represents not only copious amounts of greenhouse gas, but damaging environmental waste that can impact entire ecosystems, changing Wasted potential © stock.adobe.com/Antony Weerut 50 ÁNext >