Opinion CHAMBER LINK


The Official Publication of Greater Birmingham Chambers of commerce


Editor’s View


By John Lamb


This month’s edition of Chamberlink bears testimony to the amazing enterprise and persistence of budding business people in the region. Our articles include stories about the two entrepreneurs who are seeking markets for a salt


substitute made out of seaweed; then there’s the engineering business which is bidding to become the world-leading manufacturer of rotary engines; and add to that the full pages were are running on start-up businesses. But there is also a nod to tradition – the Birmingham luxury pen makers who are adding exciting


new chapters to a near 200-year story of traditional hand-crafted skills whose origins pre-date the Victorian era; and then there’s the extraordinary story of one of the UK’s oldest businesses based in Birmingham and their amazing link to Napoleon’s tooth. This Chamber devotes a good deal of time and energy to encouraging start-up businesses (see


Sutton Coldfield


Chamber of Commerce


page 5) and last month Birmingham City University held a day-long event, StartUp 2017, to give people wanting to start a business the chance to sharpen their skills. The initiative comes at a time when Birmingham and the West Midlands has experienced significant


growth in the number of small businesses being launched and has been recognised as one of the UK’s start-up hotspots. But in terms of employment there continue to be worrying trends. According to surveys, 30 per


Front cover: Professor Julian Beer, pictured at the site of the new Conservatoire, part of Birmingham City University. See page 8


Editor John Lamb 0121 607 1781, 0797 1144064 j.lamb@birmingham-chamber.com


Deputy Editor Dan Harrison 0121 607 1887, 0797 1144052 d.harrison@birmingham-chamber.com


You can now read the latest issue of CHAMBERLINK and view back issues online at: www.greaterbirminghamchambers.com


cent of West Midlands employees are on the hunt for a new role in 2017 and General Z (University students born in mid to late 1990s), are pessimistic about their employment prospects The findings are outlined in Investors in People’s annual Job Exodus Trends report. Poor management is the most common employee concern (70 per cent), followed by lack of authority and leadership (36 per cent). Amid concerns about wages stagnating in the UK, 41 per cent also said a small pay rise was the one thing their employer could do to increase happiness in their job. Unfortunately, Generation Z students are starting university pessimistic about their employment


prospects - with only 20 per cent believing they will secure their dream job. And that figure drops to ten per cent as students progress into the second and third year of their degree, according to a study conducted by EY across the UK. The study surveyed nearly 1,400 university students on their attitudes to university and the world of


work, including universities in the Midlands such as Birmingham, Loughborough, Leicester, Warwick and Nottingham. It revealed that despite the rising costs of tuition, Gen Z (the demographic group following the ‘millennial’ generation) are overwhelmingly positive about their decision to go to university (89 per cent). However, only 58 per cent believe that they are now more employable. As Sara Fowler, senior partner at EY in the Midlands, points out the so-called Generation Z grew up


during the financial down-turn, a time of deep uncertainty. Now they are faced with future uncertainties caused by Brexit and wider global political events. On the Brexit front, Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce are establishing an advisory group to understand the Brexit-related issues affecting members and deliver targeted support.


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Managing Editor Laura Blake Designer Lloyd Hollingworth


Advertising 0121 765 4144 jon.jones@kempspublishing.co.uk


CHAMBERLINK is produced on behalf of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce by Kemps Publishing Ltd and is distributed to members without charge. The Chambers and the publisher are committed to achieving the highest quality standards. While every care has been taken to ensure that the information it contains is accurate, neither the Chambers nor the publisher can accept any responsibility for any omission or inaccuracies that might arise. Views expressed in the magazine are not necessarily those of the Chambers. This publication (or any part thereof) may not be reproduced, transmitted or stored in print or electronic format without prior written permission of Kemps Publishing Ltd.


4 CHAMBERLINK February 2017


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