Thank you to those who attended our May Zoom Breakfast Meeting. It was nice to see some new faces among our regular attendees.
Special thanks to this month’s Sponsor and Speakers: Weymouth College and Employer Services at Weymouth College
Our meeting started with a quick welcome from our president Craig, he then introduced Ian Girling, Chief Exec of Dorset Chamber, who had popped by for a quick catch up and to discuss the recently launched Peer to Peer Network program, full details here. Ian also praised Weymouth and Portland Chamber for being so proactive during the last year. Ian had to shoot off to another meeting but we thank him for taking the time to come and speak to us.
Craig then provided us with a quick report from the last month’s going ons, including many people appear to be returning to the office after working at home for over a year, the terrible weather on Monday night, the reopening of hospitality venues, the next stages in the road map and how we are hoping to be hosting a hybrid “in person” and Zoom event at the Ebike Cafe at Deheers in July.
This was followed up by a quick once around the room with something a little bit different, “How was your Bank Holiday Weekend?” – The aim was to provide something a little different and discuss how after a very difficult 12-15 months its nice to be able to start seeing some “normality” return. The general consensus being that people had enjoyed their weekend, with many seeing family and friends or visiting hospitality venues/shops.
We then handed over to our meeting sponsors Weymouth College with Employer Services. A very special thank you to Sarah Barnett, Head of Business Development, Natalie Merry, Director of Apprenticeships and Employer Services and Jayne Barnes, Head of Dorset Training Academy, who provided a fantastic and comprehensive presentation on the work Employer Services do and the benefits of apprenticeships and training services for businesses in the area. We have heard from various sources that recruiters are struggling to fill positions, if you are having this issue perhaps an apprenticeship could be right for you and your business.
A copy of their presentation can be found here and below are some links provided for more information:
A link to all standard apprenticeships – https://www.instituteforapprenticeships.org/
For more information on Kickstart https://www.weymouth.ac.uk/employerservices/weymouth-college-kickstart-gateway/
For more information on free online industry specific courses https://www.weymouth.ac.uk/subjects/free-online-courses/?level=adults
We rounded up the meeting up by asking if anyone had any upcoming events.
Jane Biscombe of Weymouth Town Council advised that the council are currently offering grants to community groups wanting to mark the 450th anniversary of Weymouth – More details here
Chris Wells of ITSA Group gave us a quick run down on the exciting and inaugural MelWey Games, an event to celebrate the 450th anniversary of Melcombe Regis and Weymouth uniting, hosted by The Nothe Fort – Details here
And finally Rick Simmonds of Verbu and also our very own Senior Vice President told us of the upcoming Weymouth and Portland Business Awards 2021, another fantastic local event to support local business after a turbulent year.
It’s free to enter and the nominees will be invited to a lunchtime event on Wednesday 7th July at the National Sailing Academy.
The closing date is 2pm on Monday 24th May, so not a lot of time to get your entries in.
Find out more and click on the ‘enter’ button under the ‘Award Categories section on the website: https://www.weyportbusinessawards.co.uk
Our next meeting is on Zoom 1st June 8am and will be sponsored by The Gresham Hotel Ltd.
