Are you or any of your employees, friends or workmates 50+?
The National Careers Service has received additional funding to help employers, employees and job seekers who are aged 50+ (or 45 and over in certain circumstances) to identify how to recognise the skills and experience this cohort offers; how best to retain these valuable workers; or to retrain them for new roles (and individuals to retrain to increase their employability); or recruit new workers from this cohort; and to help workers and aspiring workers in this age range to make the most of the next chapter in their working lives. If you would like to know more, please contact Edmarine.McCalla@growthco.uk
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Your views
Thanks to all 53 of you who took part in our recent Survey Monkey questionnaire about the Bulletin. The results are in!
LMI Bulletin is currently published once a month. Do you think this
• Not often enough - 3.8% (2)
• Just right - 88.7% (47)
• Too often - 7.5% (4)
The LMI Bulletin contains about 25 articles each month. Do you think this is?
• Too few - 1.9% (1)
• Just right - 82.7% (43)
• Too many - 15.4% (8) – only 52 responded to this question
The LMI Bulletin’s contents are based across 4 NW regions - on average how many articles do you read?
• Less than 5 - 19.2% (10)
• More than 5 - 13.5% (7)
• All the articles that concern my region - 38.5% (21)
• All the articles in the bulletin - 28.6% (15)
The LMI Bulletin is supplied electronically. Do you send it on to anyone?
• No-one - 38.5% (21)
• Less than 5 contacts - 30.8% (16)
• More than 5 contacts- 30.8% (16)
Overall how would you describe the LMI Bulletin?
• Boring - 0% (0)
• Useful - 45.3% (24)
• Interesting - 37.7% (20)
• Tedious -1.9% (1)
• Worthwhile- 15.1% (8)
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Warehouse Technology Group (WTG) Live: Automation – a journey or a destination? At Mantra Learning on 5.6.19
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Key messages: Many features of outward warehousing facilities are automated, but reverse warehousing i.e. dealing with returned items is still very labour intensive.
The continued rise of ‘E-retailing’ means that logistics is now closer to the customer experience than ever before. No-one hears about logistics when everything is going well.
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Kevin Mofid (Savills) declared that ‘disruption is the new normal.’. Online retail currently accounts for about 20% of all retail in the UK (largest online retail sector in Europe).
The UK government has a target to build 300,000 new homes per year. That equals to 300,000 new delivery addresses.
Savills conducted a survey in 2017 and 54% of respondents expected to require additional warehouse space within the next 2 years.
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Gyms could be ‘white knight' for high street, says Colliers
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The North West has the fourth highest concentration of gyms in the UK, according to research from Colliers International, which added that gyms could help plug gaps in UK high streets.
In its review of the UK health & fitness market, Colliers identified that the North West had 40 gyms per 1m households, placing the region fourth in a table of 11 regions nationwide, coming in behind Greater London, the South East and West Midlands with 85, 42 and 41 gyms per 1m households respectively.
Read more here
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A panel at a recent conference in Chester which dealt with several infrastructure issues debated this question. The panel featured John Adlen (Cheshire & Warrington LEP), Annette McDonald, deputy managing director at Tatton Group, Dominic Jude of James Peacock Property and Andrew Ross, director of highways and infrastructure at Cheshire East Council.
• Ross discussed the potential for the HS2 network in Crewe, stating: “Government hasn’t committed yet to HS2… but we need to create an environment to attract investment”
• He added that plans for 3m sq ft of offices in Crewe town centre and redeveloping the train station to cater for the high-speed network were underway
• “The first stage of our plan is to bring Crewe up to a higher rate of performance to marry with the rest of Cheshire and Warrington,” he said.
Full reports for the conference are available: Read more here
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Unilever: Why more robots and automation will NOT mean jobs lost at consumer products giant
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The consumer products giant has said it’s about making jobs “more proactive”, rather than cutting them
Jonathan Hague, vice president of research and development at the consumer products giant, said it was about making jobs “more proactive” - meaning “more scientists and fewer technicians”.
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Speaking at the Siemens Digital Talks 2019 event at ACC Liverpool, Mr Hague said: “I can't speak for the supply chain, but in R&D, we have absolutely not said automation will replace jobs.
“We have been honing the size of the organisation, but what's happening is we are changing the nature of jobs. That means no wholesale reduction of jobs going on, just fine-tuning.”
Read more here
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Virgin plans cheaper rival Liverpool-London train service
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Virgin Trains plans to launch a new hourly train service between Liverpool and London when it loses its current franchise which includes the route.
The service would rival the new operator of the West Coast Mainline from May 2021.
Virgin promised fares "at least 10% cheaper" than its competitor and a reservation-only model would mean all passengers were guaranteed a seat.
Virgin is NOT allowed to bid for the new West Coast Mainline franchise.
Read more here
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Another New Hotel for Liverpool City Centre
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Urbanista Hotel, a 20-bedroom hotel on Liverpool’s Bold Street, is due to open later this summer.
Developed by Evolve Property Group, the owner of 110-112 Bold Street, the hotel is targeted at the boutique market and will be a mix of suites and double rooms, some sleeping up to six people.
The hotel will undergo a phased opening, with the first phase launching towards the end of the summer.
Urbanista is located above the former Love Thy Neighbour unit, which has recently been taken over by Graffiti Spirits Group with a new bar concept due to open later this year.
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The hotel includes a dog creche and boarding, deals with the city centre’s restaurants and bars, and partnerships with Delta Taxis and Just Park.
Read more here
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What is to become of Preston Guild Hall?
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The owner of Preston Guild Hall says he is hopeful its shutdown will only be temporary and talks are continuing with the business looking to take over the running of the venue.
Entrepreneur Simon Rigby said negotiations with specialist live music and venues Company VMS Live had been delayed by the tragic death of its owner Steve Forster following a road traffic accident.
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He said the delay meant that he was forced to “review the viability” of the business, adding that he wanted to treat creditors fairly.
Mr Rigby said he remained hopeful a long-term contract with VMS Live could be agreed which would lead the Guild Hall back to “its rightful position as the leading regional live entertainment venue.”
Read more here
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Lancashire engineering firm looking to create 400 jobs
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A firm based in Blackburn has announced it is looking to create 400 engineering jobs.
Assystem, the world’s third largest nuclear engineering company, has launched a campaign to fill up to 400 jobs in the UK’s nuclear sector. The company, that employs over 5,000 people in 14 countries, is looking to attract new talent to the business to support its growth in the UK. With a growing demand for clean electricity in the UK and as nuclear power plays a key role in the UK energy mix,
Assystem is strengthening its UK team
Read more here
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FinTech firm Revive Management is set to double revenues to £3.5m with plans to expand its footprint in Europe
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The company, which provides billing and payment solutions to organisations in the utility, retail, financial services and telecoms sectors, said it expects revenues to grow 50 per cent, climbing from £2.1m to £3.5m, in the next financial year ending 2020.
The Altrincham-based firm’s projection is based on results from the first quarter and client wins across Europe.
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Sales director Geoff Boudin said: “What we’re seeing now is a big shift really, because our solutions not only provide a better journey for our customers, but they also reduce operational cost.
“Once they employ our solutions essentially, we see exponential growth, so on the back of new clients last year, and also existing growth from the organisation that we work with, that tends to see, that’s why we tend to see growth in surges like we are.”
The firm, which provides services to organisations including EDF Energy, Seimens, The AA and E-on, said there had been a “big shift” in the marketplace.
Mr Boudin said: “There’s a much wider adoption of getting customers to use, for example, Apple Pay and Google Pay.
Read more here
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New research hub will support better working practices
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MMU's Decent Work and Productivity Research Centre to influence employment and policy has officially opened
The Mayor of Greater Manchester has praised the impact that Manchester Metropolitan’s research is having on work, innovation and productivity in the region at the launch of the Decent Work and Productivity Research Centre.
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Mayor Andy Burnham was welcomed as the keynote speaker at the official launch of Manchester Metropolitan’s Decent Work and Productivity Centre on 17 May, during which he also outlined his ongoing plans to support employability.
The centre builds knowledge on the quality of people’s working lives and the impact this has on the productivity of organisations and the people who work in them.
Professor Ben Lupton, Director of the Centre said: “We have already influenced employment law and future government policy through our work to improve working conditions for domiciliary care workers, employment support services for small businesses and working with organisations such as the NHS and CIPD to translate research knowledge into practice.”
With the UK government concerned with creating 'good work' and solving the nation’s productivity puzzle, the centre will bring together a range of researchers in employability, innovation, productivity, gender and equality to shape and influence future policy.
Read more here
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Key Messages from Career Development Institute (CDI) T-Levels Event: Pendulum Conference Centre, Manchester – 4.6.19
The key note speaker was Sue Clarke (DfE): T- Levels are a part of the comprehensive reform of technical education, alongside apprenticeships and the National Retraining Scheme
The T-Level reforms will begin at Level 3. The most glaring skills shortages are at jobs requiring Level 4 and 5 qualifications.
T-Levels have arisen out of the Sainsbury Panel Review on Technical Education which, in turn, built on recommendations made by Professor Alison Wolf. The key recommendation was for 15 technical routes to skilled employment. T-Levels are a new 2-year Level 3 educational course.
The first 3 to be available in September 2020 are:
• Digital
• Education and Childcare
• Construction
From September 2020 there will be 50 providers nationally. Health and Science will be rolled out in September 2021.
The courses will be 80% classroom based and 20% on the job.
The DfE are currently working with the Higher Education sector to examine how they will use T-Levels for admission to university. It is considered important that T-Levels have a UCAS points value and they are deemed to be roughly equal to 3 ‘A’ levels.
Both T-Levels and Apprenticeships are based on the same occupational standards, developed by employers as part of the Institute of Apprenticeships. However, it is intended they will suit different learning styles.
Industry placements are a key part of T-Levels. These placements will last between 315 and 420 hours i.e. a minimum of 45 days. (Many in attendance felt that this would be difficult to achieve.)
There is an ongoing review of Level 3 qualifications to see what is needed alongside T-Levels and A-Levels.
Read more here
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Keele University have studied what needs to go in your CV
Some of the findings from this study confirm what many careers advisers already believed to be true. For example, CVs should be no longer than two sides of A4, photos should not be included and mentioning extra-curricular activities can make applicants stand out.
More surprisingly, employers indicated that they prefer a CV written in first person rather than third person, and nearly three quarters of employers interviewed indicated that they like to see a personal profile on a graduate CV.
CVs give employers insight into the candidate's personality and whether they are a 'fit' for the organisation's culture - it's not just about listing qualifications.
Many employers have very limited time to go through all the CVs submitted to them. They search for keywords and phrases to speed up the shortlisting process, discarding those that either lack them entirely or make them difficult to find.
Read more here
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£100m Cheshire business park takes further step forward
Former airfield said to be ideal for industrial, warehousing, storage and distribution firms
A £100m, 150-acre business park on Cheshire’s A51 is taking a further step forward. Cheshire Green is within easy reach of Crewe , Chester and Warrington on the busy A route between Chester and the M6 and benefits from easy connections with key motorways including the M6 and M56 as well as the A55 in North Wales.
North Wales based contractors Jones Bros Civil Engineering UK has started work on the next phase of the new build on the former Calveley airfield development.
Read more here
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Birkenhead shipyard Cammell Laird has announced ambitious plans to disrupt the new-build ferry market with a new specially designed Ro-Pax ferry
Cammell Laird made the announcement at the recent Nor Shipping trade fair in Oslo, ahead of a formal launch later this year and will be briefing prospective customers on the design at its stand (D06-15).
Cammell Laird’s project director Andy Askham said the company believes its innovative, environmentally ground-breaking design will prove attractive to an ‘underserved market’.
“The ferry industry is crying out for innovation and green-friendly solutions,” he said. “Our new Ro-Pax design will be in the segment of the market where there’ll be a lot of demand for the next decade.
From our discussions with various owners we have seen real interest in our design that thrusts environmental innovation, fuel efficiency and comfort to the forefront of the future ferry market. The global ferry fleet is aging and in need of replacing while ferry building supply, certainly at a sophisticated level, is stretched in Europe in terms of spare capacity.”
Read more here
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Fleetwood based BES plans new jobs following acquisition
Completing its acquisition of Liverpool-based Access Install, BES Utilities has promised to invest seven figures in the company, protecting all 80 existing jobs and creating new roles in the future.
BES purchased the metering, asset and management company for an undisclosed sum. It will now trade as BES Metering Services.
All 80 Access Install employees, including a nationwide network of metering engineers, have transferred to the Fleetwood-based BES Group with immediate effect. At least 20 new jobs will be added over the next 12 months.
The acquisition strengthens BES's smart meter offering as the government aims to install more than 53 million smart meters in homes and businesses by the end of 2020.
Read more here
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Life sciences company to address the health needs of local people
APIS Assay Technologies will target oncology, inflammatory, cardiovascular, infectious and inherited disease.
A next generation molecular diagnostics business has launched at Manchester’s health innovation campus.
Health Innovation Manchester and global partner QIAGEN have announced a ground-breaking new company to develop new tests for the prediction, prevention, and diagnosis of disease.
APIS Assay Technologies was officially launched at an event at its base in Citylabs 1.0, the joint venture partnership between Manchester Science Partnerships and Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust.
APIS will develop novel techniques (called biomarkers) for diagnosing disease and pinpointing the treatments which are right for each individual patient.
Read more here
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International hotel operator eyes up Manchester for second UK location
The German hotel operator will submit a planning application in August for a 12 storey, 212-bedroom hybrid-hotel on Great Ancoats Street, New Islington
The wider site, which continues up to Pollard Street, is already home to a 150-bedroom Ibis hotel and the striking 20,000 sq ft Grade A office known as Fabrica.
It’s expected that 21 full-time jobs will be created once the hotel is complete
Read more here
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