The Small Business Charter, the Help to Grow course & a return of the Executive MBA; an exciting time for the Worcester Business School

The Worcester Business School at the University of Worcester has officially received its Small Business Charter, an accolade held by only around 60 business schools in the country.

workplace, including the self-employed and entrepreneurs.

The CEO of the Chartered Association of Business Schools, Flora Hamilton, visited the City Campus to hand over the charter in person last month.

It paves the way for the delivery of the UK Government funded Help to Grow Management course to SME leaders across the region and comes at a crucial time for the Business School.

The course is delivered by entrepreneurs and industry experts and involves business focused learning to invest in leadership and management.

In addition to the exciting news of the Help to Grow Management course and after 2 years of hard work, the Executive MBA Course is also ready to start accepting candidates again, with up to 30 successful applicants beginning their studies in January 2024.

The MBA is aimed at managers and leaders who already have some leadership or management experience in the

Dr Scott Andrews, the Head of the Worcester Business School says: “The Executive MBA provides access to a range of experiences, working alongside other senior leaders and managers to develop strategic skills across marketing, finance, HR and leadership to be better positioned to face the real challenges of today’s workplace”.

Jacqui Morley-Brooker graduated with an Executive MBA which was also accredited by the Chartered Management Institute while she was working as an EU Project Manager at Worcestershire County Council. She says: “After successfully achieving my Exec MBA at the University of Worcester I was keen to maximise the value of my qualification and I applied for Chartered Manager status with the CMI”.

“I am of the view that my learning didn’t end with my MBA” Says Jacqui. “I would highly recommend that all business students adopt a lifelong learning approach to their career, to this end, as a highly respected organisation the Worcester Executive MBA working with the CMI brings all the necessary elements together in order to achieve this”. For more information and how to apply to begin studying in January 2024, contact Jo Murphy (joanne.murphy@woprc.ac.uk) or Steven Monks (s.monks@worc.ac.uk)

World’s largest solar farm could solve Europe’s energy crisis

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has accelerated the drive for renewable projects and innovative technologies.

The world’s largest concentrated solar farm, Noor Ouarzazate, Morocco could be a vital lifeline for the energy crisis.

The project operates using Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) technology. This technology harnesses solar power from half a million curved mirrors to direct sunlight towards tubes of synthetic oil, which convert it to vapour. A turbine uses the vapor to generate electricity, providing power for 1.3 million people.

As CSP is able to store the heat generated, it can be used during periods of minimal sunlight.

Eager to tap into this renewable energy goldmine, British energy start-up, Xlinks,

Green Credentials

More and more businesses are acknowledging the need for them to be able to evidence their green credentials.

Whether it be at the behest of clients and the demands of being part of a global supply chain…or in demonstrating their environmental commitments as part of their purpose to help engage and retain talent…organisations of all shapes and sizes need to be able to measure and monitor the impact that doing business has on the world around them.

When Hewett Recruitment were completing their recent B Corp Impact Assessment they were presented with a familiar problem for a small, service based business – how to measure our Carbon Footprint? Many larger companies now have whole departments dedicated to managing their sustainability and it can sometimes appear simpler for manufacturers and transport companies to look at the environmental effect their day to day activities have.

To this end, Hewett turned to a variety of online tools built to support SME businesses in their journey to sustainability. We used the Natwest Carbon Planner to give an overall carbon footprint alongside tools such as Giki to help our employees calculate their individual carbon scores. This allowed us to present a well thought out Environmental Management System, with specific targets for reducing our carbon footprint over the next 12 months.

has made plans to build an undersea electricity cable from Morocco to the UK.

The cable is projected to cover 2,300 miles to southwest England, where it will supply 8% of Britain’s electricity and power 7 million homes by 2030.

Read the full article at cec.uk.com/news

We recently received confirmation of our status as a B Corp Certified Business, joining a growing band of UK companies dedicated to “doing business for good”. Our ability to show we took our environmental commitments – however small we might perceive them – was a key part of this process and should show that any company is capable meeting these requirements. If you would like to find out more about our B Corp journey then please get in touch today at hello@hewett-recruitment.co.uk

Community Action Malvern and District - Investing to help boost local services.

After celebrating our 50th Anniversary in 2022, Community Action has several new developments, costing over £100K, to boost the support offered within the Malvern Hills District

Community Action will be relocating to 112 Worcester Road, Malvern Link in early November. This new office will give clients and volunteers much improved access to the services we offer the community and provide higher visibility for Malvern Hills Volunteering.

We have purchased a 16-passenger wheelchair accessible Minibus to expand local transport services. Its primary use will be to support the recently launched Worcestershire On Demand (WOD) Malvern service and we have created three new jobs for bus drivers for the service.

The wheelchair car service is set to expand with a new WAV (Wheelchair Adapted Vehicle) being delivered imminently

The charity is managed by a board of trustees and we have current vacancies for trustees with legal or financial experience. All our community projects are delivered by volunteers and address loneliness and rural isolation: transport-related projects include car service, community buses, wheelchair cars, Out & About and Tea Club; for non-drivers we have administrative roles including project support, fundraising, marketing and publicity. More recently, our Men’s Shed was set up for sharing and learning new skills, while Malvern Hills Volunteering enables potential volunteers to find local volunteering opportunities with other charities within the community.

Contact us for more information

Community Action Malvern & District

Phone: 01684 892381

Email: info@communityaction.org.uk

Web: communityaction.org.uk

Small businesses can help save lives

Midlands Air Ambulance Charity relies on the support of local people and businesses to continue to run its lifesaving pre-hospital emergency service. Corporate partnerships are a great and versatile way to support the charity’s daily operations.

Sweeper Services, Kelly Plant Hire in Worcestershire has been supporting the charity since 2018. With a small team of employees, the business explored various ways to support Midlands Air Ambulance Charity that were outside the box of traditional fundraising, which can be a challenge for small businesses.

In 2020, Kelly Plant Hire started incorporating the charity’s logo onto its livery of twenty-two new or replaced vehicles, providing valuable free marketing for the charity. The team, led by local businessman, Shaun Kelly, has also provided free sweepers for the charity’s large-scale outdoor events and airbase. This has generated a value of £70,000 of gift in kind to the charity over the last four years.

Pam Hodgetts, corporate partnerships manager for Midlands Air Ambulance Charity, said: “We understand that all partnerships do not look the same, but they are equally valuable to our mission. Many of our partners donate goods or services as their way of supporting the charity. These do not go unnoticed, and the value is tracked as gift in kind.

“Partners like Kelly Plant Hire means that we can maintain our daily operations, in which our crew attend twelve lifesaving missions each day. Get in touch with to find out how your company can make a tangible impact.”

Register your interest in supporting your local air ambulance: pam.hodgetts@midlandsairambulance.com or visit midlandsairambulance.com/corporate

Can your Business help Primrose do great things…

Make 2024 the year to help Primrose Hospice & Family Support Centre provide essential care and support to more people living with life-limiting illnesses and families experiencing bereavement.

Every single person who supports, volunteers and works for Primrose Hospice make up ‘Primrose People’ who help support over 1,400 people every year in our community.

There are countless ways you and your business can help:

Sponsor or support an event

– Primrose Hospice hold lots of fantastic events. You could help by providing sponsorship or even climb Snowdon like Gough Bailey Wright above.

Volunteer – Whether it’s an hour, a day or a week, there are a huge variety of volunteer roles you can get involved with from retail, stewarding, even glorious gardening. Support fundraising campaigns - Join in with Yellow Week, you could custard pie your boss, run 5km dressed as a banana or hold a yellow bake sale!

Captain your own ship for the day - New for 2024, we have a great new challenge for businesses to take part in so watch this space!

Supporting a charity like Primrose Hospice is a great way to give back to your community and learn more about how we provide vital care and support to people living in North East Worcestershire.

Primrose Hospice would love to hear from you, so get in touch today to chat through your ideas and kick your 2024 off with a bang!

T: 01527 889796

E: info@primrosehospice.org

W: primrosehospice.org

We all aspire to attain this, however, for care experienced people it can sometimes be difficult to achieve due to trauma and difficulty in their early years. By ‘care experienced’ we mean someone with lived experience of local authority foster or residential care.

It is estimated that:

26% of the homeless population have care experience.

24% of the prison population in England have spent time in care.

41% of 19–21-year-old care leavers are not in education, employment or training (NEET) compared to 12% of other young people in the same age group.

Adults who spent time in care between 1971-2001 were 70% more likely to die prematurely than those who did not.

In 2020/21, 13,360 young people aged 16 and above left care and whilst local authorities play a crucial role, more often the corporate parenting role diminishes and ends once the individuals reach adulthood. This is where the Rees Foundation step in to help, by providing financial, emotional, and practical support to care leavers of any age –because we believe care shouldn’t stop at 18, 21 or 25.

The charity runs a series of projects that aim to help care experienced people find employment, housing, and access financial assistance when times are tough. We create a network for care leavers to connect with each other, offering them support every step of the way.

The Rees Foundation welcome support via fundraising, donations, or charity of the year nominations as all of this provides vital funds for care leavers who are struggling.

If you would like to make a difference to the lives of care experienced people, get in touch with us on contactus@reesfoundation.org or find out more on www.reesfoundation.org.

Navigating the UK’s Evolving Net Zero Plan

The UKs ambitious commitment to achieving Net Zero by 2050 is a cornerstone of its environmental policy. Despite this, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced changes to Government policies in September whilst insisting the UK will still be on track to reach its target. Altering the trajectory of these policies makes strategic planning for organisations a challenge but ISO 14001 Environmental Management Standard can help. Implementing the internationally recognised ISO 14001 can play a key role in the strategic planning of environmental policies.

The Standard provides a systematic approach to: managing environmental aspects reducing risks optimising resources demonstrating a commitment to sustainability

Whilst not specifically aimed at reaching ‘net zero’, the standard helps organisations align their environmental objectives with their broader strategic goals such as reducing their carbon footprint. This ultimately contributes to their long-term success and responsible environmental stewardship.

To understand more, watch this webinar: isoqsltd.com/resources/14001-net-zero