< Previous30 Business Link www.blmforum.net APPRENTICESHIPS AND TRAINING Training company’s Excellence Award winners revealed 2023 was a busy year for Verner Wheelock. They trained over 2000 delegates in HACCP, food safety, auditing and other subjects and completed 250 ethical audits. There were several standout delegates and companies to consider for the annual Verner Wheelock Excellence Awards. The awards for 2023 Student of the Year went to the following: * HACCP – Sara Hardacre of Warburtons; * Food Safety– Victoria Phipps of AB World Foods; * Auditing– Ben Morrison of Avara Foods. Sara Hardacre commented: “The Level 4 HACCP course was outstanding with great content and discussion. I cannot recommend it enough.” Ben Morrison said: “Thank you to Verner Wheelock for this award and for such a rewarding learning experience.” Trevor Gane of Beatson Clark took the Individual Excellence Award; James Hall & Co Ltd won the Company Excellence Award; and the Ethical Excellence Award went to The Turmeric Co. For more information about training and ethical audits visit www.vwa.co.uk Clockwise from top left: Trevor Gane, James Hall & Co. Ltd, Sara Hardacre, Ben Morrison, The Turmeric Co, Victoria Phipps apprenticeships mould individuals into professionals who seamlessly integrate into the organisational fabric, becoming assets that truly understand and champion the company’s mission while opening it up to new concepts. In industries grappling with skills shortages, apprenticeships are a proactive solution. By investing in targeted programs that address specific skill gaps, businesses contribute to the overall skill development of the workforce. This approach not only mitigates industry-wide shortages but positions the business as a shaper of the skill landscape going forward, rather than merely reacting to it. Apprenticeships benefit business directly and indirectly by helping you stay ahead of necessary skill adoption, which contributes to the broader industry talent pool in the process. All this, and apprenticeships are cost- effective too. By investing in individuals keen to learn and grow within your company, businesses unlock a sustainable avenue for skill cultivation. This approach not only proves financially prudent in comparison to the often-expensive recruitment cycles, but also builds a loyal and highly skilled workforce. Apprenticeships lay the foundation for a workforce that’s proficient as individuals, and contributes to long-term efficiency and financial resilience through the combined power of unique thoughts and a shared ethos. Our government understands the pivotal role apprenticeships play in strengthening the future workforce, and often extend incentives and support to businesses engaging in such programs. These incentives, ranging from financial assistance to tax breaks and streamlined access to resources, augment the appeal of apprenticeships for businesses. By aligning with government initiatives, businesses actively contribute to the larger socio-economic goal of giving opportunities to skilled and employable youth from all backgrounds. This collaboration will prove testament to your business’s commitment to societal development and responsible corporate citizenship. Never to be confused with conventional training courses, www.blmforum.net Business Link 31 APPRENTICESHIPS AND TRAINING © stock.adobe.com/Seventyfour Contact our Employer Engagement team VQƂPFQWVOQTGCDQWVTGETWKVKPICP CRRTGPVKEG 'OCKN employers@kirkleescollege.ac.uk 6GN 0800 781 3020 kirkleescollege.ac.uk/employers/ APPRENTICESHIPS at Kirklees College Looking to recruit an apprentice? apprenticeships are a pathway for individuals to construct a lasting career within an organisation. This investment in professional growth creates a profound sense of value and support, leading to higher staff retention rates. Apprentices who discover a genuine connection to a business feel not only skilled, but deeply connected to the company’s vision. This connection translates into the heightened satisfaction of staff who are granted a stake in all you accomplish together. The cooperation between seasoned professionals and the fresh contributions of apprentices creates a beneficial environment for all. The influx of unique experience and skill apprentices bring propels the entire organisation towards industry leadership, by ensuring that the workforce is not just proficient but at the forefront of evolving industry standards. But not to sideline existing employees, they’re essential to providing mentorship, showing the company ropes to someone who might otherwise feel overwhelmed and uncertain. They can then digest and develop the viewpoints their mentees share. It becomes a continuous cycle of innovation, positioning the business as a trailblazer in its respective domain. As businesses in the UK navigate the complexities of a rapidly evolving marketplace, embracing a variety of training initiatives isn’t just about self- serving strategy; it’s a commitment to enduring success and sustained growth across industry and economy. By encouraging continuous learning for all, intentionally integrating apprenticeships for talent acquisition and knowledge of the latest trends, businesses position themselves as industry leaders and role models for innovation, progress, and security in success.32 Business Link www.blmforum.net MEET THE EXPERTS With how challenging a year 2024 is expected to be, it’s more important than ever to find the right person for the job. E very business expects competency from their suppliers, but how many expect excellence? The role of a supplier is, as the name suggests, to supply a business with a valuable product or service, but it could be said to be in the supplier’s best interests to do that with as little effort as possible. Time costs money after all, as does equipment and expertise and staffing, so the more work a supplier has to put into you, the less profit they’re making off you. It’s a tightrope balance between doing just enough to keep a customer but not so little that they risk losing a client. This is present across all businesses, likely the businesses of readers of this magazine as well. While it’s all well and good to talk about giving 110% to your clients, the reality is that if you give more than 100%, you’re making a loss, and that’s bad for business. Among the many businesses in our regions, and those further afield who would gladly fight for contracts, it’s worth taking a little time to make sure your supplier is giving as much as you need, and to make sure they’re giving high- quality support and advice in their chosen field. These two factors can in many ways be considered separate – classified as quality and commitment. In these terms, quality refers to the skill and expertise of a supplier, while commitment would refer to how much time and effort they’re prepared to put into you. There are a lot of very big and very powerful businesses in London for instance who are recognised across the world. There’s no doubting the quality of their work, nor their capability, but those businesses have a lot of high- profile clients, some of whom will inevitably be more important to them than others. Perhaps it’s a case of not wanting the negative PR of failing a big-name brand, or not wanting to lose such a valuable customer. The point remains that if you and that customer need their help at the same time, the bigger customer is going to get the most focus while your business will receive less. That’s part of the reason why so many businesses choose to go local. Local firms have local reputations and often local clients, and they’re much more protective of their clients than corporations in London. They’ll commit more time and effort to make sure they keep clients happy, especially new ones. When it comes to local companies, it can be a little harder to judge their quality, however. It’s always worth giving their name a quick check in the local press and online reviews are obviously very useful, but none of that can replace the simple act of speaking to them directly. Ask for examples of work they have done in the past and, if they are proud of their work, they will usually be able to provide it or examples of it and how much they have helped other © stock.adobe.com/Rax Qiu The right expert for the job The right expert for the job www.blmforum.net Business Link 33 MEET THE EXPERTS Company profile Since 1983, Frontier Software has been in the business of providing secure, reliable, and compliant HR and Payroll software/services. With a comprehensive range of fully integrated software modules, payroll processing services and offices in your region, we deliver the right solution for organisations of all sizes, across all market sectors. Product profile Frontier Software offer cloud based, modular solutions to support and streamline HR and Payroll processes. Our software delivers an integrated, functionally rich, and highly configurable approach to managing the entire employee lifecycle. In addition, payroll outsourcing options provide all the accessibility, flexibility, and control of running payroll in- house, without the headache of maintaining infrastructure and allocating resources. This ensures employees are paid on time and in line with legislation, whilst saving you time and money. Frontier Software solutions deliver real time data to your fingertips and, with a choice of modules and deployments, can be tailored to match individual requirements. www.frontiersoftware.com 01276 456902 | sales@frontiersoftware.com HR AND PAYROLL SOFTWARE/SERVICES businesses. If you have the connections, it might be worth reaching out to one of those companies via LinkedIn and asking them if they would recommend the company. It’s entirely possible the request might be ignored (every business owner is busy after all) but it takes no effort to try and you might get some valuable information – either good or bad. Another thing to keep in mind is that it may be wise to set out expectations when first talking to a supplier – these can be quantifiable targets like a minimum response time for a problem, or it may simply be a case of explaining your business model and how you need support in a different way than they might be used to. It’s always best to be open in advance, and to test the person you’re talking to as well. A company that is confident in its work will never be afraid to answer questions, because they won’t have anything to hide and will have a whole lot they want to show off. If a supplier is being evasive or cagey, that’s not a good sign. Finding the right supplier can take time, but it’s worth the effort because when things go wrong – or even when things go right, and you need to capitalise on them – it can be devastating to find out the supplier you took for granted for so long can’t provide as they used to. Loyalty to old suppliers is all well and good but like in car insurance and banking, your loyalty will rarely, if ever, lead to a meaningful difference. Better to spend some time finding the right supplier for your needs and picking out a true expert. © stock.adobe.com/Jacob Lund34 Business Link www.blmforum.net CORPORATE HOSPITALITY The cost of recruitment is through the roof, and companies are finding it hard to find good staff, which means it’s all the more important to keep hold of the ones you have. We look at ways to accomplish this, and why the idea of “entitled employees” might be less of a curse and more of a blessing. If you play your cards right. K eeping a team motivated, cohesive and involved is more important now than it has ever been before. The economy is in a bad place, the cost of living is rising, and jobseekers have all the power – which means that employees are more likely now than ever before to be looking for new jobs, especially with the new year. It’s now or never when it comes to having a chance to cement your workforce and ensure employees are motivated by more than just pay, because there will always be someone who pays better. Keeping staff happy 36 Áwww.blmforum.net Business Link 35 CORPORATE HOSPITALITY © stock.adobe.com/Flamingo Images36 Business Link www.blmforum.net CORPORATE HOSPITALITY Business Link has touched upon the importance of team building and employee engagement in our corporate hospitality features before, for facilitating bonding, collaboration, motivation, strengthening communication and more, however this usually refers to taking part in events such as escape rooms, sports days, activities out in nature et al. - essentially tasks that will involve being physically close or in contact with others. If you know for a fact that your teams are willing to get out and about then things like mini-golf, pub visits or other events can certainly work, and help foster a business culture that is not just sit down and work – but staff can often feel like they’re being forced to attend events like these, so it can have the reverse effect. It may be better instead (and more cost-effective) to focus on improving your own workplace to give staff a breakroom they’ll enjoy spending time in. How expensive, really, is a decent sofa, some music and some drinks? How expensive compared to the cost of advertising a vacancy in a newspaper or online, collecting CVs, going through them, calling interviewees, arranging interviews, finding the right candidate, training them up. The list continues. The costs of all of that can reach into the thousands, and even more if it’s a constant problem or an upper management position. Giving staff a relaxing place to let loose in the office and chat during their lunch hour (or even giving them an additional 30 minute break during the day) is far cheaper. It will also factor into their heads when they consider new offers or think about their work, and it becomes an expectation. Staff will look and expect this in other jobs, and shy away from offers that don’t include it. If your office has every member of staff sitting down at their desk to eat for instance, ask yourself how happy they really are. A simple place to eat communally and chat could immediately perk up moods, and costs nothing more www.blmforum.net Business Link 37 CORPORATE HOSPITALITY than a table and some chairs. This can also work to improve teamwork by encouraging staff to spend time together rather than to leave and go do their shopping or other jobs. The whole point of a break is to reduce stress after all, and a business owner really does need their staff to come back from their lunch break feeling less stressed. If staff go out to do household chores or the shopping, this won’t reduce stress, and they’ll come back to work cranky and distracted – making them worse performers at their job. If breaks don’t feel like breaks, but simply an hour-long period to do other work, then attention spans will be impacted. That’s why so many businesses now do more to try and get staff actively relaxing (like work gym, yoga or other classes). They understand that the point of a one-hour break in the middle of the working day is to give staff time to decompress so they can work hard in the second half of the day. The word “entitlement” is something of a dirty one in the media and among many business leaders, but why should it be if a savvy business leader can use it to their advantage? If employees feel entitled about something you give, and that others do not, then it only makes them more loyal to your company. This can only be a good thing, despite what people like Alan Sugar might claim. Businesses nowadays are having to adapt, and having to offer more, and people care more about the experience and their free time than they have before. In a way, people are less motivated by money specifically because house prices are too high and the cost of living is too expensive. When achieving your dreams with money feels impossible to many, it makes sense the focus will turn to trying to enjoy the present. Ignore it and call it entitled at your own risk – but staff have the power, and there are plenty of jobs out there. If they truly become disillusioned, they will leave. The balance of power has shifted, and it is not in the hands of employers. © stock.adobe.com/Jacob Lund38 Business Link www.blmforum.net AUTOLINK motors The first two months of the year can often feel a little slow on the new motors front, but we bring you a few more offerings for personal pleasure, family, or fleet purposes. Spring www.blmforum.net Business Link 39 AUTOLINK BMW Z4 Handschalter Muscular roadster proportions with M- specific design features; two seats and a classic soft-top roof; a free-revving six-cylinder in-line engine with M TwinPower Turbo technology, sending its power to the road through the rear wheels: this formula has seen the BMW Z4 M40i establish itself as the archetypal purist’s sports car. Adding to this driving experience is the manual gearbox, deftly harnessing the 340hp output from the straight-six engine. The interior of the BMW Z4 has been crafted for the enjoyment of unfettered driving pleasure in a space with a modern and sophisticated sports car feel. The driver- centric cockpit design and model-specific sport seats with integral head restraints both help to achieve this goal. The cabin combines clean lines that seem to surge forward with trim surfaces concentrated in just a few areas. 40 ÁNext >