Business News
Investment levels on the up
When ideals meet reality
Speakers (from left): Carl Potter, Raj Kandola, Julian Beer, Joanne Birch and Paul Faulkner
“I felt worse for crying because it was her dreams that were shattered, not mine, her life was going to be harder, not mine. I felt angry at myself for not finding a solution for her and I felt angry at the world for allowing these problems to still exist.”
Those were the words of volunteer Ian Yunus Daley during his deployment to Tanzania as part of our Mission Possible programme. The concept of charity appears simple. Give what you can afford, to help those in need. The reality, as expressed by
Ian, is a harsh reminder that concepts and ideals are not solutions but merely desires and ideas. True charity, it could be argued, is not necessarily about giving but deciding who NOT to give to even though they are as deserving as anyone else. Not many of us will have
undergone the experience that Ian did - having face-to-face interviews with potential beneficiaries, judging them against a needs criteria and then deciding who should receive aid and, more crucially, who should be turned away. It’s this unique feature of
Islamic Help’s Mission Possible programme which demonstrates that charity is as much about the experience of giving as it is about the ideals.
Find out more about Mission Possible at
www.islamichelp.org.uk/missi onpossible or call 0121 446 5682.
14 CHAMBERLINK September 2018
Businesses in Birmingham are confident despite political and economic uncertainty, delegates were told at the launch of a key Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce report. The performance of the region’s
businesses was analysed at the launch of the Chamber’s second Quarterly Business Report of 2018, hosted by Birmingham City University (BCU). The event was opened by Paul
Faulkner, chief executive for the GBCC, and Julian Beer, deputy vice-chancellor at BCU, who announced that the university would be extending their sponsorship of the report for the third year running. The report found that businesses
are experiencing a welcome rise in recruitment levels and domestic order for firms in both the manufacturing and service sectors
‘Businesses are experiencing a welcome rise in recruitment levels’
amidst weak GDP growth, a spike in global crude oil prices and political angst. Businesses were also found to remain confident and are continuing to invest. Raj Kandola, GBCC’s senior policy
and patron adviser, who presented the report, said: “While it was pleasing to see an upturn in investment levels, long-term barriers still exist. In light of this the Chamber is looking to do a campaign in the autumn called Invest to Grow, which looks at how businesses can invest in capital expenditure.” Continuing on the theme of
investment, delegates heard from Joanne Birch, director innovation, enterprise and employability at BCU. Joanne discussed the need for collaboration and partnership in
New WMCA deal puts skills back on the table
A new skills deal for the West Midlands which could unlock up to £69m has been welcomed by business leaders. The deal agreed with the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA)
will boost digital and technical skills, job opportunities and productivity across the region. The Government will co-fund the deal, alongside employer funding and the WMCA will invest £20m into this area as set out in its Skills Plan. Paul Faulkner, chief executive of the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce, said: “This is fantastic news for the West Midlands, and we applaud the mayor and his team at the WMCA for all the hard work they have put in to securing this deal. “All of us at the Chamber have been
acutely aware of skills gaps and remain concerned about them restricting growth potential in the region. However, this deal will provide a boost for colleges, expanding businesses and SMEs considering employing apprentices, and pave the way for the devolution of the adult skills budget next year. It will help local people access the new jobs being created across the West Midlands.”
order to drive growth region, particularly between businesses and educational institutions. The final speaker Carl Potter,
regional director Midlands at property firm GVA, examined the flurry of investment and development works taking place in Greater Birmingham. He described how Birmingham has “leap-frogged” above other regional cities, and will benefit from the London property market now being considered a difficult market to get into.
Full details of the report are available at
www.greaterbirminghamchambers .com or join the conversation by following at @grbhamchambers and using #GBCCQBR
Date set for CSR Summit
The Birmingham CSR Summit will be held on Friday, 7 September, at Aston Business School. Its focus will be to examine the future direction of social responsibility of business in the region. The agenda will include an
opening address by Andy Street, Mayor of West Midlands, and a keynote speech will be delivered by Professor Asif Ahmed, executive dean of Aston Medical School. A panel debate will be facilitated by Sir Michael Lyons, chairman of English Cities Fund.
For more details and to book go to:
www.aston.ac.uk/ aston-business- school/research/events/6th- birmingham-csr-summit/
Sponsored by: Islamic Help
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