August 2010 Newsletter
Brentford Chamber of Commerce will be hosting a stall at the Brentford Festival again this year. I hope you’ve already got it marked in your diaries but it is on Sunday September 5th, between 12 and 4pm.
We shall again have a alcoholic tombola to raise money for our charity for the year, Brentford School Charitable Trust and we are asking for donations from you. If you could please drop off any bottles, cases, kegs to Quilliam’s on Brentford High Street they will be well looked after.
We will also have a raffle in exchange for business cards or details. If you have any prizes to donate please also leave at Quilliam’s.
We would also welcome volunteers for an hour at a time to man the stalls between 12 and 4 and to help clear up after and set up before. If you can donate an hour of your time to sell raffle tickets and talk to people about the Chamber please let me know.
The July newsletter for London First can be read online.
New Service for Small Businesses – A letter from JobCentre
I wanted to update you on progress with introducing a new recruitment support service to small businesses. Anne Tipple from the British Chambers of Commerce worked in partnership with Jobcentre Plus on its development from the beginning.
The first phase of the new service went live in February. When small businesses notify their jobs our local teams contact the employer to discuss how we can best fill their job. This could include help with the wording of the vacancy specification, screening applications and matching suitable candidates against the criteria set out in the vacancy. In short we will agree what is best for individual businesses. At that stage, we will also agree individual aftercare arrangements.
On 15 March we launched our telephone advice line which offers small businesses recruitment advice and support as well as signposting to other help available, for example, to HMRC for PAYE or Business Link for their “Solutions for Business” suite of services. When using the advice line employers can place their vacancies if appropriate and we will then agree any further support and aftercare that Jobcentre Plus can provide.
The number is: 0845 601 2001 (option 2)
In the first eight weeks of live running almost 5,000 small businesses accessed the help line. Around 12% of those calls resulted in a local Jobcentre contacting the employer for localised support and information. We are working nationally with the Chambers to promote the service to members and the www.britishchambers.org.uk website will show you an update on the BCC website.
I would be very happy to discuss how we might work together in West London. If you are interested in developing a joint approach do please contact Dave Ashdown, or alternatively email Jeff Worthy my Senior Employer Engagement Manager. His telephone number is 020 8210 8254.
There is also further information on Jobcentre Plus services for employers; please visit the Businesslink website: www.businesslink.gov.uk