West Midlands Pessimism - Keep Britain Working - State of the Nation Report

West Midlands workers feel worse about job prospects now than they did only a month ago, according to a new poll from the independent campaign Keep Britain Working, published today (Monday 2nd November 2009).

The West Midlands Job Prospect Index stands at minus 31. This is a 6 point drop against September, when the index figure was minus 25. However it has improved from the low point last May, when the Job Prospect Index began, of minus 46.

UK wide
Pessimism about job prospects has deepened in October, reversing the previous steady upwards trend. The Job Prospects Index stands at Minus 21 for October, a four point drop compared to September's Minus 17 score.

Keep Britain Working's monthly poll asks an average of 2,000 people across the country if they are optimistic or pessimistic about job prospects. Pessimism was at its worst in May, giving an index score of Minus 37. People had become steadily less pessimistic since then, giving an index score of Minus 24 in July, Minus 19 in August, and reaching its least pessimistic score of Minus 17 in September, before falling back this month.

Nearly one in four people - 24% - still feel positive about their employer in spite of worsening job prospects, demonstrating how successful many employers have been at working flexibly, in partnership with their staff, to respond to the recession.

However employers need to be aware that this trend is slowly becoming more negative. As the Post Office strike demonstrates, worker support for employers cannot be taken for granted. Overall the Employer Index stands at Minus 15 for October, as 39% of employees say they feel negative about their employers, compared to Minus 11 in August and Minus 13 in September.

James Reed, Chairman of recruitment group Reed and founder of the Keep Britain Working campaign, which was set up to create and preserve jobs, comments:

"Following the steady improvement of peoples' feelings about job prospects since the low point in May this year, the latest Index figures reveal the first reversal. As recent UK economic figures demonstrate, this recession is not over yet, and concern for job prospects has risen in the last month.

"However, people do not feel as negative about their prospects now as in the Spring. Indeed in some key sectors - such as business services - the trend continues to improve. Employers must keep their focus on close staff relationships through these difficult times. The organisations who get this right will be best placed to respond quickly to new opportunities."

FACT FILE:
Keep Britain Working survey people on job board reed.co.uk every month - polling between 1,600 and 4,000 people every month.

Keep Britain Working is an independent campaign, endorsed by all main political parties, the Trade Unions, the British Chambers of Commerce, and hundreds of other employers and organisations. For more information, www.KeepBritainWorking.com.

Cloggs.co.uk opens flagship store in Birmingham

Cloggs has announced the opening of a new flagship retail shoe store in Birmingham. The new Midlands shoe store opened its doors in the Bull Ring Shopping Centre on September 12th, and marks a huge milestone for the company.

Until recently, Cloggs had concentrated on growing its business online. Now, the opening of the new store in the heart of the Bullring Shopping Centre will put it at the forefront of one of Europe's largest shopping venues, alongside some of the UK's largest brands.

Stocking all of the major brands Cloggs sells online in a state-of- the-art shop, retail customers are now able to buy UGG Boots, including all the latest must-have styles such as UGG Bailey Button and Cardy UGGs. Shoppers at the new Cloggs.co.uk Bullring store will also be able to purchase all the classic boot brands ready for the winter such as Dr Martens, Fitflop Boots and Timberland Boots.

Fans of Cloggs will also be pleased to know that the new Birmingham store is able to offer a pre-order service, next day delivery and touch screen terminals where they can view and interact with the Cloggs.co.uk website from the comfort of the shop.

Cloggs are also introducing a new MBT collection of boots and shoes, which can only be bought from the Bullring store. Commonly known by their slogan 'The anti-shoe', MBT is a healthy brand of footwear designed to stabilise the body by supporting the body and preventing joint and back pain.

Nick Thomas, Cloggs.co.uk Director, said: "The opening of this flagship store is a landmark moment for us. We’ve been able to showcase our amazing selection of footwear brands in a retail environment, whereas we’ve always focused entirely on online sales before. It is a great opportunity for shoppers to get the best selection of brand-name footwear on the market at really competitive prices. In addition to all the top brands we sell, there are store exclusives such as the MBT collection and really handy pre-order and next day delivery services."

At present the Bullring is the 10th largest shopping centre in the UK, just behind St David's Centre in Cardiff and Liverpool One in Liverpool. Commercial activity in the Bullring dates back to the Middle Ages and - thanks to the 36.5 million visitors it attracted in its first year of opening - it’s one of the most important retail landmarks in the UK. 2000sq feet of this landmark now houses Cloggs.

FACT FILE:
With over 35 years of High Street trading experience, Cloggs has long been at the forefront of cutting edge British shoe retail. With a focus on in season fashion footwear, quality customer service, competitive prices and extensive selection, Cloggs.co.uk and its high street store stocks over 20,000 items including its popular range of UGGs, Converse and Crocs.

Shaahid’s Year in Industry is a winner

West Midland’s student Shaahid Ismail, who has just completed a year’s placement at Telford based GKN Wheels, has beaten off stiff competition to win the regional heat of the Year in Industry’s (YINI) ‘Contribution to the Business Awards’. Shaahid will now go on to the national final of the awards in London on 15th September.

Birmingham-based Shaahid took up his engineering placement at GKN Wheels, a leading global supplier of off-highway wheels, whilst taking a year out after his A-Levels. The YINI scheme provides high quality, paid placements for students in their gap year, before or during their degree course, with placements available in all areas of engineering, science, IT, e-commerce, business, marketing, finance and logistics.

Shaahid first heard about the scheme whilst he was still at college in Birmingham and after applying, was offered a position working within GKN Wheels’ production engineering department. Shaahid said: “My twelve months spent at GKN Wheels have been extremely beneficial. I have learnt firsthand what a career in engineering will involve and have developed my skills, working on live projects designed to improve productivity

During his placement at GKN, Shaahid’s assignment was a process / productivity improvement project. This work was submitted as part of his entry into YINI’s ‘Contribution to the Business’ awards and he presented his project to a panel of experts.

Trevor Pritchard, engineering and manufacturing manager at GKN Wheels in Telford, said: “It is fantastic news that Shaahid has reached the national finals of the YINI awards. At GKN Wheels we believe in nurturing the talent of tomorrow and what better way than to offer placements to students interested in pursuing a career in engineering.

“We wish Shaahid all the best for the final and hope that his twelve months at GKN have convinced him that engineering can provide a broad and rewarding career.”

Your Chance Live In Warwickshire’s Best Village For Less Than £98k

ESTEEMED housebuilder David Wilson Mercia is offering homebuyers the exclusive chance to live in Henley-in-Arden, one of Warwickshire’s Best Villages, for less than £98k at its Henley Point development.

Henley Point is situated on William James Way off the High Street in Henley-in-Arden. The village has recently been named one of Warwickshire’s best villages, securing a gold award in the WRCC (Warwickshire Rural Community Council) ‘Warwickshire’s Best Village’ competition 2009.

The competition which is held annually, invites villages in Warwickshire, with 5,000 residents or less, to enter the competition with the chance to become ‘Warwickshire’s Best Village’. The competition has six categories, which villages can enter, these include: Community projects, community buildings, communication, business in the community, environmental projects and history and heritage.

Henley-in-Arden won third place in the ‘History and Heritage’ category for the provision of the Henley Heritage Centre, which is ran entirely by volunteers. The town then went on to win a gold award for the overall Best Village 2009.

Henley Point offers a selection of homes which are all situated just a few minutes walk from the Henley-in-Arden High Street which is the hub of this exclusive town which offers a wide selection of independent shops, bars and restaurants. The M42, M40 and Henley railway station are also close by, whilst still being in the beautiful Warwickshire countryside, making this the ideal rural retreat for any homebuyer.

Prices start from £139,950, however David Wilson is currently offering buyers the chance to take advantage of a new scheme from the government called HomeBuy Direct which means that buyers could move into one of these exclusive homes for just 70 per cent of the price. This means that the one-bedroom apartments could be purchased for as little as £97,965.

Julia Chapman, Sales Manager for David Wilson Mercia commented, “Henley Point is an exclusive development situated in this highly sought after market town, making it a very desirable development.

“Therefore, the prospect of purchasing a property here for less than £98,000 with the HomeBuy Direct scheme, really is an unmissable opportunity and with 60 per cent of the development now sold, I’m sure that these properties will be snapped up very quickly indeed and homebuyers should register their interest so as not to miss out.”

Eligible purchasers using HomeBuy Direct will benefit from a 30 per cent equity loan which is jointly funded by David Wilson and the Government. The final 70 per cent is financed by the purchaser either with a mortgage, a deposit or a combination of the two.

Paul Spooner, regional director for the South East division or the Homes and Communities Agency, said: “In the current climate it’s important that we help a range of people to find the best housing option to suit them, and simultaneously help stimulate the building of new homes. HomeBuy Direct, with our £400 million investment, is just one way in which we’re doing this and it is proving extremely popular.”

The scheme is open to first-time buyers, key workers and others who are currently renting. People who have previously owned a home but are now unable to do so – perhaps where relationships have broken down – can also apply. Households eligible will be earning less than £60,000 and would not normally be able to afford to buy a suitable property on the open market. There is no interest to pay on the equity stake for the first five years, although a small fee will be charged from year six onwards.

Henley Point also offers a selection of two-bedroom apartments priced from £169,950. For more information, please contact the sales office on 01564 793 833 open daily from 10am to 5pm. Alternatively please contact the sales office on 01676 525 484 or log on to www.dwh.co.uk/henleypoint.

BCS Moves HC2010 To Birmingham

The BCS (British Computer Society) has signalled a new era for its renowned annual Health Informatics event by moving it to Birmingham in 2010.

HC2010, the Health Informatics Congress, will be held at the city’s International Conference Centre (ICC), from 27th-29th April.

The ICC was chosen because its central location and facilities are able to support BCS’ long-term ambitions and plans for the event, says Mike Sinclair, the new chair of the event’s organising committee.

He says: “Health Informatics professionals have an increasingly significant influence on the shape, direction and ongoing operation of services across health and social care. This event provides a unique and powerful opportunity to bring professionals from across the UK together under one roof to learn and discuss key issues.

“The NHS will be facing very tough and new challenges in 2010. The pressures to realise real benefits from the application and use of information systems will be greater than those we have faced in the past. Now, more than ever, it is vital for this community of professionals to get together to debate future directions and make connections.

“We want HC2010 in Birmingham to be an integral part of life for the many health informatics professionals in the UK - a ‘must-attend’ event for those either setting the agenda or having to deliver against it.”

Significant changes to the event’s conference programme and how it is run in 2010 will also be made. Details of these will be announced in due course.
www.bcs.org

New Report Looks At The Health Of NHS Staff

A scheme to improve the health of Birmingham NHS employees was among the evidence submitted for a ground-breaking report which will be published on Wednesday (19 August 2009).

The Boorman Review interim report will be sharing its findings and initial recommendations on the health and well-being of NHS staff across the country. The independent review is being led by Dr Steve Boorman, a highly respected expert in occupational health, and will produce a series of practical recommendations to improve health and well-being across the NHS later this year.

Among the evidence sent to the reviewers were details of how NHS Birmingham East and North is leading the way in looking after the health and well-being of its staff by offering a health improvement scheme called BENeFIT.

BENeFIT has already helped more than 725 employees become fitter, lose weight and have healthier lifestyles, with health risk assessments and cardiovascular screenings taking place, hundreds of pedometers handed out and individually tailored programmes given to members. Health coaches have helped staff increase their exercise and motivated them into making healthier lifestyle choices.

Nicola Benge, Director of Health Improvement at NHS Birmingham East and North, said: “We will be interested to see what the report finds about the health of staff across the NHS, and what impact schemes like BENeFIT can have.

“The BENeFIT programme has only been going for one year, but results show that it has really worked. Staff have reported that they not only lost weight, ate healthier meals and upped their exercise, but also really enjoyed taking part.”

For more information, go to www.nhshealthandwellbeing.org.

Telephone Health Service Live In Sutton Coldfield

The team behind one of Birmingham’s most innovative health services is spreading the news by holding a series of roadshows in Sutton Coldfield.

Birmingham OwnHealth has commissioned Health Trainers from Gateway Family Services CIC, who will be running the roadshows at the Ley Hill Surgery at 228 Lichfield Road. The roadshows will be held on Monday 10, Tuesday 11, Thursday 13 and Friday 14 August, and the Health Trainers will be available from 8.30am – 12noon each day to offer more information about Birmingham OwnHealth to the practice’s patients, answer questions about what Health Trainers can do for members of the service and hand out leaflets and giveaways.

Birmingham OwnHealth is a service for people with long term conditions in Birmingham, providing friendly one-to-one advice and support in several languages over the telephone. Members who enroll on the service work with Care Managers and Health Coaches to help manage their condition, while Health Trainers offer face to face motivation and encouragement in making positive changes to their lifestyles.

Donna Evill, Health Trainer Manager at Gateway Family Services CIC, said: “Birmingham OwnHealth helps people with conditions such as diabetes, coronary heart disease, heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) and high blood pressure.

“The service’s Health Trainers are heading into the community to spread the word about this fantastic service and how it can really help people with these conditions have lives that are more independent, make positive changes to their health and lifestyles and have the power to manage their conditions better.”