Prosper Spring

WELCOME TO PROSPER
It’s never been more important
to look after your people
The economic headwinds show no sign of abating, says Sarah Thompson,
Editor, Prosper, but with skilled staff at a premium, Chamber members are
also focused on issues around training and retaining talent
Welcome to the Spring issue
of Prosper Magazine, in which 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 was being finalised more
shocks were hitting the business world. A
major bank funding the tech sector
collapsed, only to bought by HSBC,
industrial action continued to impact on the
daily lives of many, and the Chancellor
unveiled his Spring Budget – to a muted
and mixed response from business.
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 crises.
And as they begin to emerge from the
battering they suffered at the hands of the
pandemic and rising costs, they now face a
new headwind presented by the changed
expectations of a workforce that has
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.
That’s why, in this issue of Prosper, 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 an interview with our front
cover subject, 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 also 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 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.
CONTACT: SARAH THOMPSON
e: SarahThompson@
blackcountrychamber.co.uk
@SarahT_BCCC
linkedin.com/in/
sarah-thompson-83931813/
PROSPER SPRING 2023
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