GAINS MORE ENERGY Frankly Speaking
DEVO MAYORS’ POWER CHARGE
By Frank McKenna Downtown Lancashire in Business
I was in Cannes for the property festival that is MIPIM. It coincided with the chancellor’s Budget statement and, following Jeremy Hunt’s remarks, there was much celebration on the business stands that had been erected in the South of France, from local government officials and their regional mayors.
Additional powers – and resources – have been awarded to those areas with mayors. And the big game changer for Greater Manchester and the West Midlands is that they will be able to retain 20 per cent of their business rates in future and utilise that money to borrow against.
That is huge, and will undoubtedly be something that Liverpool, Leeds, and other devolved governments will benefit from in the future too. Enterprise Zones, Innovation Zones, and more control of
skills, education, and training were other devo-developments that have been warmly received by academic institutions and business leaders alike.
How many years have we been arguing for a more place-based, bespoke approach to the challenges of skills shortages in our regions?
The failure of our local politicians to agree a way forward in terms of its local government arrangements means that the county will get none of the powers, responsibilities, or cash that Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds will be receiving.
It’s time for Lancashire business leaders to demand a change in direction and attitude for our place. If the local councillors won’t initiate progress, maybe it is time for central government intervention?
VELOCITY USA MOVE IS NOW TAKING OFF
Burnley headquartered Velocity Composites has completed the successful production of the first composite production kits from its new advanced manufacturing facility in the USA.
The major development at the Alabama site supports the signing of a five-year ‘Work Package Agreement’ in December last year with GKN Aerospace in the US, expected to be worth more than US$100m in revenue over five years.
The leading supplier of composite material kits to aerospace and other high- performance manufacturers has carried out an intensive period of training, audits and approvals at the newly opened 40,000 sq ft facility. And it says full production in Alabama is set to get underway either at or before the next financial year. In the future, the site will become a launch hub for other customer contracts, and Velocity says “high- level business development activities” are already in progress with several potential large customers.
Chief executive Jon Bridges said: “This is a major milestone for Velocity Composites as we expand into North America. “The whole Velocity team, both in the US and UK, has worked incredibly hard to deliver a fully
operational site, a well-trained team, and a plan to start delivering flying products to our launch customer.
“The site can move forward into production
ramp-up with continued support from the UK team and close collaboration with our customer to ensure a smooth transfer of the entire project.”
He added: “The customer and industry approvals of this new showcase facility are further endorsement that our business model, processes and technology are world class in our industry, and our targeted business development activities are further enhanced by having a capable advanced manufacturing site in North America with significant capacity to grow.”
The collaboration with GKN, a global leader in the use of composite materials in engineered aerospace structures, has seen Velocity enter the US market for the first time and its new site is its first outside the UK. It is operating to clean room standards and features Velocity’s proprietary digital technology and latest manufacturing
systems.Velocity’s list of customers also includes major aerospace companies such as Airbus, Boeing and Safran.
Pam Lightbown Project Manager Multiply
/LancsSkillsHub @LancsSkillsHub /Lancashire-Skills-Pledge
WORKPLACE NUMERACY BOOSTS PROFITS AND PRODUCTIVITY
There is strong evidence to show that boosting the numeracy of your employees will impact your bottom line – from calculating quantities, to monitoring stock, budgeting, using Excel and understanding performance data. Small improvements in numeracy skills yield large returns for businesses.
Multiply is a free and flexible new national initiative that can be utilised to upskill your workforce in numeracy skills. Multiply can be tailored to the specific needs of any business and is designed to boost the confidence of employees, thereby reducing the cost of errors due to poor numeracy skills. The ultimate result is a confident employee and a better bottom line for businesses.
There is a wide variety of initiatives and courses from drop-in sessions to short term intensive courses to full length qualifications designed to reduce the numeracy skills gap within Lancashire. Multiply offers a unique and personalised learning experience and can be accessed in person or online.
Businesses which develop their employees’ numeracy skills through Multiply can not only boost productivity, increase profits, and improve employee retention but they can also access several other services through the Lancashire Skills Pledge.
The Skills Pledge is a free impartial service and provides Lancashire businesses with one door to find out more about the funded skills and training initiatives in Lancashire including:
• Support for new recruits lacking confidence with numbers
• Building employee and employer confidence with numbers in life and work
• Programmes to upskill your workforce • Programme to attract new recruits to your company
• Raising the profile of your company with your future workforce in schools and colleges
Also, as a Skills Pledge Employer, you can gain recognition for the great work you already do for your employees.
To find out more about both fantastic opportunities simply fill in the form at
www.lancashireskillshub.co.uk/lancashire-skills-pledge or email
lancsskillshub@lancashirelep.co.uk
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