July Business & Policy Briefing

Ely/Haughley Junctions – campaign latest

Suffolk Chamber is already arranging a meeting with Louise Haigh, the new Secretary of State for Transport, as a follow-up to the one we hosted just before the General Election, to push for an early approval of the Ely Area Capacity Enhancement programme and upgrades to Haughley Junction.

Sorting out Ely/Haughley quickly and decisively will allow a more focussed and thoughtful debate as to the long-term role of Suffolk’s strategic road corridors, including the messy compromises and short-term fixes that characterise the network in and around Ipswich.

For further information: paul@suffolkchamber.co.uk

General Election: The Results

Congratulations to Suffolk’s eight newly elected MPs. Read the full article here

Suffolk Business Digital Champions Group: update

Composed of businesses and other partners and funded by the Suffolk Public Sector Leaders’ Group, one of the roles of the Digital Champions Group is to raise awareness of innovative uses of mobile technologies, especially 4 and 5G, and their business and wider benefits. We hope this short collection of articles might be of interest:

• New report shows “life-changing” impact of mobile connectivity on UK’s rural communities: A new independent report, commissioned using data from four EE mast deployments, shows 4G mobile connectivity can generate more than £6 million for a rural community.
• Three ways to get the public more interested in 5G: a personal view. How would these ideas work here in Suffolk?
• Mobile UK sets out asks of new Government: some good ideas in here

If you are a Suffolk-based company making innovative use of 5G-enabled technologies, we’d really like to hear from you and see whether we can help you with publicising your innovations and possibly arrange a site visit to inspire and encourage others. Please contact Paul Simon, Suffolk Chamber’s Head of Public Affairs: paul@suffolkchamber.co.uk

Unlocking employment

HMP Hollesley Bay is a category D (Open Prison). It can hold up to 655 male prisoners - the vast majority of which are of working age and are looking to go back into employment once released. The prison also runs a ROTL (Release on Temporary Licence) scheme which enables currently serving prisoners the opportunity to leave site for the purposes of Education, Training & Work on a daily basis, meaning they can work whilst in prison.

Successful re-integration back into society is significantly improved if the prison can create hope and opportunity. A great way of achieving this is by enabling access to employment. A regular income can stabilise their lives and enable them to support their families.

Hollesley Bay tries to offer the best support it can, to upskill prisoners with the qualifications and skills needed to enter the current employment market but also needs the support of employers.

Suffolk Chamber of Commerce is represented on the HMP Hollesley Bay Employment Advisory Board and we would be grateful if you could complete a short survey to find out your thoughts about employing people with criminal convictions.

The survey can be found here

The survey is confidential, unless you request more information from Hollesley Bay about employing prisoners and ex-offenders, or supporting them into work.

Please can you complete the survey by 31st July.

If you would like further information about this survey please contact toby@suffolkchamber.co.uk

If you would prefer not to complete the survey but would like to find out more about employing prisoners and ex-offenders, or supporting them into work, please contact employmenthubhollesleybay@justice.gov.uk

Supported Internships

Employers in Suffolk are being given the chance to develop new talent for their business whilst providing a potentially life-changing opportunity for an individual in Suffolk.

Suffolk County Council would like to engage Suffolk employers to develop their knowledge of, and consider offering, supported internship placements for those young people aged 16-24 with Special Educational Needs or/and Disabilities (SEND).

A supported internship is unpaid and there is no cost to the Employer. The young person is supported whilst in placement by a job coach with funding in place for this and any reasonable adjustments that may need to be made, prior to starting in the workplace.

Young people can develop in confidence, learn new skills, build their independence and progress towards paid employment.

At a time when vacancies can often be left unfilled, a supported internship offers a different way to recruit a diverse talent pool into your business. Amongst other benefits the internship can save an organisation time and money, provide extra team capacity at no cost and help you demonstrate social value, thereby attracting further talent and potentially even winning business.

Suffolk County Council hold regular SEND Employment Forums for its host employers and other employers interested in finding out more about inclusive employment.

The next forum will be held on 26^th July 2024. Please contact skills@suffolk.gov.uk for more details and to reserve your space.

Skills Bootcamps

Skills Bootcamps bridge existing skills gaps and address recruitment needs by providing flexible, intensive training programmes. The Bootcamps last from 60 hours to 16 weeks and are designed to fit around learners' commitments. They provide sector-specific skills at Levels 2-5 (GCSE to HND equivalent) to help individuals gain employment, get promoted, or take on more work if self-employed.

Suffolk and Norfolk County Councils have secured funding to support 600 learners through Skills Bootcamps to March 2025. For employers looking to upskills their current workforce, there is a 30% contribution. Small to medium sized businesses (SMEs) pay 10% (depending on the course a 10% contribution could be £150 to £350).

A wide range of Bootcamp courses are available including Agri-Horticulture skills, Sustainability skills, Digital skills, Construction skills, Teaching skills, Engineering skills, Project Management skills, Health & Social Care skills, Logistics skills and Leadership & Management skills.

For more details of all the courses click here or email SkillsBootCamp@suffolk.gov.uk

West Suffolk College are seeking businesses to support the sustainability skills bootcamps by sharing knowledge delivering specific masterclasses on topics which are directly relevant to sustainability within your organisation or sector.  If you would like to know more and chat through how you could support the sustainability skills bootcamps please contact: Nina.hart@easterneducationgroup.ac.uk