(COVID-19) Coronavirus restrictions: what you can and cannot do

Some coronavirus restrictions are being cautiously lifted across England today 29th March 2021.
Here’s what you need to know
https://lnkd.in/dqJiFVZ

Image  – here

A transformational step for Alstom: completion of the acquisition of Bombardier Transportation

Alstom announced at the end of last month the completion of the acquisition of Bombardier Transportation. Leveraging on its clear Alstom in Motion strategy and its strong operational fundamentals and financial trajectory, Alstom integrating Bombardier Transportation, will strengthen its leadership in the growing sustainable mobility market by reaching a critical size in all geographies and integrating further solutions and assets to better serve its customers worldwide.
page13image1761032208The enlarged Group has a combined proforma revenue of around €15.7 billion and a €71.1 billion combined backlog. It employs 75,000 people worldwide in 70 countries, has unparalleled R&D capabilities and a complete portfolio of products and solutions.
“Today is a unique moment for Alstom and the mobility sector worldwide, with the creation of a new global leader centered on smart and sustainable mobility. More than ever, the world has to engage in a deep environmental and social transition to be able to address the great challenges of urbanization, equal opportunity to economic development and climate change. Transportation, essential to the working and social life but with great environmental impact is at the heart of this transition. Our responsibility, together with the 75,000 people of Alstom today, is to transform our unique set of assets created by this transaction into the enabler of this necessary transformation. Our responsibility is to bring the innovation required for such extreme challenges and that all communities throughout the world, as they are traveling to meet loved ones or to work, can have access to the same quality of service and efficiency, while caring for our planet.” said Henri Poupart-Lafarge, Chairman and CEO of Alstom. More here

Awarding vocational and technical qualifications in 2021

This article applies to BTEC, OCR Cambridge Technicals, Pre-U, Core Maths, IB, professional and technical qualifications (for GCSE, A or AS levels see our article: Awarding academic grades in 2021 without examinations)

In brief

The Government has confirmed that teacher judgements will play a crucial role in awarding results for students of vocational and technical qualifications this year. In some cases, assessments may still go ahead, either remotely or in person where it is safe. Assessments evaluating professional competence must take place, but may be subject to delays due to public health and safety. Students will be kept updated.

An online interactive tool will be released on the government website during March so students can check which approach is being used for each qualification.

The aim is that students will be awarded a grade to reflect what they know so they can move on to the next stage of their life.

In summary

Applied generals – including BTEC, OCR Cambridge Technicals, Pre U, core maths

Teacher assessment based on the work completed, such as tasks performed and course work.

International Baccalaureate

Cancelled in the UK. Awaiting announcement due mid-March about how they will be awarded.

Functional skills

Teacher assessed grades will be awarded if assessments cannot be taken due to public health measures.

Professional or occupational qualifications

Assessments must be taken, although this may be conducted in a different way to normal (such as remotely or using social distancing) so there may be delays. Awarding organisations will advise colleges or training providers of when grades can be awarded based on when assessments can take place.

Read the complete article – here

Babcock awarded Asset Availability Service contract continuing in-service support to Phalanx Close Weapon System

Babcock International, the Aerospace, Defence and Security Company, has been awarded a two year contract with the Ministry of Defence, for continuation of in-service support to the Phalanx Close-in Weapon System (CIWS).

Phalanx CIWS is a rapid-fire, computer-controlled radar and 20mm Gatling gun system and is the Royal Navy’s primary defence for ships against the threat of anti-ship missiles.

The c. £15m agreement will see Babcock continue in-service support to the system from specialised facilities at the Devonport Royal Dockyard in Plymouth. Babcock is responsible for technical support, upgrades, maintenance and ensuring operational availability of the Weapons Systems to the Royal Navy fleet on an Asset Availability Service basis.

Richard Drake, Managing Director, Babcock Defence Systems Technology, said ‘We are delighted to once again extend our role supplying in-service support that ensures the availability of the Royal Navy’s Phalanx weaponry. Using our global support capability and programme specific expertise built up over many years, we are well positioned to continue providing the Royal Navy with first class in-service support to its gunnery.’

Original story  – here

Babcock awarded five year contract extension for Royal Navy 4.5 Medium Calibre Gun

Babcock International, the Aerospace and Defence Company, and BAE Systems, have been awarded a five year contract extension by the Ministry of Defence to continue in-service support to the Royal Navy’s 4.5 Mk8 Medium Calibre Gun (MCG).

The agreement is worth c. £43m and will see the continuation of in-service support to the 4.5 MCG across 19 Type 23 Frigates and Type 45 Destroyers as well as HMS Collingwood. The continued collaboration between Babcock and BAE Systems, the Gun’s designer, offers the capacity, proven capabilities and infrastructure to safely and effectively run in-service support.

Babcock has also opted to implement innovative Digital Twin technology to drive an increase in reliability and availability of the weapons system and work to extend its service life. The effort to increase efficiency will also see the roll out of BAE Systems’ design interventions.

The Digital Twin enables digital connection with the asset presenting near real time insight to the materiel state of the Gun. It combines Babcock proprietary data capture technology and data science capability, augmenting Babcock’s engineering pedigree in Naval Gun support. The technology provides the on-board maintainer with the information they need to optimise maintenance and provides Babcock the foresight needed to predict future faults and proactively intervene to keep the asset operational and increase availability.

The full press release can be read – here

Babcock awarded seven year pump Equipment contract for HM Ships and Submarines

Babcock International, the Aerospace and Defence Company, has secured a seven-year, c. £50m contract with the Ministry of Defence for the repair and maintenance of Sea Water Systems on HM Ships and Submarines.

The arrangement leads on from Babcock’s previous programmes, and will operate from Devonport Royal Dockyard in Plymouth. It will see Babcock continue in its role providing repairs, technical support and maintenance to pump equipment on board the Royal Navy Fleet. Under the asset availability service, Babcock’s scope will increase to support the Chloropac and Bio-foul systems.

Richard Drake, Managing Director of Babcock’s Defence Systems Technology business, said “We are delighted to continue our partnership with our customer on this programme; this award builds on our already strong relationship. We will provide first-class technical support and engineering services to pump equipment for the Royal Navy, helping ensure maximum availability of their assets.”

Babcock has been working with suppliers to explore innovative new solutions in manufacturing and supplying pump components with the aim to further extend pump reliability and drive even greater efficiency for our customer.

Source: here

Babcock issues business update

Today Babcock International Group issues a business update for the financial year ending 31 March 2021 (FY21) including an update on reviews currently taking place and our headline unaudited results. This announcement is being made ahead of the Group’s Preliminary Results announcement to provide some early transparency on key issues.

To view the business update click here

Barclays Bank Report into Exporting “Made in Britain” 2021

The global appeal of British-made products

Exports will help drive UK economic recovery and growth – and British-made products offer UK businesses a price differential in new markets

This report from Barclays Bank is based on bespoke market research undertaken by Opinium in each of the following markets: France; Germany; Republic of Ireland; the US; China; India; United Arab Emirates; the Netherlands; South Korea and South Africa. 10,005 online interviews were undertaken between Wednesday 13 January 2021 and Wednesday 20 January 2021. The research focuses on the average price differential that consumers state they are willing to pay for British products of different types across these markets and is supplemented with economic modelling, conducted by Development Economics, which converts the estimated premia into potential additional annual value in terms of sales.

Download the Report here;

Barclays Bank report into exporting ‘made-in-britain’ March 2021

 

Climate Action: The Time is Now – Low Carbon Devon Inspire Event 

Declarations of Climate Emergencies, the Race to Net Zero, Reducing Carbon Footprints – these are now daily headlines, but what does this mean for you and your enterprise here in Devon?

The first in a series of Low Carbon Devon expert panel led discussions aiming to inspire action, this event will address the worldwide context of Climate Emergency, what this means for Devon and how you can take action today.

Featuring;

  • Andy Middleton, Chief Exploration Officer, TYF Adventure; Partner, NOW Partners, helping organisations correlate their ambition, goals and actions to the speed and scale of response that’s needed for large scale sustainability change.
  • Phil Hawthorne, Head of Design at Red Paddle Co and advocate for creative and responsible design which embodies Circular Economy processes.
  • Natalie Whitehead and Alice Mills, co-founders of the Exeter Science Centre, a visionary project creating a public space where science is accessible to everyone.

Be inspired this Earth Day, 22nd April, and find out why the time for climate action is now and how you and your enterprise can be a part of it.

Visit the Low Carbon Devon website to find out about our future events, including practical action workshops helping you to calculate your carbon footprint and starting enterprises on the journey to becoming a registered B-Corp.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Businesses and Employers Bulletin – 1 April 2021

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Businesses and Employers Bulletin – 1 April 2021

This bulletin is issued by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and provides the latest information for employers and businesses on coronavirus (COVID-19). All coronavirus business support information can be found at gov.uk/business-support

  • Workplace testing
  • New grant funding and Business rates relief in England
  • Workplace Guidance
  • New and Updated Guidance
  • Job Retention Scheme
  • Haulier Advice

The newsletter can be downloaded – here

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Businesses and Employers Bulletin – 25 March 2021

This bulletin is issued by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and provides the latest information for employers and businesses on coronavirus (COVID-19). All coronavirus business support information can be found at gov.uk/business-support

It includes details of the Brexit Support Fund – a £20 million Support Fund for SMEs new to importing and exporting.

The bulletin can be downloaded – here

 

Dr. Dan Jones BEng. PhD from Composite Combinations is offering consultancy services

‘My mission’ is to help companies develop and launch more innovative composite products by selecting and developing the right combinations of resins, reinforcements, and processes to optimise performance and cost. And to lower the barriers to successful product launches by guiding companies through setting up reliable, documented processes for robust manufacture to reduce the risk of product performance variability and consequent failure.

Full description of services – here

Foot Anstey Employment & Pensions Bulletin 31st March

March newsletter – here

Freeports: have your say

Please take part in Womble Bond Dickinson’s Freeports business sentiment survey, have your say and help us understand how businesses and regions feel about Freeports.

There’s been a lot of excitement and noise in the market following the government’s budget announcement, which confirmed the locations of UK Freeports (East Midlands Airport, Felixstowe and Harwich, Humber Region, Liverpool City Region, Plymouth, Solent, Thames, Teesside).

Our aim is to collect survey responses from across the UK as an ‘industry pulse’ to better gauge how business owners and leaders feel about Freeports at a regional and national level. Once the survey has concluded, we will publish a report outlining our findings.

The survey should take no more than seven minutes to complete and your data will be used on an anonymous basis. There will be a question towards the end where you will able to submit your details if you’d like to receive the report.

Take the survey – here

Fully Funded Student Virtual Internships with the University of Plymouth Business School

I’m contacting you to see if your PMG members would be interested in a scheme Plymouth Business School is running.

I have secured funding to pay for student Virtual Internships, whereby we want to support local businesses and organisations and give our students or recent graduates experience at the same time.  The scheme allows us to fund a limited number of student Virtual Internships.  Interns working on projects will be paid at a standard rate of £13/hour, up to a maximum of 38 hours per project (£494), which will be funded by the Plymouth Business School Virtual Internship Scheme.  We have run a similar scheme last year elsewhere in the University, and it was very successful in helping deliver specific projects for business and organisations.

Plymouth Business School students and graduates study a range of courses including knowledge of finance, economics, marketing, HR/leadership, strategy, logistics and supply chains and events/hospitality/tourism.  Some students will have knowledge of French and Spanish.

If your members are interested and have discrete projects they feel our students could help them with I attach the application form – here – which needs to be returned by Friday 16th April, with funding allocated on a first come first served basis.  I do not think the application form is complicated, but hopefully a small funded project may help some of your members.

Please contact me if you have any questions.

All the best.

Nigel

Dr Nigel Jackson

Reader in Persuasion and Communication

Associate Head of School

Knowledge and Engagement

Plymouth Business School

Fully funded Training Dates for manufacturers in April 2021

Fully funded Training Dates for manufacturers in April 2021 courtesy of Cornwall Marine Network.

See here for details – https://bit.ly/3r8rlkg

Lisa Hutchings

Maritime UK South West – Skills Manager

Visit our COVID Business Support Hub for up to date information and resources and links

Cornwall Marine Network Ltd

Tel:        07494 898134

Email:    lisa.hutchings@cornwallmarine.net

 

Funded internship and work experience initiatives with the University of Plymouth

SME PMG employers! If you would like some support with a project, from a student or recent grad, for up to 100 hours (funded), then the brand new Santander Employability Scheme https://bit.ly/39nOvgy could be of interest to you.

The University of Plymouth has worked in partnership with Santander for several years. Funded internship and work experience initiatives have always proven popular and beneficial for students, graduates and employers. Building on previous successful schemes we are pleased to announce two new programmes available to SMEs for the remainder of the 2020/21 academic cycle.

If finances are currently holding you back from offering a workplace experience to our students or recent graduates then either initiative could be the solution for you, whilst the funding is available.

Funding will be allocated on a first come first served basis, to those who meet the eligibility criteria and at the discretion of the Employer Engagement team within the Careers Service. All bursary payments will be coordinated by the University and made payable direct to the individual. 

For more info please contact our team on: internships@plymouth.ac.uk.

Internationalisation Fund now open for businesses in England

The Department for International Trade has launched its new Internationalisation Fund for eligible businesses in England.

Match-funded grants of between £1,000 and £9,000 will be available for future activity (subject to eligibility and availability).

To secure a grant, you will need to fund a proportion of your costs yourself. This varies according to where your business is based and will be either 40 or 50% of the total cost.

The fund can be used to support areas including (but not exclusively limited to):

  • Market research
  • IP advice
  • Translation services
  • International social media/SEO
  • Trade fairs (where no TAP funding is available)
  • Independent market visits
  • Consultancy and other international commercial services

Is your business eligible?

  • The company must be based in England
  • The company must be a small or medium sized enterprise (SME) with up to 250 employees
  • No more than 25% of the business is owned by an enterprise which is not a SME
  • Annual turnover does not exceed €50 million or annual balance sheet does not exceed €43 million

The fund is supported by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

Latest News from BEIS – 15th March

Business Bulletin

Brexit: New rules are here

Issue 76: 15 March 2021

“The UK has left the EU, and the Brexit transition period has ended. There are new rules for businesses doing business with the EU from 1 January, and you need to take action now. All information on Brexit can be found at www.gov.uk/transition. This bulletin is issued by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and provides the latest information for businesses.”

Download the latest bulletin here:

BEIS Business Bulletin 15 03 21

Latest News from BEIS – 29th March

Business Bulletin

Brexit: New rules are here

Issue 78: 29 March 2021

“The UK has left the EU, and the Brexit transition period has ended. There are new rules for businesses doing business with the EU from 1 January, and you need to take action now. All information on Brexit can be found at www.gov.uk/transition. This bulletin is issued by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and provides the latest information for businesses.”

Download the latest bulletin here:

Make UK Diversity, Equality & Inclusion and Apprenticeship Survey

Research tells us that diverse businesses outperform others. Companies in the top-quartile for ethnic/cultural diversity on executive teams are 33% more likely to have industry-leading profitability. By 2025, 75% of the global workforce will be made up of millennials who want their workplace to be inclusive. Make UK wants to ensure that no manufacturing business is left behind. We are surveying manufacturers to determine what the average manufacturing business looks like and what, if any, measures companies are taking to encourage greater diversity within their business. This will form the basis of a report that will showcase best practice and offer support to those companies that want to pursue the diversity agenda further in their business. This survey also includes questions on apprenticeships. With the number of apprenticeship starts falling we want to understand what will encourage manufacturers to recruit more apprentices. All responses are completely anonymous.

Please complete the survey – here

MAKE UK Manufacturing Outlook 2021 Quarter 1

Make UK’s Q1 2021 Manufacturing Outlook Report, in partnership with BDO, updates on the tumultuous year that was 2020 which saw manufacturers deal with both the COVID-19 pandemic and leaving the EU. 

Download the Report here;

Make-UK-BDO-Manufacturing-Outlook-Q1-2021

Miscellaneous newsletters and other articles received recently by the PMG office

Rather than post each of these newsletters and articles individually, I thought it would be better to collect a number of them together for you to look at.

Available to read – here

More mentors sought

Some months ago the PMG commenced a new mentoring service.

We now need more mentors

Do you know one? That is, a senior manager who is appropriately experienced and has perhaps retired from a PMG member firm who is interested in making a contribution and ‘putting something back’. We would like to build up a database of contacts to work across the membership.

More details – here

If you know of someone who you think may be interested, please give me their name and contact details.

stevegerry@dsl.pipex.com

New FE Skills White Paper published by Government

The Government’s new further education white paper Skills for Jobs: Lifelong learning for opportunity and growth was published in January. In it, it says that,

‘We will ensure employers are at the heart of Post-16 skills, driving technical and higher technical skills provision in their areas. To do this we will:

  • Give employers a central role working with further education colleges, other providers, and local stakeholders to develop new Local Skills Improvement Plans which shape technical skills provision so that it meets local labour market needs.
  • Pilot Local Skills Improvement Plans in Trailblazer local areas, exploring an approach where they are led by accredited Chambers of Commerce and other business representative organisations in collaboration with local providers; and engage employer and provider groups to ensure we create the most effective models of employer representation before wider rollout.
  • Make Strategic Development Funding available in 2021/22 in a number of pilot areas to support colleges to reshape their provision to address local priorities that have been agreed with local employers.
  • Ensure government has up-to-date and expert advice on the labour market and national skills gaps from the Skills and Productivity Board
  • Align the substantial majority of post-16 technical and higher technical education and training to employer-led standards set by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education, so skills provision meets skills need.
  • Continue to improve and grow apprenticeships, so more employers and individuals can benefit from them as part of the Lifetime Skills Guarantee
  • Invite proposals through the Strategic Development Fund to establish College Business Centres within further education colleges to work with employers in a designated sector on business development and innovation’.

The complete White Paper can be downloaded here

No cost Smart Skills programme launched – Intro to composites course this friday

The SMART SKILLS programme, funded to the tune of £3.5m by the European Social Fund, can help small and medium sized PMG manufacturers to upskill their staff to gain valuable new skills with no-cost training solutions.

Our experienced and talented SMART SKILLS Advisors are on hand to guide you through the skills and training options available to your business and link you with the relevant training options for your organisation. Help is also available for unemployed people to gain new skills!

Focusing on the advanced manufacturing & engineering sector as well as others, SMART SKILLS Devon is delivered through our SMART Partners, City College Plymouth, Focus Training, Learn Devon, Petroc, South Devon College and the University of Exeter. SMART SKILLS Partners offer a range of flexible training solutions from short courses through to full higher-level qualifications.

Sample courses include:

Digital Bootcamps

Google App Masterclasses

Cyber Security

Leadership & Management

Introduction to Composites

Introduction to Resin Transfer Moulding

Introduction to Resin Infusion

Click here for more information

 

Contact our SMART SKILLS HUB team today on: 07789 878751 / 07881 551970 or email us on SMARTSKILLS.HUB@cswgroup.co.uk

Plans announced to open the city’s one-stop-shop skills service within Barclays Armada Way

In a virtually hosted event, the Skills Launchpad Plymouth team has announced plans to open a one-stop skills shop in the heart of the city centre within Barclays Armada Way. This free face-to-face support for skills, training, education, careers and jobs, is for anyone – whatever their age – and will provide local people with access to independent information, advice and guidance to help them take their next steps.

The Skills Launchpad, which will open at the end of April when lockdown is lifted, is the latest measure by the Council to provide help for people affected by the pandemic and guide them as they take their next steps.

The economic impact of the global pandemic has created huge uncertainty about exam grades, job security and employment prospects and as part of the city’s Resurgam programme, the Council along with its partners, set up ‘Skills Launchpad Plymouth’ last summer.

The initiative aimed to help local people at risk of losing their income, facing redundancy, young people whose first career steps are now uncertain and students wondering what the future holds.

The Skills Launchpad virtual one-stop-shop for skills, training, education, careers and jobs is helping local people get the right advice and information, and has already supported over 10,000 people through its Youth Hub and Adult Hub.

Full story – here 

Video walkthrough – here

These facilities are available for any PMG member to use free of charge.

Plymouth retains title of the southern city with the highest concentration of manufacturing employment

Plymouth has, once again, maintained its title as the English southern city with the highest concentration of its workforce employed in manufacturing. At 12.4 per cent, it remains well ahead of its nearest rivals Portsmouth and Swindon (at 9.4% and 8.4% respectively).
Nationally, Plymouth ranks 12th English city behind top five: Burnley, Derby, Telford, Blackburn and Sunderland. (Statistics courtesy of the Centre for Cities – Cities Outlook 2021).

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Plymouth Trading Standards Service merges with the Devon, Somerset & Torbay

With effect from 1st April,  Plymouth Trading Standards Service has merged with Devon, Somerset & Torbay. Read the full notice – here

Plymouth’s Culture Plan

An ambitious vision to put culture at the heart of Plymouth’s development has been revealed, supporting and creating hundreds of jobs and businesses while building a world class cultural offer that attracts visitors and connects communities.

Plymouth Culture – the organisation that supports the city’s cultural sector – has united businesses, stakeholders and city leaders as well as artists, creatives and performers to develop the plan, which sets out how culture can give Plymouth the economic and creative support it needs to truly prosper.

The Culture Plan urges Plymouth to be a leader for culture, highlighting the achievements of other cities brave enough to tread a similar path. Liverpool, for example, has doubled the size of its visitor economy thanks to cultural activity, where it is estimated for every £1 invested, £10 is brought back into the city.

Culture is vital to Plymouth’s future in a world after the Covid-19 pandemic – the sector currently employs more than 1,500 people, with an estimated 600 indirect jobs supported by it. The sector accounts for nearly £70 million of economic output per year and 365 businesses in Plymouth are classed as “arts, entertainment, recreation and other services”.

Click – here – for more details of the Culture Plan.

PMG hosts a virtual Apprentice of the Year Awards event for 2021

Earlier this month, the PMG held its second ever Apprentice of the Year Awards Event which we co- hosted again with Building Plymouth. The PMG nominations were submitted by our member companies with eleven Finalist Apprentices celebrated, two Highly Commended certificates awarded and three Overall Winners presented with the top awards.

This year, due to the pandemic, the awards presentation was held online but we were delighted to see that 100 attendees tuned in to support the nominated Apprentices!
City Leader Cllr Tudor Evans OBE who gave the welcome address and was given the role of announcing the overall winner said, “It has been a pleasure to present Plymouth’s Construction and Manufacturing Apprentice of the Year Awards which has given us a great platform to shine a light on the amazing opportunities that an apprenticeship brings to employers, individuals and the economy. I would like to thank our local employers and training providers who have gone above and beyond to ensure apprentices have been able to continue their studies and on the job learning during this unprecedented time. I would also like to pay tribute to all our apprentices for their dedication and efforts in working so hard to continue advancing with their apprenticeship despite the challenges and impact of the pandemic.”

page12image1771247568The first award announced was the PMG Manufacturing Rising Star Apprentice for 2021 which was awarded to Cleopatra Thatcher, a Level 4 Higher Level Mechanical Apprentice at Babcock International, studying with City College Plymouth.

Cleo said of her award: “I am so proud to have represented Babcock International Group at the Plymouth Manufacturers’ GroupApprenticeship Awards and I was completely taken aback to find out I had won the Rising Star Award. A huge thank you to everyone at Babcock who has supported my development. Joining the apprenticeship programme was the best decision I ever made!”

Next up was the Award for the PMG Business Rising Star Apprentice for 2021 which went to Beth Tout from Collins Aerospace, who is undertaking a L4 Commercial Procurement and Supply Apprenticeship with Achievement Training.

page12image1771247872Beth said “Choosing to pursue an apprenticeship was one of the best decisions I have made. It’s a great way to learn and achieve a qualification and I’m very grateful to have been recognised with this award.”  Donna Aldridge, Training Coordinator at Collins Aerospace, was delighted for Beth and said, “It’s fantastic to see Beth recognised for her hard work. She is an asset to the team.”

Last but by no means least, the Award for the PMG Manufacturing Final Year Apprentice 2021 went to Owen Baylis, who completed a Level 4 Higher Level Apprenticeship with Babcock International and City College Plymouth in September 2020.

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Owen, who is now a Junior Technical Engineer at Babcock, said: “I am absolutely delighted to have received the PMG Manufacturing award! For as long as I can remember I have wanted to be an engineer so it means a great deal to me. To anyone thinking of doing an apprenticeship, I could not recommend it enough. It has given me essential practical engineering knowledge and experience, including a number of qualifications that I now use every day.”

Paul Foster, Managing Director Devonport Royal Dockyard commented:
“Babcock is proud to continue investing in a wide range of long
established apprenticeship programmes. Last year we recruited 145 apprentices, fulfilling a variety of roles, including Welding; Electrical, Mechanical and Marine Pipe Fitting; and Fabricating, with similar numbers being sought for the next cohort of apprentices to start in September of this year. “Our apprentices work across our business alongside a variety of knowledgeable and passionate employees who pass on their skills and experience to help build the capabilities we need for the future. We’re extremely proud of Cleo and Owen and everyone that has supported them in the business.”

At the awards ceremony, the Finalists and Highly Commended apprentices were all celebrated for their success and commended for the high standards they have shown in their achievements and skills developed during their apprenticeships.

Highly Commended Awards went to the following apprentices:

PMG Manufacturing – Rising Star, Highly Commended awarded to; Chris Tillyer, BD with Cornwall College, undertaking a L3 Engineering Technician Apprenticeship
and
PMG Business – Rising Star, Highly Commended awarded to; Connor Ratcliffe, Barden Corporation with City College, undertaking a L2 Business Administration Apprenticeship

Congratulations and well done to all the Finalists and everyone who has supported them!

The full list of Finalists were:

  • Owen Baylis, Babcock International with City College Plymouth , L4 Higher Level Apprenticeship o Ben Cusack, Princess Yachts with South Devon College, L3 Marine Engineer
  • Ethan Dickson, Princess Yachts with Achievement Training, L3 Infrastructure Technician
  • Sam Frankham, BD with Cornwall College, L3 Engineering Technician
  • Connor Ratcliffe, The Barden Corporation with City College, L2 Business Administration
  • Hollie Redwood, Mars Wrigley Confectionery with Cornwall College, L3 Engineering Technician
  • CleopatraThatcher,Babcock International with City College Plymouth,L4 Higher Level Mechanical Apprentice
  • Chris Tillyer, BD with Cornwall College, L3 Engineering Technician
  • Beth Tout, Collins Aerospace with Achievement Training, L4 Commercial Procurement & Supply
  • Alex Walsh, Princess Yachts with City College Plymouth, L3 Boatbuilder
  • Tom Williams, Princess Yachts with South Devon College, L3 Boatbuilder

Precious Plastic Plymouth and Tavistock

Precious Plastic Plymouth and Tavistock is a small, low-tech, creative, plastic recycling project which aims to engage and educate around plastic waste and environmental issues. We have exciting shredding and injection moulding machines which can take waste plastic and form new products. We use this creative, hands-on experience to engage people in conversations about the values and problems of plastic. We would be interested in linking with businesses. We are particularly wondering if anyone has a heat press or knows someone who has. We might be able to recycle plastic waste from businesses, particularly HDPE and LDPE. You can find out more about us at: www.katecrawfurd.co.uk/ppp  or https://www.linkedin.com/company/precious-plastic-plymouth-and-tavistock and https://www.facebook.com/Preciousplasticplymtavi/

 

Princess Yachts announce the appointment of the new CBI South West Regional Chair

We are delighted to announce that the CBI (Confederation of British Industry) South West Regional Council has named Adrian Bratt, General Counsel and Company Secretary at Princess Yachts, as its’ Chair for the next two years.

A governance specialist and commercial lawyer by trade, Adrian joined Princess Yachts in 2017 after operating a national private practice specialising in the manufacturing, retail and energy sectors on behalf of national and multinational firms. He is a former Royal Navy officer who has been part of the CBI South West Council since 2017, while also sitting on the Plymouth Growth Board and the Maritime Enterprise Working Group.

Princess is delighted to support Adrian’s appointment. The company is proud to be a key business in the region, and looks forward to growing its role as a leader within the South West business community.

Princess Yachts Success at Palm Beach International Boat Show 2021

Princess Yachts was thrilled to participate in this years’ Palm Beach International Boat Show.

Princess Yachts America showcased an eight-yacht line up representing all six classes of Princess yachts for the first time in history at an American boat show. The line up included the global boat show debut of the ‘Superfly’ X95; the revolutionary R35 performance sports yacht; craft from the S Class – the S66 & the S62; plus the Y78 and the Y85 – which is a true triumph of contemporary design. Also on display was a show debut of the F45, a yacht which delivers unparalleled space, quality and flexibility for the ultimate on-water experience plus the V65 representing the V Class, with engines taking you up to 38 knots.

The show organiser Informa, created a safe environment for exhibitors and visitors alike to attend the show, thus allowing Princess Yachts America to achieve great commercial success during the show. “I am incredibly grateful to both the teams at Princess Yachts America and Informa for ensuring that the safety of everyone attending the show was the utmost priority,” said Will Green, Chief Sales Officer, Princess Yachts.” We were absolutely delighted to have had the opportunity to showcase the ‘Superfly’ X95 at Palm Beach, the results from the show are strikingly positive and we are thrilled by this achievement.”

Read the full release – here

Radical shake up to government export finance support for small businesses

UKEF launches the General Export Facility in partnership with UK’s leading commercial banks. New scheme to give exporting SMEs access to working capital they need to recover from COVID-19

Government can provide an 80% guarantee on financial support from lenders to support general exporting costs, up to the value of £25 million

GEF will transform UKEF’s offer to smaller businesses, encouraging them to export and take advantage of new free trade agreements.
UK Export Finance (UKEF) today launches a new guarantee scheme that will free up funds for UK businesses to cover the costs of international trade, supporting thousands of jobs and livelihoods across the country

Exporters will be able to apply for finance from the UK’s five largest banks backed by a UKEF guarantee to free up working capital that can be used for everyday costs linked to exports and to scale up their business operations. This will help thousands of businesses, particularly SMEs, to fulfil multiple export contracts, pay for labour costs, build their inventory and ease cash flow constraints.

Minister for Exports, Graham Stuart, will launch the General Export Facility (GEF) in a speech at UKEF’s ‘Trade and Export Finance Forum’. He will announce that the government is shaking up the support it provides for internationally focused companies to help bring new trading opportunities to businesses in every part of the country. More here

Safer Plymouth Webinar on the Domestic Abuse Toolkit for Employers – 21st April 11:00am-12.30pm

  • An estimated 2.4 million adults aged 16 to 74 experienced domestic abuse in the last year.
  • Two women a week are killed by a current or former partner in England and Wales.

Domestic abuse is a hugely destructive problem and employers have an important role to play in society’s response to it. Often workplaces are the only safe place for victims, offering hope of escaping abuse if the signs are spotted – but these spaces are now less accessible for those forced to work from home during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Public Health England partnered with Business in the Community to produce ‘Domestic Abuse: a toolkit for employers’ to help any organisation make a commitment to respond to the risk of domestic abuse. It also offers guidance on how to build an approach that ensures all employees feel supported and empowered by their workplace to deal with domestic abuse.  Safer Plymouth will be promoting this toolkit with local employers as we see them as key partners in addressing this important issue.

To book a place, please use Eventbrite:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/domestic-abuse-toolkit-for-employers-tickets-149148562365

For further information please contact sophie.taylor3@nhs.net

This is an event being put on especially for PMG members. In order to maximise attendance it is also being offered to other business sectors in Plymouth.

SailGP – Sponsorship Opportunities to help support your brand

SailGP is the sport’s pinnacle global league Powered by Nature. Set-up in the belief in the power of sport for good. Racing for a better sport and a better planet.

It’s an annual nation vs nation competition with fierce national rivalries lining up in equally matched boats for exhilarating racing from the world’s best athletes including Sir Ben Ainslie, Jimmy Spithill and newest America’s Cup champion Blair Tuke. SailGP is committed to gender diversity and each team is introducing some of the brightest female sailing talent as we gear up what is shaping up to be some of the sport’s most competitive racing yet in Plymouth on the 17/18 of July.

SailGP’s core pillars for prospective partners are Sustainability, Technology, Innovation, Key Hubs and entertainment.

How can SailGP help my brand:

  • Enhance Perception and stature
  • Empower communications
  • Showcase value proposition
  • Deepen stakeholder relationships
  • Elevate profile and awareness

Plymouth is a renowned sailing venue and the Hoe promises to be a spectacular activation site for any brand with thousands of fans.

From week commencing 19th April, we will start to focus on the Hoe Fan Zone sales, so if businesses want to showcase at the event, there is space – budget around £10k depending upon the activation being provided.

SailGP welcomes all partnership discussions with the local business communities, support being crucial to securing the £20m Economic Impact that SailGP provides.

Conrad Humphreys

Managing Director

Sport Environment

Turnchapel Wharf, Plymouth, PL99RQ

WhatsApp/Mobile: 07720 287674

Santander Manufacturing Industry Week – 20 – 22 April 2021

Following our successful Industry Days in 2018 and 2019, we are excited to launch our first ever

virtual Manufacturing Industry Week! This will be a series of live, interactive sessions over 3 days.

  • Date: 20 to 22 April 2021
  • Time: 09:15 to 13:00 BST

During the week we will discuss the key challenges that UK manufacturers face and showcase the

international opportunities that exist beyond Brexit, beyond Covid-19 and, beyond banking.

The wide-ranging agenda will enable you to hear from industry leaders on topics and issues that are

relevant to your business, as well as exploring opportunities to help you grow your reach in

2021/2022within Europe and across the globe.

Speakers include:

  • Lord Karan Bilimoria – Confederation of British Industry and Cobra Beer
  • Stephen Phipson – MAKE UK
  • Mike Hawes – Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders
  • Steve Elliott- Chemical Industries Association
  • John Carroll- Santander

You will have the chance to connect with both sector and international specialists, trade bodies and

other manufacturing businesses from across the UK in diverse subsectors such as Advanced

Manufacturing, Aerospace, Automotive, Chemicals and Life Sciences.

There will be bitesize sessions across the three days. View the final three day programme – here

We look forward to meeting you virtually during the week. Register – here

Take a look back at our last event https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZZtFDAFAYU

Source Engineering invests £100k in a new press and now eyes 20% turnover hike

A Plymouth manufacturer has invested £100,000 into a high-speed press line to boost capacity ahead of a raft of new opportunities.

Source Engineering, a specialist in precision pressed parts and machined components, employs 32 people across its two divisions in Plympton.

The firm has tapped into the expertise of industry leading high-speed press maker Bruderer UK to purchase a machine that can do the work of four conventional HME (Hordern, Mason & Edwards) power presses.

The BSTA 200M 20-tonne stamping press was identified as the ideal solution and is now up and running at Source Engineering’s Langage Business Park facility, achieving 300 strokes per minute which represents a 200% increase in production output across a range of products destined for the automotive, electrical wholesale and oil and gas markets.

Read the full story – here

South West Skills Newsletter, April 2021

Last month saw the release of the latest Budget and accompanying that were a number of reports. Three of these will impact particularly on the skills an employment landscape and some highlights and links are given in our Reports and Publications section later in this newsletter. The three reports are:

  • Building Back Better
  • Levelling Up Fund: Prospectus
  • Community Renewal Fund: Prospectus

There has been considerable criticism of the targeting methodology for this new funding as it seems to have ignored many measures of deprivation. Financial Times analysis found that in England 14 places that were wealthier than average were ranked in the most needy category, and all had at least one sitting government MP.  This follows similar criticism of the Town’s Fund.

Also in the news recently was the finding from the TUC that 1 in 8 of us will be forced to leave the labour market due to ill health or disability before reaching state pension age. The report – Extending working lives: how to support older workers – finds that more than half a million (534,876) workers aged 60 to 65 have had to leave the workplace due to medical reasons.

You can read the full newsletter – here

The Devon & Cornwall Training Provider Network request for surplus laptops

The Devon & Cornwall Training Provider Network (D&CTPN) is leading on an initiative across both counties to collect donated laptops ready for re-purposing to enable apprentices to access online learning & support. This photo shows D&CTPN’s MD Sharron Robbie with Jamie Rail from QTLS The Focus Training Group who generously donated 14 laptops. Sharron said, “we certainly could do with more donated laptops and devices – we just need to have power cables and  screens which are not cracked, we will do the rest: cleanse, wipe, re-set, PAT test and make ready for use. We have more than 200 learners and/or apprentices needing support!  Any help from the PMG would be gratefully received”.

The Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership March 2021 Newsletter

Welcome to our March newsletter. Spring is definitely in the air and it’s great to see our children and young people back in schools and restrictions beginning to lift along the lines of the Government’s roadmap. Whilst there is a significant way to go before life starts to feel more ‘normal’, we remain cautiously optimistic about the gradual re-opening of all sectors and can begin to more confidently plan for life post-pandemic.

With that in mind, the Heart of the South West LEP is this week publishing its Build Back Better plan, which we have been consulting with our partners on since January.

Download the newsletter – here

Today Western Power Distribution (WPD) has published its second draft Business Plan and an accompanying consultation. We’d love to hear your views.

We contacted you in late January to ask for your feedback on our first draft business plan, which outlined a range of proposed investments and improvements we will deliver for our customers between 2023-2028. This included commitments to reduce power cuts to their lowest ever levels, whilst building a smarter, low carbon energy system and setting ambitious targets to achieve net zero carbon emissions much earlier than the Government’s target for 2050.

In the last two years, nearly 10,000 people have had their say to help to shape our draft Business Plan. In the last eight weeks alone, in response to our first consultation, a further 2,300 have provided valuable feedback to help us refine our proposals.  We’ve been listening intently and making significant changes as a result. We have:

  • Streamlined our key deliverables, to 58 core commitments.
  • Raised the ambition of 60% of our business plan commitments
  • Introduced four entirely new proposals
  • Reworded 11 commitments to ensure they deliver clearer outcomes

We now want to give you another chance to have your say.

OUR REQUEST OF YOU: Please download our Business Plan and respond to our consultation by 25th April

You can view WPD’s second draft Business Plan and consultation online – here. You’ll find that we are asking 14 questions overall.

UK Manufacturing PMI at decade high as growth of output, new orders and employment gather pace (April 1st 2021).

The upturn in the UK manufacturing sector gained further momentum at the end of the third quarter. March saw the fastest output growth since late-2020, as inflows of new business from both domestic and overseas markets strengthened. The sector remained beset by severe supply chain and logistic issues, however, leading to delivery delays from suppliers and disruption to production and distribution schedules.

The seasonally adjusted IHS Markit/CIPS Purchasing Managers’ Index® (PMI®) rose to a decade-high of 58.9 in March, its best outcome since February 2011. The PMI level was supported by improved growth of output, new orders and employment along with increased supplier lead times. A slower decrease in stocks of purchases also had a positive impact on the latest reading compared to one month ago. Manufacturing output increased for the tenth successive month and at the quickest pace since last November. Solid and accelerated growth was signalled in both the intermediate and investment goods industries. Consumer goods production returned to expansion following back-to-back contractions.

Full article can be read – here

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