< Previous20 Business Link www.blmforum.net TRAINING T he skills shortage is being hailed as the biggest threat of 2022. In a post-pandemic world, we’ve come out into an economy where job openings are common and skilled applicants are less available than ever before. Combine this with the Great Resignation, which has seen many people move on due to pressures from Covid or just better offers elsewhere, and you have a scenario where many companies in our regions and beyond are struggling to find qualified and skilled staff for key positions. Worse still, retaining staff becomes increasingly difficult when their value increases. After all, if a company is struggling to fill a position, then they may turn to headhunting to poach staff directly or increase their wage offerings and put themselves in greater competition against your company if you cannot do the same. There’s no magic solution to that and no real way to force an employee to stay if they want to move on, which means many businesses will have to deal with – or currently are dealing with – the challenge of finding skilled employees to hire for certain positions. If your business has the resources necessary to offer the greatest packages and attract the best talent, great, but those who cannot afford to break the bank to hire the best, may need to create the perfect candidate instead. Online training saw a massive boom during the lockdown period for the obvious reasons of its convenience and viability in a working-from-home landscape. While this was a great way to upskill staff during a time when productivity and work hours were low, every business owner understands what it can achieve. Training can help improve staff and give business leaders valuable skills they need to run a company. This is all applicable and very easily understood, but what many are missing out on is the potential online training has to solve the recruitment crisis gripping the region by replacing, or supporting, in-house training Training the ideal candidate With skills shortages and the great resignation squeezing recruitment pools and agencies alike, businesses may want to look to creating their own ideal candidate rather than waiting for one to show up. 22 Á 20-23.qxp_Layout 1 04/05/2022 14:01 Page 1www.blmforum.net Business Link 21 TRAINING 20-23.qxp_Layout 1 04/05/2022 14:01 Page 222 Business Link www.blmforum.net TRAINING already undertaken, by online courses tailored to the particular job. Businesses already run in-house training as an everyday part of hiring a new employee – but this, often day or several days long training wherein fire drills, company practice and more are explained, could easily be expanded into an outsourced, online training program designed to teach valuable skills the job requires. This could take part prior to a candidate starting with the company, or as part of their introductory term with the company and could be tailored theoretically to any position or role, used either to strengthen key skills, teach valuable qualifications or even shore up weaknesses in a candidate. This may not be an ideal solution of course, the ideal would be that a candidate comes with every skill necessary to fill the role, but in today’s business world where this simply isn’t happening, and where companies are fighting tooth and nail for a limited pool of skilled candidates, alternatives must be found. It may soon not be enough to simply wait for the right candidate, especially not when perspective employees now understand their scarcity, and are much more likely to make demands or hold out for the best job offers rather than settling for the first one made available. Aside from teaching a candidate the skills they need for a position, investing in upskilling employees can also work to increase their loyalty and reduce staff turnover. No employee will want to stay in the same position and role indefinitely, hence why many move on to further their careers, but by opening opportunities to grow skills and progress within the company, staff may see more career opportunities within the company than without. Of course, this isn’t always possible and there may not be much room for vertical progression, in which case it can feel like making employees more qualified will only increase the chances that they move on. However, employees that are thinking of doing so will do so regardless of their skill set or not. It is better to have a highly skilled and motivated workforce than one that is struggling to cope. One of the reasons why training courses are so often cut by companies is because the results of them can seem intangible. Like so many other departments or initiatives, the budgets of these are cut first compared to profit-making venture. This is obviously a flawed way of thinking that will have to change in the long run, but perhaps the flaw is also in the idea that performance is difficult to quantify. It should not be. Targets and KPI’s have existed as far back as businesses have, and employees being trained to perform better should be able to show a measurable and quantifiable increase in productivity. If training is necessary to enable an employee to work in a role at all then it should already be easily quantified – the training has allowed the employee to take the position and has therefore worked – but if the training course is to upskill in areas such as sales, conflict resolution or health and safety, then managers must find other ways of measuring how successful it has been, but they must work to quantify this rather than simply write it off as too difficult, as has all too often been the excuse in the past. The simple fact is that skilled employees are not growing on trees anymore, but online training is more readily available, accessible and affordable than it has ever been before, in this digitally connected age. Those companies who are not growing with the times are missing the obvious solution and will be left fighting with other fish in an ever-shrinking pond of skilled candidates. Rather than trying to become the biggest fish in a small pond, it might be time to start enlarging the pond itself. 20-23.qxp_Layout 1 04/05/2022 14:01 Page 3www.blmforum.net Business Link 23 TRAINING © stock.adobe.com/Vitalii Vodolazskyi Verner Wheelock’s new Hi-tech training centre Food industry training experts Verner Wheelock will now be delivering their face- to-face courses at their brand new state-of-the-art training centre in the heart of Skipton, North Yorkshire. “The new premises are fantastic and kitted out with all the latest audio-visual equipment, so we can deliver interactive remote and classroom-based training concurrently,” says Managing Director, Alison Wheelock. “It’s also located just a five minute walk from the train station and all the amenities of the town centre, which makes it really convenient.” The company offers RSPH courses at all levels in food safety and HACCP; and FDQ certified training in auditing. It also runs its own courses in Vulnerability Assessment & Food Defence, Managing Food Allergens, Legal Labelling and other subjects aimed at food manufacturers. Delegates continue to achieve high pass rates for all examinations and have been awarded several RSPH annual awards over the years. For more information, please visit www.vwa.co.uk 20-23.qxp_Layout 1 04/05/2022 14:01 Page 424 Business Link www.blmforum.net LEEDS BECKETT UNIVERSITY Q&A Can you tell us a little about Help to Grow: Management and why Leeds Business School are involved? Help to Grow: Management is a £220 million government-backed programme which was created to boost economic recovery from the impact of COVID-19. In total it aims to provide over 300,000 SME leaders in the UK with the skills they need to improve business performance and resilience to future crises – helping them bounce back and achieve long- term growth. Leeds Business School has a long history of working with SMEs in the region and we are delighted to be part of the scheme and to share our expertise and knowledge with our business community. So far, we have supported more than 150 Yorkshire SMEs through Help to Grow and its pilot course – the Small Business Leadership Programme – since it first launched at the end of 2020. What does the programme cover, and what format does it take? The programme covers everything from strategies for growth and innovation, to leading high-performance teams and digital adoption, as well as financial management and responsible business practices. Each business also benefits from a generous 10 hours of dedicated business mentoring. It is a practical, 12-week programme, which is designed to be completed around your existing full-time work commitments. It is delivered through a blend of online and face-to-face sessions – you learn alongside a group of up to 25 other SME businesses in Yorkshire. What is the cost of the programme, and who delivers it? It is 90% funded by the government – so the total cost to the business is only £750. Our delivery team are highly experienced academics with commercial backgrounds - people who either owned or still own a business. Their experience means that they really understand the challenges of SMEs and are very skilled at translating theory into practice. We have a strong focus on practical problem-solving techniques - and all our businesses come away with a growth action plan to embed in their organisation from the word ‘go’. What challenges do SMEs currently face and how can the programme help? SMEs are facing a lot of different challenges right now – some are looking to get back on their feet after a difficult few years, while others need help to move forward in the new business climate. Certain things are quite common – a lot of SMEs in our community are coming to us wanting to know how to position themselves better in the market, how to innovate, and how to motivate their workforce to achieve better staff retention and improvements in productivity. All the SMEs we work with tell us that Help to Grow gives them a valuable opportunity to take time away to reflect and work ‘on’ rather than ‘in’ their business. Their mentors support them with practical steps they can take to make sure that they actually implement what they have learnt. After two years of working at home – or at least in relative isolation – all our participants say they have really enjoyed working with a group of their peers and sharing common challenges and Q&A Upskilling SMEs Help to Grow: Management is a government-backed scheme to help boost the economy of our region by supporting and upskilling business leaders. We spoke with Olga Munroe, the Help to Grow Programme Director at Leeds Business School - part of Leeds Beckett University - to find out more about it. Olga Munroe 24-25.qxp_Layout 1 04/05/2022 14:02 Page 1www.blmforum.net Business Link 25 LEEDS BECKETT UNIVERSITY Q&A approaches. It’s great to get back in a room and network again. How do business owners and leaders get started with this, and what will they need in terms of time commitment and preparation? We are running four groups a year - with the next ones starting in June and September. One of the benefits of this programme is that it is open to all SMEs, regardless of sector - you just need to have been trading for at least a year and have a minimum of five employees. There are 12 weeks of modules, with some rest weeks – and it is designed to be completed alongside a full-time job. Eight of the weeks are online, two-hour, sessions - with four practical, face-to-face case study workshops. You will also have 10 hours of one-to-one support from a mentor, along with peer group calls. What happens when the programme ends? What other support does Leeds Beckett offer SMEs? All our Help to Grow graduates become part of our alumni network and business community – and have access to ongoing expert support and relevant events, including our Leeds Business School guest lecture series featuring industry experts, and networking events. As a Business School we can also provide a host of other support outside of the programme itself – we like to see Help to Grow as the starting point for a business to build an ongoing relationship with us – it’s just the start of the journey. Outside of Help to Grow, we work with businesses of all shapes and sizes to find new solutions to overcome key business challenges. We have a number of business programmes and funding opportunities that can help - including part-funded Management Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (mKTPs), Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) courses, and student and graduate recruitment and placements. At Leeds Beckett, we view all of our relationships with our SMEs as a long-term commitment. We treat everyone that connects with us in the same way from day one. We will help you to navigate the wealth of support available to you across the university and work with you to understand your needs and goals. We would love to connect – so please get in touch at Help2grow@leedsbeckett.ac.uk or for advice around our wider support, please contact us at REsupport@leedsbeckett.ac.uk www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/business-services 24-25.qxp_Layout 1 04/05/2022 14:02 Page 226 Business Link www.blmforum.net RELOCATION AND INWARD INVESTMENT All eyes on Yorkshire A region with a lot to offer, businesses continue to flock to Yorkshire. 26-29.qxp_Layout 1 04/05/2022 14:04 Page 1www.blmforum.net Business Link 27 RELOCATION AND INWARD INVESTMENT © stock.adobe.com/Chris P resenting a prime investment and relocation opportunity, Yorkshire is a region with a varied economy, famous for its industrial heritage and growing reputation for advanced manufacturing and engineering, stretching through to creative media. It has millions of people on the doorstep with technical skill-sets, and a plethora of high-ranking universities make the region even more attractive, alongside its strong business support networks, transport links, Freeport areas, major enterprise zones providing business rate discounts or enhanced capital allowances for investment in plant and machinery, and East Coast offering a gateway to Europe. In addition, at a time in which we are transitioning to a low carbon economy, the region presents the largest offshore wind farms, home to the UK’s Energy Estuary, and new investment in a Sustainability Centre in South Yorkshire, bringing together researchers, businesses and organisations to co-design solutions to regional and global sustainability challenges, is anticipated to unlock good green jobs and grow and attract new businesses and investment. With this, it is no surprise that businesses continue to choose the region to locate and expand their operations. This year (2022), for example, a revolutionary company set to develop a new generation of greener vehicle batteries chose South Yorkshire as the spot for a new Research & Development and manufacturing facility. Hyde, Manchester-based The Ultimate Battery Company selected South Yorkshire after receiving support through South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) and recognising its potential as the green heart of the UK. SYMCA pledged to provide £5.2m in financial support (£3.2m loan and £2m grant) to the Ultimate Battery Company to enable them to develop technologies to reduce Carbon Dioxide emissions with transformative new technologies and energy storage solutions. The new facility is expected to create 495 new jobs over the next few years. Maurizio Cunningham-Brown, CEO of the Ultimate Battery Company, said: “To develop these new technologies and products we needed to find a location with a green energy infrastructure and the support framework and supply network in place to help us achieve our ambitions. The team at SYMCA helped to guide us through the funding process and put us in touch with the University of Sheffield’s 28 Á 26-29.qxp_Layout 1 04/05/2022 14:04 Page 228 Business Link www.blmforum.net RELOCATION AND INWARD INVESTMENT © stock.adobe.com/denisismagilov AMRC, which is now our partner in research and development of our new battery technologies.” Maurizio added: “We are really excited about locating our new facility in South Yorkshire and being able to create jobs here, now and in the future. Access to a talented workforce and the support available in this area for skills training and development were obvious draws to South Yorkshire.” This news follows further success in South Yorkshire at the end of 2021 which saw Lontra, the innovative developer, manufacturer and exporter of high value industrial machinery for critical industries, announce it was opening a £17m Smart Factory in South Yorkshire, generating a world-class manufacturing line. SYMCA is partnering with Lontra to support the new Smart Factory based in Doncaster, by providing a grant and loan package totalling over £7m through the South Yorkshire Renewal Fund, with approximately £10m of private sector match funding by Lontra. The partnership between Lontra and SYMCA will contribute to the region’s growth, creating over 300 new jobs with more across the regional supply chain. The factory space, 105,035 sq ft, will manufacture energy saving products for world-wide food manufacture, pharmaceutical products and water treatment, amongst others. These products will be exported globally through Lontra’s international distribution network with distribution agreements secured. Steve Lindsey, executive chair of Lontra, said: “We are thrilled to open our first factory in the region with the support of South Yorkshire MCA. This is a region that’s incredibly progressive and we are proud to be a part of their innovation story. We are honoured to bring a commitment of long-term innovation and economic growth, both for Lontra as a business and for South Yorkshire.” Over in West Yorkshire, meanwhile, a number of high- profile businesses and organisations have chosen to set up, or scale up. In particular Leeds has become a popular spot for law firms, with Knight Frank’s Law Firm Report revealing that last year the office space taken by law firms in Leeds was 100,743 sq ft, with global firm DLA Piper pre-letting 83,000 sq ft at City Square House, a new highly sustainable, best-in class building, close to Leeds City Station, which is being designed to support the wellbeing and productivity of employees. Eamon Fox, partner and head of Knight Frank’s office agency department in Leeds, explained: “The legal sector in Leeds is currently turbo-charged, driven by a combination of a focus on talent attraction and employee wellbeing and a need to align law firm’s real estate with post- pandemic workplace strategies and sustainability commitments. Apart from the DLA Piper deal, which is a game-changer in the Leeds office market, other leading law firms such as Knights, Lupton Fawcett and rradar have moved, or are just about to move, to superb new modern 26-29.qxp_Layout 1 04/05/2022 14:04 Page 3www.blmforum.net Business Link 29 RELOCATION AND INWARD INVESTMENT New programmes launched in the Growth Hub to help your business grow The Business Lincolnshire team are proud to announce the new programmes and initiatives added to the Growth Hub for 2022. The Next Level Scale Up Programme, Creative Catalyst, and the Fit for Business Podcast series are all valuable additions to the business support that the Growth Hub provides. Are you in need of help to focus on your goals to move your business forward? The Next Level Scale Up Programme is tailored specifically for businesses on a rapid growth journey. The programme comprises of workshops, one to one guidance, mentoring support, and resources to develop leadership and management skills, culminating in a Growth Sprint Event, from which you will develop a growth strategy for your own business. Another resource is the Creative Catalyst workshop, designed for businesses who are looking to innovate. The new workshop series will explore how to refine your products and services, and how to diversify those offerings. Delivered across three sessions (two group forums plus a one-to-one consultation), the workshop will introduce you to new techniques and develop your skills in meeting client wants and needs. Another exciting development is that Business Lincolnshire and CDI Alliance have teamed up to produce the Fit for Business podcast. An engaging and insightful bi-weekly series, covering topics such as legal structures, utilising technology for profitability, building a business plan, and much more - visit https://businesslincolnshire.podbean.com Interested in taking your business to the next level? Visit the Business Lincolnshire website to find out more: www.businesslincolnshire.com. © stock.adobe.com/ snowing12 and sustainable offices with a brilliant working environment.” Eamon continued: “During the past 20 years the legal sector in the city has flourished, providing an attractive and viable alternative to London. The lure of the capital is no longer so strong, with the quality of life in Yorkshire, and the abundance of work here, meaning that many lawyers are actively choosing to work in Leeds rather than London.” Furthermore, Leeds is being chosen by fast growth tech and digital businesses. Bruntwood SciTech welcomed 18 new firms to Platform – the home of tech in Leeds – during the final quarter of 2021, including music AI platform Musiio. As Singapore’s first VC funded Deep Tech AI music company, Musiio decided to open its first UK office in Leeds because of the region’s tech-talent pool. Leeds is also attracting government departments, with a new regional Ministry of Justice office set for the city as part of the government’s commitment to move 22,000 civil service positions out of London and the South East by 2030, through the ‘Places for Growth’ programme. A new National Infrastructure Commission office is also bound for the city by the end of 2023 as part of this programme. The office will form the base for around 40% of the Commission’s secretariat in the future, with others continuing to work from a base in London. 26-29.qxp_Layout 1 04/05/2022 14:04 Page 4Next >