Welcome to the Spring edition of Prosper Magazine

03 Apr 2023

Published in: Black Country Chamber of Commerce News

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Welcome to the Spring edition of Prosper Magazine

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Welcome to the Spring edition of Prosper Magazine where we hope you’ll gain some fresh perspectives and insights from pages packed full of opinion, news and information from different sectors and the Black Country Chamber of Commerce.

As this issue of Prosper was being finalised, a major bank funding the tech sector collapsed, only to bought by HSBC, industrial action continued to impact daily life for many, and the Chancellor unveiled his Spring Budget – to a muted response for businesses.

Many business owners are still looking for measures to counteract the damage they have sustained - and continue to sustain – as a result of the ongoing economic crisis.

And as they begin to emerge from the battering they suffered at the hands of the pandemic, they now face a new headwind presented by the changed expectations of a workforce that had fundamentally shifted its values.

Recruiting, training, and retaining the right people with the right skill set from all age groups is still a problem for many firms, so, in this edition of Prosper Magazine, we take a look at ‘people’ and talk to some of the region’s biggest educators, trainers, recruiters and employers on the subject of today’s workforce.

Leading this is our interview with Jat Sharma CBE DL, principal and chief executive of Walsall College and a passionate champion of the vital role that skills and training play in the development of the West Midlands economy and the ongoing regeneration of Walsall and the Black Country.

We take a look at a new survey by the British Chambers of Commerce which reveals firms are facing the highest level of recruitment difficulties on record, introduce you to one of the Black Country’s biggest training providers, In-Comm Training, as it expands with a new £3m technical academy, talk to Paycare boss Anthony Burns about encouraging male staff to seek counselling and support and discuss the impact of Brexit on the UK economy three years after leaving the European Union with Professor Alex de Ruyter, Director of the Centre for Brexit Studies at Birmingham City University.

The Chamber’s recent campaign, ‘This Is The Black Country’ is drawing to a close and we marked it its contribution with a major event based around the Budget.

In addition, we have the usual round-up of news, views, opinion and debate from across the region’s business community.

There’s also an insight into the extensive training opportunities and events on offer from the region’s longest running business support organisation, and we take a look at the recent International Women’s Day celebrations with Black Country Women in Leadership.

Sarah Thompson

Editor

Read our Spring edition of Prosper Magazine here:  https://www.blackcountrychamber.co.uk/news/prosper-magazine/