4 opinion
Congratulations to Reading and Southampton for both gaining promotion to the Premiership – two great conurbations in the top flight of our national game
It would have been nice to write “two great cities“ but it appears that the office of the deputy prime minister prefers to give city status to an obscure settlement in the Welsh mountains, rather than properly acknowledging the success of a great commercial hub such as Reading.
Southampton and Reading will play the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea next season, and let’s hope they can both achieve the important goal of 2012/13 – namely to stay up.
As cities (in all but name) Reading and Southampton are respectively the centres of the Thames Valley and Solent regions and both have matured as commercial powerhouses in the past decade.
The regeneration of much of Southampton has been particularly impressive, and there are many more exciting developments on the drawing board. SeaCity and the Cultural Quarter and the ambitious Future Southampton scheme are all part of what is likely to be a further transformation of the city over the next 20 years.
There is less overt ambition at Reading, with much of the focus being on creating strategies for a sustainable community, but the town has changed markedly in the past decade and is now a much more pleasant place to work and live.
Infrastructure problems remain for both centres – but both Reading and Southampton have bright futures in the premiership of the UK economy.
David Murray Publisher
www.businessmag.co.uk
Lack of skilled staff hampers manufacturing
Manufacturing companies in the Solent area are finding it difficult to take advantage of growth opportunities due to a lack of skilled staff entering the industry, according to Southampton financial adviser Grant Thornton.
The firm said opportunities for growth are present now more than ever but companies in the area are unable to take advantage because they are struggling to get the right staff.
Amanda James, senior manager, said that there is growing demand for British-manufactured products in the EU and emerging markets such as China, with ample opportunities for manufacturing firms in the region to grow globally. However, a lack of appropriately- skilled people entering the manufacturing industry has hampered their ambitions for growth: “The manufacturing sector has struggled to shake the reputation it had in the past of dirty factories and being a ’low skill’ job,
although much is now being done to improve the image of the sector.“
’See Inside Manufacturing’, a government initiative, has taken groups of young people to visit some of the UK’s top automotive manufacturers for a behind-the-scenes look at their world class facilities and modern manufacturing employment opportunities.
James added: “The lack of STEM- qualified (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) apprentices and graduates coming through the system is a big concern. In reality, the manufacturing industry is fast-moving, innovative and technologically advanced, so it is vital to develop and encourage a flow of highly skilled people into the industry to move it forward. In speaking with a large number of local manufacturing companies it’s an issue that comes up time and time again and needs to be addressed.“
James said that while the current situation might seem bleak, there was help available. The Manufacturing Advisory Service, a national support service delivered locally by experienced advisers, was working hard in the South East to help manufacturing companies take a business-wide, strategic view of their company, identifying and dealing with obstacles to growth and market opportunities. For SMEs in the region, many of these services were free and supported by grant funding.
“The Manufacturing Advisory Service and Grant Thornton are both very keen to get out there and meet companies to help them plug the skills’ gap and address problems around growth.
“We’re visiting companies, reviewing their current state of play and offering insight into benchmarks and what might be available in terms of funding and coaching. Grants and subsidised consultancy support are there and it’s a case of letting companies know about them.
“There is a very robust and innovative manufacturing base in this part of the country and we need to encourage business owners to seek advice and support to take advantage of every growth opportunity.“
Boat Show to draw 80,000 to Portsmouth
Some of the biggest names in the marine industry will attend the Powerboat and RIB Show at Gunwharf Quays in Portsmouth from May 11 to 13.
More than 80,000 people are expected to attend and exhibitors include Raymarine, Garmin, Yamaha, Ribeye and Navicot, and event sponsor Suzuki. The free show will also feature overseas exhibitors,
including Arctic Blue from Norway, Paragon/Nimbus from Scandinavia and Vector Marine from North America.
Organiser Hugo Montgomery- Swan said: “This year’s show will have a wide range of exhibitors selling not only RIBs and powerboats, but also many of the other vital associated products. This will make for a very well- rounded show for visitors, who
will be able to pick up everything they need to start the spring season in one place.“
In the June issue of The Business Magazine
• Corporate Finance • Legal Focus • Focus on Southampton
Details: 0118-9766411
sales@elcot.co.uk
THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – SOLENT & SOUTH CENTRAL – MAY 2012
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