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Sean Farnell, Partner, Burgis & Bullock

Free financial training for local firms

A Warwickshire-based accountancy firm is strengthening its commitment to supporting the regional business community with 12 weeks of free financial training next year.

Burgis & Bullock, which has offices in Leamington, Nuneaton, Rugby and Stratford-upon-Avon, is offering the programme to boost the regional economy after the impact of COVID-19 and Brexit on businesses.

The sessions will aim to support the development of sustainable and profitable businesses, resulting in a positive impact on the local economy.

It is designed for ambitious business owners and senior managers and will cover seven key growth drivers for business over the three months, with the first session taking place on Thursday, January 13 and the final session on Thursday, March 31.

The Financial Management for Business Owners (FIMBO) programme is being delivered in association with Virtual Finance Director.

Topics in January and February will include: how to grow your business, key performance indicators, quick-win cash strategies, improving cashflow, margin/ cost control, customer attrition and gap analysis/cross selling.

For the final month, Burgis & Bullock will lead on sessions around transactions/ transaction value, customer acquisition, know your number, becoming exit ready and performance versus plan.

Businesses can attend single sessions or commit to all 12 weeks of training. The sessions will be delivered virtually via Zoom.

Sean Farnell, partner at Burgis & Bullock, said: “We are committed to supporting our local economy and in recent years have provided a range of free advice services for businesses to help them grow. This includes our work with the Peer Networks initiative and our business mastermind groups.

“We hope that by delivering these free sessions it will give business owners and senior managers the knowledge they need to thrive in 2022 and, as a result, help the regional economy to rebuild.”

To find out more, visit www.burgisbullock.com/training

PET-Xi to deliver the new Restart Scheme in Warwick and Kenilworth

A leading national training provider will be working alongside a prominent further education college in Leamington to help people in the area out of unemployment and into meaningful work.

PET-Xi has set up a new office at Royal Leamington Spa College – part of WCG – to deliver the government’s Restart Scheme on behalf of Jobs 22 for unemployed people in Leamington, Warwick and Kenilworth.

The office was officially opened by the High Sheriff of Warwickshire, Min Willoughby de Broke, with a ribbon cutting.

The Restart Scheme provides tailored support to individuals who have been claiming Universal Credit for 12 to 18 months.

This would include many people who had lost their jobs as a result of the pandemic, with the first major lockdown happening in March 2020.

Jobs 22 won the contract to run the Restart Scheme with local employability partners across the East Central region and subsequently enlisted PET-Xi for its work in Leamington, Warwick and Kenilworth.

PET-Xi will not only help unemployed people with things like upskilling, interview technique and CV writing – it can also assess whether they would be suitable to take adult learning courses at WCG.

Simon Fitzgerald, Head of Funding at PET-Xi, felt it was a great example of two organisations with excellent local knowledge coming together to help hundreds of people in the area.

He said: “We are delighted to be providing the Restart Scheme for Leamington, Warwick and Kenilworth after WCG agreed for us to have an office on their Leamington campus.

“The timing of the Restart Scheme could not be better, as many people may have remained unemployed after losing their jobs at the start of the pandemic.

“We have been providing training for people in the area for many years now, so we have excellent connections with local employers and have extensive knowledge of the job market in the area.

“Thanks to our local expertise and connections, we are best placed to deliver the Restart Scheme and get as many people into meaningful work as possible.”

Angela Joyce, CEO of WCG, said: “We are pleased to be supporting PET-Xi in the delivery of its new Restart Scheme in the area.

“Royal Leamington Spa College has an existing comprehensive adult learning programme but through this scheme we will be able to expand that provision while reaching more people in a range of different communities.”

Fleur Sexton, founder of PET-Xi, added: “This is a real opportunity to help those requiring support to get back into work after COVID-19 has impacted on their lives.

“PET-Xi is excited about working with Jobs 22, based from its new WCG site location in delivering the Restart Scheme in Leamington Spa and ensuring each individual engaged has access to our highly skilled and committed team.”

"PET-Xi will not only help unemployed people with things like upskilling, interview technique and CV writing – it can also assess whether they would be suitable to take adult learning courses at WCG."

From homeless to employed thanks to the Restart Scheme

The vicious cycle of homelessness is one that is notoriously hard to break, and with the average Brit just two pay cheques away from homelessness, anyone can suddenly find themselves in this situation.

Christopher had been homeless and unemployed for over a year when he was referred onto the Restart Scheme. Without a permanent address employers were not giving him a second look. As a result of the hardship he had endured, Christopher was at rock bottom and feeling increasingly hopeless.

To get Christopher back on his feet, his Serco Job Coach, Vicky, quickly got to work helping him to find accommodation and access benefits. With an address and financial support, his chances of gaining employment had been massively improved as well as making him feel more positive.

After getting to know Christopher’s skills and experience, Vicky found a factory operative job at a large food production company. Christopher couldn’t quite believe his luck when was offered an interview, but he realised he had no smart shoes or any way of getting there. Not prepared to let this hold Christopher back, Vicky quickly sourced him some shoes and arranged to cover his travel costs.

Being offered the job on the spot took Christopher by surprise and he was amazed at how quickly he had been supported to completely turn his life around.

He said: “I’m so pleased with my new job and I’ve never been so happy. I was in the gutter and I’m now proof things can work out for anyone. Without the support of the Restart Scheme, I wouldn’t be in the situation I am. I’m so grateful for the help.”

Find out more about the Restart Scheme and how it could benefit your business: www.serco-ese.com/restart-scheme

President pays visit to Coombe

A four-star Warwickshire hotel is feeling optimistic about the future after seeing business bounce back strongly since Covid restrictions lifted.

Coombe Abbey Hotel has welcomed a range of staff back from furlough and has hired many more as the events and hospitality sector has begun to recover from 18 months of restrictions.

And now the hotel is also looking to improve what it can offer to visitors with exciting new plans on the horizon.

Sales Director Stephanie Taylor, who recently joined Coombe Abbey Hotel after working in hospitality for more than 10 years, said demand was on the rise.

She said: “We’re in a much better position after restrictions were eased than we previously anticipated. Obviously when everything locked down in March 2020, no one knew what the outcome was going to be.

“But since restrictions have eased, we have come back strongly. We have held lots of weddings that we had to cancel originally, afternoon teas have sold well every day.

“What’s particularly great is that we’ve been able to attract a lot of new staff and have seen many return from furlough. We take great care in ensuring our staff are well-looked after and are valued here, and there is also the attraction of working in such a beautiful hotel.

“Alongside this, I think businesses that have done well during Covid are those that have diversified. We have the hotel and grounds, but we also have Go Ape, our cafes, play area, and florists too.

“We’re also soon to be adding more attractions in the very near future, which should give visitors even more reasons to come in and stay for longer.”

Stephanie was visited at Coombe Abbey by Tom Mongan, president of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, along with Hazel Pilling, Membership Manager at the Chamber.

The pair heard how Coombe Abbey was planning to build on the recovery.

Hazel said: “We help Coombe Abbey Hotel maintain its high profile through regular sharing of its events through our own social media channels and promotions, and we will continue to do so as it holds new events and opens new attractions.

“We’ve also been in regular contact with the hotel throughout the pandemic and beyond and have been able to get Stephanie on some fantastic networking events where she’s already made some very useful business connections in her short time with the business.

“The hotel has been a wonderful destination in our region for many years now, and with Stephanie and the team driving the business forward, it is likely to remain that way for many more years to come.”

Tom Mongan, Hazel Pilling, Stephanie Taylor

Getting ready for the Commonwealth Games

2021 saw a huge amount of activity on Coventry canals as part of Coventry UK City of Culture 2021, and we expect that 2022 will continue with a raft of activities from creative arts and culture, through to fishing, cycling, kayaking and much more, giving people a chance to experience their local canal in a whole new perspective.

In late 2021, the five-and-a-half-mile route from Coventry Canal Basin in the city to Hawkesbury Junction celebrated receiving a Green Flag Award from Keep Britain Tidy. This award, now into its third decade, is awarded to spaces that boast the highest possible environmental standards, are beautifully maintained and have excellent visitor facilities.

This wouldn’t have been possible without commitment from local groups including The Big Clean – Coventry, Coventry Mercia Lions Club, Canal & River Trust volunteers and colleagues, The Good Gym, Crisis (Coventry) and many more local groups and residents that have made this space exceptional.

Canal & River Trust will be working with Coventry UK City of Culture 2021 when further events will be taking place in the basin and on the canal as we play host to ‘Pirates of the Canal’, ‘Hand, earth, gesture, return’, ‘Kraft Haus’ and the ‘Smartphone Orchestra’ in the spring. For more information visit: coventry2021.co.uk

We will then be looking forward to involvement in the city as part of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, when the Coventry Building Society Arena plays host to leading sports stars as they host Rugby Sevens, Wresting and Judo.

The Canal & River Trust is part of the United by Birmingham 2022 community brand for its Community Activity and Wellbeing programmes. The community brand enables local, regional and non-commercial projects, events or initiatives to be acknowledged by, and work with, the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games on community activities.

To find out more and how to get involved visit www.canalrivertrust.org.uk/commonwealth-games-2022

West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) has received an additional £1.1 million from the UK government to roll out nine more digital skills bootcamps across the region.

WMCA secures £1.1m funding boost for nine more digital bootcamps

The funding will allow another 300 West Midlands residents to take part in skills bootcamps covering cybersecurity, coding, digital marketing, TV and film production, AI and machine learning, and more.

The nine new bootcamps made available through the new funding will be run by BritAsia TV, Generation You Employed, Netcom, NIYO Enterprise and The Development Manager. The industry-led skills training is complemented by links to local employers that provide guaranteed interviews and job opportunities for bootcamp participants.

WMCA’s bootcamps are free of charge for learners, equipping West Midlands residents with vital digital skills. They support the unemployed and those seeking a career change, as well as employed people looking to gain the digital skills required to secure more responsibility or a promotion with their current employer.

To date, WMCA has received £7 million in funding, with which it has piloted over 30 digital bootcamps, training around 2,000 adults, who were unemployed or in low-paid jobs, with vital tech skills. Over the next three years, WMCA aims to support over 4,000 people through its bootcamps. Its latest round of bootcamps began in November, with the nine additional courses commencing in January 2022.

Andy Street, the Mayor of the West Midlands and chair of the West Midlands Combined Authority, said: “The sector offers new, exciting, and futureproof jobs, and digital bootcamps are a great way of helping local people to get involved. Our bootcamps have been a great success and provided a clear pathway for people to move into work. I’m delighted that we can now continue our great work and get more residents the skills they need to move into the high-quality, well-paid jobs of the future.”