Nominate an apprentice: 6th October deadline

Now in its seventh year, this high profile city-wide event is seeking nominations for outstanding apprentices and employers of apprentices by 6 October, for the Awards Ceremony in November.

Led by City of York Council in partnership with The Guilds of York and training providers, the Annual York Graduation and Awards Ceremony has been a growing success.

Over the last year around 1700 York employees have benefited from apprenticeship training as businesses have created jobs and taken on new apprentice recruits or supported the professional development of their existing staff.

This year’s ceremony at the Grand Opera House on 8 November will showcase the individual and business benefits of apprenticeship training and celebrate the achievements of the city’s outstanding apprentices and businesses employing apprentices.

There are five categories for the awards: Apprentice of the Year aged 16-24 (smaller business); Apprentice of the Year aged 16-24 (Larger Employer), Apprentice of the Year aged 25 or over, Smaller Employer of the Year and Larger Employer of the Year.

Last year’s apprentice winners were Shane Fenton (Ambulance Care Assistant for Yormed), Louis Watson (Developer at PureNet/PureClarity) and joint winners, in the 25 and overs category, Nicky Smith (Facilities Assistant at Joseph Rowntree Foundation) and Nicola Eastwood (Senior Carer at The Lodge, Roseville Holdings ltd). Employer winners were York Millennium Windows and Nestlé .

Cllr Keith Orrell, Executive Member for Economic Development and Community Engagement, said: “We are constantly striving to boost apprenticeship training in York to benefit the development of both new recruits and existing members of staff in local businesses and organisations. The amazing achievements and career progression of those nominated and graduating reveals how much talent there is in our wonderful city.”

This high profile annual graduation and awards ceremony highlights the talent and skills York has to support the growth of local business.

Those who have completed an apprenticeship qualification in York or with a York employer or training provider between November 1 2016 and October 31 2017, are eligible to graduate this year.

*To register to graduate, nominate your apprentice or employer for an award or for more information, email york.apprenticeships@york.gov.uk, call 01904 553732 or fill in our online form at www.york.gov.uk/apprenticeshipevents.

Police seek 20 recruits for control room

 

North Yorkshire Police is hosting a webchat for anyone interested in joining their Force Control Room.

The force is currently recruiting 20 new members of staff to work in this vital, front-line department.

Force Control Room staff are at the heart of policing in North Yorkshire, answering all emergency and non-emergency calls that come into North Yorkshire Police. One minute you could be taking a report of a stolen vehicle, the next, you could be dealing with a tragedy such as a sudden death or serious car crash. You will also ensure that our people and resources are sent to the right place at the right time.

To ask any questions about the roles available, prospective applicants can log on to northyorkshire.police.uk/webchat between 6pm and 7pm on Wednesday 6 September 2017.

To find out more about the role, watch this video and visit northyorkshire.police.uk/fcr

Recruitment closes on 17 September 2017.

Apprenticeship and training event in York on Thursday

City of York Council will be hosting the York Apprenticeship & Training event at West Offices on Thursday 31 August, 4-7pm.

This event will show young people what their options are for their next steps following the recent publication of A-Level and GCSE exam results.

Hundreds of apprenticeship vacancies throughout York will be on offer along with training and employment opportunities in business, finance, marketing, hospitality, engineering, construction, childcare and many other areas.

Employers confirmed include Nestlé, NFU Mutual, City of York Council, Network Rail, Gear 4 Music, Persimmon Homes and the Royal Air Force. There will also be a special spotlight on careers in the hospitality sector, with The Principal Hotel doing mocktail demonstrations, Marriott York making and serving canapés and Betty’s, Park Inn and Hilton Hotel available to talk to.

Councillor Keith Aspden, deputy leader of the council and responsible for economic development and York Skills Plan said, “This ever-popular event offers the chance for young people and their parents to meet recruiting employers, and gain support and advice on apprenticeship vacancies as they look to start their career.

“Young people are increasingly recognising that an apprenticeship has a great deal to offer in helping to build a successful career and can be of great benefit to businesses as well.

“We are happy to support young people and businesses with such events and as a council we are committed to helping businesses to create apprenticeship jobs and take on young talent to support their business grow.

I hope many young people take the opportunity to visit.”

More than 500 young people attended the York Apprenticeship Recruitment event in March.

As well as employers, young people will also be able to talk with apprenticeship training providers, current apprentices, local universities and support services offering 1 to 1 careers information, advice and guidance. Anyone attending is encouraged to bring a copy of their CV to distribute to potential employers.

The event takes place between 4pm and 7pm and is open to people aged between 16 and 24, along with their parents.

For more information on the event, contact the City of York Council-led York Apprenticeship Hub by emailing york.apprenticeships@york.gov.uk, phoning 01904 553732 or searching for the York Apprenticeships page on Facebook.

Help with Universal Credit for York residents offered by York Council

 

Ahead of Universal Credit rolling out for even more residents in York from 12 July, the council says it will support residents who need digital assistance and budgeting support with Universal Credit.

Universal Credit is a new benefit, handled by the Department for Work and Pensions, which helps people on a low income or not in work, meet their living costs. It combines six benefits, including housing benefit and working tax credit, into a single monthly payment.

Currently Universal Credit is only available to single jobseekers in York but from 12th July parents and couples, including people who can’t work because of their health, living in the city and making a new claim will also receive it.

Universal Credit is one of the biggest ever changes to the benefit system and this may cause people to be worried about what will happen to their benefits. People who need assisted digital support or personal budget support should contact the council’s benefits service on 551556 or to visit www.york.gov.uk.”

There are several changes to previous benefits with Universal Credit, including:

  • ·        payments are made in arrears once at the end of the month, rather than being paid every week.
  • ·        payments will go straight into a claimant’s bank account. This means people may need to set up their own direct debits for expenses like rent if it was paid directly to their landlord under the old Housing Benefit system.

Residents who want to claim Universal Credit who are unable to use the internet or don’t understand how to make the claim can contact the council on 01904 551556 to ask for help through Assisted Digital Support (ADS).

People who would like to claim Universal Credit but are having trouble opening a bank account or managing their money can contact the council on 01904 552044 to ask for help through Personal Budgeting and Support (PBS). PBS can help with budgeting and advice on finding a bank account as Universal Credit cannot be paid into a Post Office card account.

The council has also teamed up with South Yorkshire Credit Union Ltd to give tailored advice which could include consolidating any repayments into a single, more manageable account at a lower, fixed interest rate, rather than resort to unregulated lenders or loan sharks.

Private or council tenants or mortgage holders are welcome to take advantage of the scheme which aims to help people budget and manage any debts.

For more information about the rollout of Universal Credit in York visit www.york.gov.uk

No change in unemployment levels in York

The latest unemployment figures for York (9th March) show that there were 380 men and 247 women claiming job seekers allowance.. That is 26 fewer than at the same date a year earlier and represents 0.5% of the working population.

The Yorkshire average is 1.6% and for the UK is 1.3%.

The total number of benefit (Universal Credit) claimants was 1040. This represented 0.8% of the working population, and was an increase of 10 over the same period in the previous year.

The Yorkshire average was 2.3% and the UK 2.0%.

“Venturefest” set to be ditched by Make it York?

The Venturefest event, which as recently as last November attracted over 1000 participants to York Racecourse,  is set to be ditched by “Make it York”

The decision is revealed in papers submitted to the York Council by the quasi-independent “destination management” company “Make it York”.

In November local media said “Venturefest Yorkshire attracted nearly 1,000 people to York Racecourse for a “gathering of innovators, entrepreneurs and investors”, which featured more than 100 exhibitors, as well as keynote speakers, workshops, seminars, networking opportunities and investment competitions. The event was regionally based for the first time, and was run by Make It York, the city’s destination organisation”.

At the time, Steve Brown, managing director of Make It York, told people attending the launch of York Business Week that “a few weeks previously only 100 people had booked for Venturefest, but that had risen to more than 700 as bookings came in “very late and very fast”. That figure later reached a little under 1,000, to the delight of organisers”.

One exhibitor explained what being at Venturefest meant to him, he said: “As a region we need to shout more about the things we do. We have lots of companies in York and Yorkshire that are innovating constantly, then moving on to other things and not shouting about what they’ve done”.

No explanation has been given regarding the future of the 13 year old festival which was handed over to Science City York (SCY) to organise.

The report says, SCY took over the management of Venturefest with a brief to reinvigorate a 10 year old event. Over 800 delegates, 127 exhibitors, 60 speakers and more than £1 million of business generated on the day combined to make it a successful event”.

Make it York say that their decision not to participate will cost them around £129,000 in lost income.

The company has also revealed that income from the  Shambles market will fall by a further  8% this year.

Proof, if it were needed, that the £1 million refurbishment implemented a couple of years ago has yet to arrest the decline in market usage.

Job and training opportunities at the March York Jobs Fair

Looking for work? Want an apprenticeship? Need to change job? York’s next job fair on Thursday 23 March is the ideal chance for doing all that and more.

To be held at the York Railway Institute on Queens Street, from 10am-3pm, the event is funded by City of York Council and organised by York Learning in partnership with Job Centre Plus.

The free event brings employers, employment support agencies, education and training providers together to offer local people job opportunities, information and advice.

At last years fair over 800 people attended and there were 370 live jobs on offer. At this one, around 70 organisations and training providers are expected under one roof and will include:

  • Hiscox
  • Marks and Spencer
  • The Grand Hotel & Spa
  • Nestle
  • NHS York Teaching Hospital

The fair is aimed at those looking for employment, considering a change of job or career and those who would like to develop new skills and gain new qualifications.

All employers have current and future vacancies within their organisations. A selection of training providers will be offering apprenticeships and work based training. There will also be other support agencies offering careers advice and training opportunities.
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Apprenticeship reforms – do you know what they mean for you and your business?

York Council asks, “Do you know how your business can benefit from new funding for taking on an apprentice and training your existing staff from April?”

As well as offering the chance for young people to meet with employers about real apprenticeship vacancies, the latest York Apprenticeship Recruitment Event is inviting local businesses to find out more about the upcoming apprenticeship reforms.

The event takes place on Thursday 2 March at West Offices, City of York Council.

At the event businesses will be able to meet an independent business adviser to talk about the changes to the funding for apprenticeship training for employers and how businesses can benefit from them. For example, if you are looking to recruit a 16-18 year old, there will be a £1000 grant available to businesses of any size. If you have less than 50 staff, the training is also fully funded by the Government. If your payroll exceeds £3m, however, you are about to become an apprenticeship levy payer, with different changes to be aware of. (more…)

Tourist visitor numbers to UK increasing

According to the ONS both the number of people visiting the Uk and UK residents visiting abroad increased during the last quarter of 2016

Overseas residents made 9.2 million visits to the UK in the 3 months to December 2016. This was 6% higher than the same 3 months in 2015.

The amount spent on these visits was unchanged at £5.3 billion.

Visits from North America increased by 15% in the 3 months to December 2016, when compared with the same 3 months in 2015. Visits from residents of EU countries increased by 8% over the same period and visits from residents of other countries (countries other than Europe and North America) decreased by 3%.

In the 3 months to December 2016, overseas residents made 11% more visits for holidays than in the same period in 2015, trips to visit friends and relatives increased by 15%, while business visits decreased by 1%.

UK residents made 14.6 million visits abroad in the 3 months to December 2016, an increase of 8% compared with the same period in 2015. There was a 16% increase in trips to visit friends and relatives, the number of holidays increased by 7%, but business visits decreased by 2%.

The amount spent on visits overseas increased by 15% to £9 billion.