Cannock Chase Cannock Chase
Chamber of Commerce
Amazon to create
10,000 new jobs Retail giant Amazon, which has a distribution centre in Rugeley, is to create 10,000 jobs in the UK in 2020. So far, some 3,000 new permanent roles
have been created this year at Amazon’s UK network of fulfilment centres, sort centres and delivery stations, with a further 7,000 to follow by the end of the year. The company has also started recruiting
for more than 20,000 temporary workers for the festive period. The 7,000 new permanent roles will be at
more than 50 sites, including its corporate offices and two new fulfilment centres launching in the autumn in the North East and in the Midlands, at Darlington and Sutton-in-Ashfield, in Nottinghamshire. Construction of these new fulfilment
centres began last year. Darlington started operations in May and the sites in Durham and Sutton-in-Ashfield will launch later this autumn. The new roles will include engineers,
graduates, HR and IT professionals, health and safety and finance specialists, as well as the teams who will pick, pack and ship customer orders. In addition, Amazon has recruited more
than 700 apprentices during 2020, helping young people begin their careers in fields ranging from automation engineering and IT to digital marketing and fashion buyers, with pay of up to £30,000 a year for degree-level apprenticeships. Amazon says its provides some of the
most advanced workplaces of their kind in the world, with industry-leading pay, processes and systems to ensure the wellbeing and safety of all employees. Stefano Perego, Amazon’s vice-president
of European customer fulfilment, said: “We’re proud to be creating 10,000 new permanent roles across our UK network of fulfilment centres, sort centres and delivery stations offering competitive wages and comprehensive benefits starting on day one. “Our people have played a critical role in
serving customers in these unprecedented times and the new roles will help us continue to meet customer demand and support small and medium sized businesses selling on Amazon. “We are employing thousands of talented individuals in a diverse range of good jobs from operations managers and tech professionals through to people to handle customer orders. “We prepare year-round for the festive
season and we’re also excited to have over 20,000 seasonal positions available this year to help delight our customers.”
36 CHAMBERLINK October 2020
Contact: Chris Plant T: 0845 6036650
Chase Chamber Patrons
Apprentices expert to take over as president
Gill Durkin, director of training and apprenticeship programme provider Performance Through People, is to pick up the baton as Cannock Chase Chamber of Commerce’s president. Gill will be officially appointed as president
during the Chamber’s annual meeting, taking place virtually on 12 November. She will succeed Martyn Jupp, whose two-
year term as president has come to an end. Gill has worked at PTP for 28 years, starting
out as an account manager helping engineering apprentices gain employment with local businesses, before rising through the ranks to become business development director.
‘It is certainly a challenging time to be taking over as president’
The firm is one of the leading training
providers in the Midlands and has five centres throughout Birmingham, Black Country and Staffordshire. It delivers apprenticeships, commercial
courses and funded training across the country. Before joining PTP, Gill started work in the
automotive and commercial insurance industries. Speaking ahead of her appointment in
November, Gill said: “Businesses have been in my blood since leaving school, so I’m really pleased to be joining Cannock Chase Chamber of Commerce as its president. “It is certainly a challenging time to be taking
over as president, during the Covid-19 pandemic, but we have seen lots of business diversify their
Challenging time: Gill Durkin
offering and in some cases, change what they produce entirely. “I want to see the Chamber as the first point
of contact for businesses during these challenging times, build long term relationships with businesses we help and cement those relationships for the future. “I’m really looking forward to driving the Chamber forward, working with divisional director of the Chamber, Chris Plant, the GBCC group and being a regional voice on behalf of businesses in Cannock Chase.”
Faster broadband rolled out
Residents and businesses of Dunstall Estate in East Staffordshire are the latest in the county to get access to faster broadband. They have seen their broadband download
speeds increase from around 3Mpbs to more than 300Mbps, after becoming the final area to benefit from Staffordshire County Council’s Community Fibre Partnership Support Fund (CFPSF). The CFPSF scheme is run by Superfast
Staffordshire, a partnership of the county council, Openreach and the government’s Building Digital UK (BDUK). It is thought to be the first local authority-led initiative of its kind. Staffordshire County Council’s cabinet member
for Superfast Staffordshire Julia Jessel, said: “These rural communities across Staffordshire have been active in approaching us to work together and get them connected to ultrafast
broadband speeds. Working in partnership with rural businesses and residents has delivered a transformation in this essential service. “Fast broadband connection is vital in enabling people to access services from health and education to shopping and leisure. It is also critical for businesses to operate efficiently and effectively. Covid-19 has demonstrated now more than ever its importance, with many employees working from home. “The CFP Support Fund had enabled
communities to come together to fund half of the connection costs to their properties. Superfast Staffordshire then funded the other 50 per cent. While this funding has now ended, we are urging other communities to find out more about the rural gigabit voucher scheme which could get them connected.”
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