News

Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce has launched an innovative new platform, ‘Look At Me Now,’ dedicated to showcasing and celebrating apprenticeship success stories across the county.

In collaboration with the Stoke-on-Trent & Staffordshire Careers Hub and the Local Skills Improvement Plan, this initiative aims to inspire young people, parents, and teachers by highlighting the tangible benefits and opportunities offered by apprenticeships.

Launched during National Apprenticeship Week, the platform provides a unique insight into a range of apprenticeship success stories, offering inspiration and real outcomes of the apprenticeship journey. The platform targets learners, learner peer groups, employers, training providers and those in educational settings.

Tom Nadin, Head of Projects and Business Services at Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce, said: “Apprenticeships have always proven to be an effective pathway to rewarding careers, and ‘Look At Me Now’ will serve as a valuable resource for individuals and organisations alike.

“The platform spotlights the diverse sectors benefiting from apprenticeships and underscores their positive impact on individuals’ lives. There are some brilliant case studies already live on the website which we are looking forward to evolving during the next 12 months and beyond.

“This is one of the ways that we are looking to address skills shortages in Staffordshire. There are so many current and former apprentices who are contributing incredible things to their employers, and it is imperative that they have a voice to help inspire the next generation of apprentices.”

Apprenticeships have evolved to encompass a wide range of sectors, with opportunities for Education Levels 2-7 exclusively through apprenticeship programs. ‘Look At Me Now’ aims to highlight the variety of sectors benefiting from apprenticeships, addressing skills gaps in the labour market, and showcasing the positive impact on the lives of individuals who have embraced apprenticeships.

Are you an apprentice with a success story, or an employer who has benefited from employing an apprentice in your workplace?

Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce invites individuals and employers to get in touch by emailing tom.nadin@staffordshirechambers.co.uk. If you have a story to tell or know someone who does, this is an excellent opportunity to inspire others and contribute to the promotion of apprenticeships in Staffordshire.

One of the hundreds of benefits included with a Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce membership, Chamber members can access discounted parking and hotels from ‘Best Airport Parking Provider’, APH.

APH is an airport parking company established in 1980, with top customer rated feedback and a promise to provide great service all the time.

Book with APH and you can save:

• Up to 15% off participating car parks at airports throughout the UK.
• Up to 10% off airport hotel & parking packages – great for early morning flights.
• Up to 10% off lounges at selected airports.

Why book with APH?

• No booking charges here – forget hidden charges when reserving parking or hotels with APH.
• Flexible booking to suit you – from a year ahead to just a few hours – APH can take your bookings.
• Changing your booking is easy – plans change, amending is simple and free for most bookings.
• Instant confirmation e-mail – APH will send your details straight over.
• Environmentally aware – APH are proud to support the World Land Trust’s conservation work.

To make your booking please visit www.aph.com/scc or call APH on 01342 859536 and quote ‘SCC’.

*Prices displayed/quoted are valid at time of search and will already have the relevant discount applied.

Discounts are off standard prices found on APH.com. For terms and conditions see the link on www.aph.com/scc

National law firm Freeths has strengthened its tax offering with the appointment of Partner Stephen Jones in Birmingham.

Having almost 30 years’ experience, Stephen, who joins from DLA Piper, advises on all tax aspects of property and corporate acquisitions and disposals, including development, investment, joint ventures, corporate mergers, demergers, group reorganisations and reconstructions, private equity transactions and international deals, both in the UK and internationally.

Stephen acts for high-profile clients including public sector bodies, educational institutions, charities, developers and property investors as well as listed and private companies and owner-managed businesses.

At Freeths, Stephen will support the national corporate and real estate teams and continue to grow the practice across the West Midlands.

Commenting on Stephen’s appointment, Richard Beverley, Managing Partner of Freeths Birmingham, said: “Having been in the city for over 10 years, we continue to look for and attract the best regional talent at Freeths Birmingham.

“Stephen’s appointment is consistent with our approach to all our specialist areas enabling us to offer high-quality advice at a sensible price. We look forward to welcoming him to the team.”

Bob Neal, Partner and Head of Taxation at Freeths, added: “Stephen brings with him a wealth of experience to our highly reputable practice. With his valuable sector and international capabilities alongside his stellar technical tax skills, we’re confident the Freeths team will further bolster both its regional and national offering throughout 2024 as we continue our strategic growth.”

On his appointment, Stephen Jones said: “Freeths is well known for its strong tax department across the UK and I’m looking forward to continuing the team’s dedication in expanding the practice across Birmingham and the wider midlands region.”

An opportunity has arisen for an onsite catering facility to support the West Midlands Interchange.

Winvic Construction has been appointed to design and construct the infrastructure works for the West Midlands Interchange development.

Works to include earthworks to 5,000 series plot, plot 3010 and plot 2010, formation of community parks (excluding soft landscaping) and associated site-wide surface water drainage and delivery of off-site highways works to the A449, A5 and Vicarage Road.

The West Midlands Interchange, situated at Vicarage Road, Four Ashes, Wolverhampton, is set to become a thriving hub – and Winvic Construction is keen to incorporate an onsite catering facility as part of the development.

A catering facility is required to:

• Provide breakfast and lunch options
• Serving from 6.30am until approx. 2/3 o’clock
• Potential for serving approx. 50 – 100 people on site
• Current programme for the offices is 12th November 2023 – 20th September 2024
  (however this will extend in line with the project programme)
• Provide catering for client / internal meetings

Successful applicants will be required to participate in a face-to-face meeting to discuss the scope and requirements in detail.

Winvic Construction, in line with its commitment to ISO 9001:2015 accreditation, emphasizes the importance of subcontractor assessments, requiring completion of the Q25 Supply Chain Pre-Qualification Questionnaire along with relevant supporting documentation.

The tender period for interested catering subcontractors is three weeks, with a return date no later than February 2, 2024. Find out more, here.

Exciting times at Commerce House this week as we officially opened applications for our 2024 Staffordshire Chambers Business Awards.

It’s the staple event in our Chamber calendar, returning with three brand new categories: the Responsible Business of the Year, the Learning and Development Award, as well as the Hospitality, Leisure and Tourism Award. These new categories reflect our commitment to recognising the businesses that are making a positive impact on their communities and investing in the growth and development of their teams.

Whether you’ve achieved remarkable growth, demonstrated innovation, or had a significant impact on the Staffordshire economy, we want to hear your success stories.

We smashed the record for number of applications last year, and are looking to do the same again for 2024!

Applications are fast, free and straightforward to submit. It’s an excellent opportunity to enhance your brand visibility, access new marketing prospects, connect with the top businesses in Staffordshire, and ultimately boost your financial performance.

Our gala awards ceremony is scheduled for 4 July at the Doubletree by Hilton on Festival Park, Stoke-on-Trent. We are delighted to have attracted a stellar lineup of companies and organisations who have generously signed up to support the awards. Their commitment and sponsorship play a crucial role in making this event a grand success. The Staffordshire Chambers Business Awards is the biggest awards ceremony in Staffordshire and it is only possible with their support. A massive thank you to you all.

Let’s make the Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce 2024 Business Awards a memorable event that showcases the resilience, innovation and success of our local businesses.

Submit your free application, here. Good luck!

Rapidly-expanding Stoke accountants, Sempar Accountancy & Tax, has appointed Jake Llewellyn as their new Client Relationship Director.

Jake will join the firm’s board of directors following a ‘meteoric’ period of growth that has seen an influx of new clients.

Jake said: “Joining Sempar was an easy decision and I feel privileged to join the board of Directors.

“Sempar has seen meteoric growth over the last seven years and its success has been built on its core values, strong culture and excellent approach to advising clients. 

“The majority of my career has been spent at a local firm with a great reputation, this firm has helped me mould my skills and knowledge over the years which led me to have a hugely positive impact on the clients I worked with.”

The company, which was founded in 2016 by Steve Timmis and Aludia Binos, has now grown to employ nearly 30 staff members and operates from an executive office suite in Campbell Road, Stoke.

Jake added: “The move to Sempar also allows me to have a tangible impact on the future of Sempar and along with rest of the board help continue to evolve the culture, environment and services to help the team and our clients achieve the extraordinary.

“I thoroughly enjoy seeing my advisory skills lead to positive results for clients and I can’t wait to meet and support the Sempar clients.”

Sempar offers a complete range of services including tax advisory, tech advisory, FD support and more traditional accountancy services to help their clients thrive, from helping clients with business structures, implementing their finance software/app stacks and helping clients grow their businesses.

Steve Timmis, Sempar Managing Director, said: “Sempar warmly welcomes Jake as our Client Relationship Director. His wealth of experience and commitment to client success align seamlessly with Sempar’s values, and he will help us as we continue to commercialise our business.

“We believe Jake’s strategic vision will be instrumental in propelling Sempar to new heights and look forward to his contributions as we continue to evolve our culture, enhance our services, and achieve extraordinary results for our clients.”

With services including management accounts and reports, finance and funding support, effective cash flows, and cost analysis, Sempar Accountancy and Tax is a trusted partner for businesses of all sizes, from start-up to established businesses.

For more information about Sempar Accountancy and Tax, please click here.

Applications are now open for the 2024 Staffordshire Chambers Business Awards.

The hugely-popular annual celebration marks the achievements and successes of businesses around the county, and recognises their hard work and innovation during the last 12 months and beyond.

A total of 15 category awards are available to enter, including two brand new categories, Responsible Business of the Year and the Learning and Development Award.

Applications are fast, free, and can be made via the Chambers’ website, here.

This year’s gala awards ceremony will be held on 4 July at Doubletree by Hilton on Festival Park, Stoke-on-Trent.  It has attracted a stellar line-up of companies and organisations who have signed up to support the awards.

Chris Plant, Deputy CEO of Staffordshire Chambers, said: “The prestigious Staffordshire Chambers Business Awards honour the remarkable accomplishments of local businesses that have showcased remarkable growth, innovation, and impact on the Staffordshire economy during the past year.

“Submitting a free application is an excellent way to enhance brand visibility, access fresh marketing prospects, connect with the top businesses in Staffordshire, and ultimately enhance your financial performance.”

Sponsors of this year’s awards include the West Midland Reserve Forces and Cadets Association, Ornua, Staffordshire County Council, Sempar Accountancy and Tax, Rydale Roofing, GivEnergy, Ironmarket Wealth, Staffordshire University, NSCG, Dains, Lexus and Toyota Stoke, Synectics Solutions, KPI Recruiting, Stoke-on-Trent College and the Staffordshire International Trade Centre – as well as HSBC who return as headline sponsor and We Are Staffordshire as Awards Partner.

The deadline for applications is 22 March and finalists shortlisted for an award will be exclusively unveiled in Daily Focus later in the Spring.

For more information on the awards and to apply, please click here.

Staffordshire Chambers is pleased to announce a new partnership with VAST, a charity dedicated to developing the voluntary sector in Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire, that will give VAST members access to the Chambers’ Quest support services.

The Quest business support services include a range of benefits designed to support organisations and their teams, including HR support, health & safety guidance as well as legal and tax advice.

Chris Plant, Deputy CEO of Staffordshire Chambers, said: “The Chamber is renowned for its commitment to fostering business growth and prosperity in the region.

Through this partnership, we will extend their expertise and resources of Quest to VAST, ensuring that the vital work carried out by voluntary and community organisations is bolstered with essential tools and resources.”

VAST members who wish to take up the service will be invited to a free one-to-one meeting with one of Quest’s business support managers, who will guide charities through the intricacies of health and safety, legal and HR compliance. Organisations who utilise Quest will have round-the-clock access to advice and guidance on a range of business issues.

Lisa Healings, Chief Executive of VAST, said: “It’s really exciting to be able to work with the Chamber of Commerce to offer the Quest service to our members.

“Many of these voluntary sector organisations have only one or two staff members or are just embarking on employing staff for the first time, or they are completely volunteer run, but are operating community buildings.

“The biggest challenges they face are knowing where to get accurate and up to date legal advice and having the right policies and procedures in place to make sure they are legally compliant. Having this service available will mean they have a trusted source of information and can work with our project officers to get their governance in place for these areas.”

VAST members are encouraged to take advantage of these invaluable resources, which will help to contribute to the continued success of their organisations and the broader community they serve.

For more information about the partnership and the Chambers’ Quest benefits, please contact karena.pawlak@staffordshirechambers.co.uk or visit the VAST website, here.

Staffordshire Chambers’ International Trade Centre is excited to reveal that our hugely popular Trade Surgeries are returning to 2024 – giving businesses one-to-one support to help unlock new overseas markets, completely free of charge!

Led by trade expert Chris Street, the exclusive 30-minute sessions will help SMEs to find new overseas markets – perfect for businesses who have never traded internationally or those who have just started to break into new markets.

The one-to-one format ensures that you will receive bespoke advice tailored to your business, helping you to make more sales and grow your business.

Sessions will take place at Commerce House, with four currently available to book on the morning of Wednesday, 31 January and Monday, 26 February.

It’s important to note that due to limited availability, we encourage you to secure your slot early. These appointments are free and carry no obligation. To reserve your spot and make the most of this opportunity, kindly use the following link provided.

31 January – book here

26 February – book here