Sector: Manufacturing and engineering

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Have your say on the draft Sandwell Local Plan

Posted on by Marie

The Sandwell Local Plan is a document that plans for the future development of our borough. Sandwell Council would like to know your thoughts on the draft.

In the Sandwell Local Plan, Sandwell Council outlines where it expects to build the new homes we need up to 2041. It shows what land is required to accommodate new jobs.

Sandwell Council is holding a consultation so you can have your say on the sites it has proposed for development. Give your feedback on where development should or shouldn’t take place in Sandwell.

Sandwell Council has identified enough land to build more than 11,000 new homes by 2041. However, this isn’t enough to meet the expected housing needs of our growing population. Around 97 per cent of these homes will be built on previously developed or brownfield land. The Sandwell Local Plan protects the Green Belt and does not propose any new development within it.

The Sandwell Local Plan also sets out how we will address challenges like dealing with climate change, protecting our natural environment, supporting our high streets, and encouraging sustainable travel. It includes policies that will help the council to meet its target to be a carbon-neutral borough by 2041.

Have your say

Don’t miss your chance to have a say!

The consultation is now live and will end on Monday 18 December at 5pm.

View the consultation documents and make your comments

All of Sandwell libraries have paper copies of the consultation documents and summary document, if you prefer to access it that way.

Sandwell Council’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Councillor Peter Hughes, said:

“I would encourage all Sandwell residents and businesses to look at the draft plan and let us have their views on it. This is about our borough’s future so the more people get involved, the better the outcome for all.”

If you have issues accessing the consultation documents, or would like to arrange to speak to a Planning Policy Officer, email Sandwell_LocalPlan@sandwell.gov.uk or call 0121 569 4054.

Why invest in Sandwell?
Why invest in Sandwell?

‘Jargon free and direct’: supporting Thomas Howse Ltd to improve its production process

Our Business Growth Team was pleased to help Rowley Regis manufacturer Thomas Howse access AIM for GOLD funding. This enabled the business to buy new machinery and boost its production capacity.

About Thomas Howse

Thomas Howse is an industrial paint and powder coatings firm, which manufactures decorative, industrial and specialist paint and powder coatings. Its range includes block paving and concrete sealers, scaffold and machinery ID paint, skip and refuse container paint, machine paint systems, polyurethane floor paints, gate and fencing paint systems, and chlorinated rubber paints. It also develops custom paints for its customers’ specific applications.

The company started in 1903. One hundred and twenty years later, it is still an independent family-run company operating out of Rowley Regis.

Why and how Sandwell Council helped Thomas Howse

It’s easy for machinery to become out of date. It’s less easy for smaller businesses to afford to upgrade or replace it. We helped Thomas Howse to access AIM for GOLD funding, enabling the company to buy new production machinery.

Part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, the AIM for GOLD programme was for stimulating business resilience, recovery and/or growth in the Black Country. It combined specialist support with grant funding. Our Business Growth Team was proud to deliver it in Sandwell. Together we helped over 90 Sandwell firms with either one-to-one support, or accessing grant funding, or both.

We know businesses are key to building community wealth in Sandwell, so we’re only too happy to support in their journey to success.

Through AIM for GOLD, we helped Thomas Howse to access £29k of grant funding. This meant the company could buy new equipment, increasing its production capacity, reducing waste, reducing energy consumption and improving the whole production process.

“Hands on, jargon-free approach”

Garry Plant is General Manager of Thomas Howse. Garry said: “We really appreciated the hands on, jargon free, direct approach of the AIM for GOLD team. The process was transparent, to the point and made to measure.”

Nicy Morgan was Thomas Howse’s business mentor from our Business Growth Team. She said: “Thomas Howse has sustained livelihoods in Rowley Regis for over a century. We are so lucky to have this historic and successful firm here in Sandwell. It gave me great pleasure to help Garry and his team access and make effective use of the grant to update its machinery.

“We are delighted to hear about the efficiency of the new equipment: the savings in both time and money it is helping the team to make.”

Go to the Thomas Howse website

About AIM for GOLD in Sandwell

Together with regional partners Wolverhampton, Walsall and Dudley councils, the AIM for GOLD scheme supported 292 companies and awarded over £3.2m of grant funding.

Our Business Growth Team at Sandwell Council was delighted to exceed all targets for delivering AIM for GOLD. These targets included the number of companies supported, the amount of grant funding issued and the number of new jobs generated.

In Sandwell, we helped 49 businesses access at least £1000 each in AIM for GOLD funding – with over £792,000 awarded in all. This led to the creation of ­37 new jobs and helped Sandwell companies leverage over £1.7m in private sector finance.

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Sandwell’s Growth Event: sign up today

Posted on by Marie

Join us on Thursday 23 November for Sandwell’s Growth Event at West Bromwich Albion Football Club. We’ll be launching the Sandwell Business Growth Plan alongside Sandwell’s Top 50 Fastest Growing Companies Index.

At the Sandwell’s Growth Event, you can network with likeminded business people and find out how Sandwell Council will be supporting local businesses to grow, thrive and prosper.

We have exciting plans to help you – and this event will tell you more.

About the event

You will hear from some of our borough’s fastest growing businesses and learn how they have achieved their success. We are re-launching our Top 50 report, which charts the 50 fastest growing companies in the borough.

The Sandwell Business Ambassadors will also be there to talk about how they are working with Sandwell Council to support the borough and its businesses. They are a collective of business people using their voices and influence to support Sandwell, its people and communities, and the wider Black Country, to thrive.

Finally, you will hear how our Business Growth Team can support you and your business.

So whether you’re from a start-up or a well-established business, come along and find out more.

The event takes place on Thursday 23 November from 7.30am to 10.30am at The Hawthorns, home of West Bromwich Albion Football Club in West Bromwich.

Spaces are limited so register today!

Sign up now

‘How to become a disability confident employer’: workshop from the Department of Work and Pensions

On Wednesday 22 November (10am), the Department of Work and Pensions is hosting a webinar to help you become empowered, as an employer, to improvement your recruitment, retention and development of disabled people in your workforce.

It won’t be recorded, so sign up and attend on the day.

Sign up for the webinar

‘Grief in the workplace’ workshop with Cruse Bereavement Support

On Tuesday 5 December (10am), Thrive at Work is hosting an online ‘Grief in the workplace’ workshop with Cruse Bereavement Support.

The one-hour session (during National Grief Awareness Week) will help to inform how you manage bereavement in the workplace. You will explore how your response to grief can have a positive impact on employee wellbeing. 

Sign up for 'Grief in the workplace' here

Sandwell welcomes six guests from Hangzhou, China

Posted on by Marie

This week, Sandwell Council welcomed six delegates from Hangzhou in China.

Our guests came as part of a wider four-day, self-funded research trip to the UK. They visited Sandwell to see how a UK local authority functions and how it provides social services for residents. As deputy directors for municipal departments looking after veterans’ services, they especially wanted to learn about veteran welfare services in our area.

In turn, we were keen to build on our established relationship with our Hangzhou visitors’ region of China. We are always looking to raise Sandwell’s international profile and explore further ways to establish cultural, economic and academic links between here and the rest of the world.

About Hangzhou, China  

Near to Shanghai, Hangzhou is the capital of Zhejiang Province. It borders the Yangtze River and has hills to the west.

The Hangzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone became a national development zone in 1993. It has five pillar industries: machinery and electronics, biology and pharmaceutical, high-tech chemistry, textile and chemical fibre, and food processing.

The visit to Sandwell

The Sandwell Business Growth Team was responsible for hosting our guests’ visit to Sandwell Council. In preparation, we engaged with partner organisations Black Country Chamber of Commerce and the Ministry of Defence, as well as our council colleagues involved with homes, communities and public health. We also carried out fact funding into local support for ex-force personnel and veterans, to help our visitors get useful information from their visit.

Xu Huashui, Wang Jiang, Xu Jianxiang, Lu Qiliang, Liu Hongyin and Lan Hongxing came to see us at Sandwell Council House on Tuesday 24 October. We hosted them in the Mayor’s Parlour where Shokat Lal, chief executive of Sandwell Council, held a welcome speech. Jenna Langford, our Regeneration Manager, was among the people to make a presentation. She focused on Sandwell Council’s business support, our borough’s regeneration pipeline, and inward investment. We also heard from representatives from the Armed Forces Covenant and Stepway, organisations supporting military veterans in civilian life.

Our visitors from Hangzhou with Sandwell Council colleagues in the Sandwell Council chamber, Oldbury

Previous visits from China: a timeline

2015: Sandwell Council welcomed its first Chinese delegation from Pengzhou City.

2016: We had our first visit from delegates from the city of Jinhua. Jinhua Municipal People’s Government Mayor, Ji Junmin, and the Leader of Sandwell Council signed a Friendship Agreement. This is to promote friendly exchanges between the two regions and an exchange of cooperation in economy, trade, science and technology, culture, education, sports, health and personnel for the good of common prosperity and development.

2017: In May 2017, delegates from the Shanghai municipal government made a visit to the borough.

2018: In 2018 we had a return visit from the city of Jinhua to strengthen our business and friendship links.

2019: In July 2019, Sandwell hosted a visit from two Jinhua schools. St Michael’s CE School in Rowley Regis and one of our Q3 Academies welcomed school children and their teachers. They enjoyed activities together that included a visit to Ingestre Hall Residential Arts Centre and Sandwell Valley Park Farm.

[Feature picture: Xu Huashui from Hangzhou exchanges cultural gifts with Councillor Kerrie Carmichael, Leader of Sandwell Council.]

Go to our international trade page
Go to our international trade page

Your social enterprise in 2024: new support from SWEDA

Posted on by Alex Taylor

SWEDA, SEBFWestMids and DCMS are partnering to offer a raft of new support opportunities for social enterprise entrepreneurs in Sandwell and Wolverhampton.

The West Midlands Social Enterprise Boost Fund (SEBFWestMids) is a programme that aims to accelerate social enterprise in the region. The fund offers a range of grants and targeted business support to help new and existing social enterprises start up, scale up and grow.

There are three main strands of support:

  • Fired Up – a series of sessions for new social entrepreneurs, to answer common questions about organisation structures, markets, costings and stakeholders.
  • FUSE – a twelve-week course designed to take local entrepreneurs from idea to launch and beyond. It includes masterclasses, confidence building and a live pitch-up event. It will run on Thursdays, from 10am to 1pm, starting on Thursday 11 January 2024.
  • Social Enterprise MOT – a programme aimed at more established social businesses that are ready to expand. The sessions will cover topics such as business development, people management and governance. The programme will run on Tuesdays, and starts on Tuesday 9 January 2024.

One-to-one support available

SEBFWestMids also offers one-to-one business support, networking opportunities and the chance to apply for up to £10K of grant funding.

For more information, including eligibility criteria, and to register your interest, visit the website or email sweda@sweda.org.uk.

Social enterprise support
Social enterprise support

‘Made in the UK, Sold to the World’ Awards entries open in November

Posted on by Kate Christie

The Department for Business and Trade’s 2024 ‘Made in the UK, Sold to the World’ Awards will open for entries on Friday 10 November. 

The Made in the UK, Sold to the World Awards recognise and celebrate the global trading success of SMEs from across the UK.

The opening entry date for the awards is Friday 10 November, during this year’s International Trade Week (6 to 13 November 2023).

Award categories

There are ten award categories and this year’s categories are: 

  • Agriculture, food and drink 
  • Consultancy and professional services 
  • Creative industries
  • Education and edtech 
  • Financial services and fintech
  • Healthcare 
  • Infrastructure and engineering 
  • Low carbon energy 
  • Manufacturing, advanced manufacturing and construction 
  • Retail and consumer goods.

There will be one winner from each category and up to three highly commended businesses.

To find out more about the awards and read about 2023’s winners visit the Made in The UK, Sold to the World website.

Entries for the 2024 awards close on Sunday 14 January 2024.

See our international trade resources
See our international trade resources

‘Cutting costs and improving productivity through customs’ workshop

We’re holding a series of international trade workshops for Sandwell businesses. Join us for the third one in the series on Thursday 23 November at our Sandwell Start-Up Hub.

We (the Sandwell Business Growth Team) are holding a series of international trade workshops covering:

  • How to improve your import, export and customs procedures
  • Ambition to export: mapping and accessing new markets
  • Cutting costs and improving productivity through customs
  • Reviewing Brexit: customs compliance and audit for UK importers.

The third workshop in the series takes place on Thursday 23 November at Jack Judge House in Oldbury. It’s called ‘Cutting costs and improving productivity through customs’.

We (the Sandwell Business Growth team) are hosting the international trade workshop and experts from Falsum Consulting Ltd will deliver the session. It’s a whole-day event from 9.30am to 4.30pm.

It will provide an understanding of international regulatory laws (handling tariff classifications, valuation issues, country of origin, customs audits, duty minimization programs, AEO status and so on).

The workshop will look at how to develop, implement and manage various branches through the EU and worldwide and how to establish performance metrics (KPIs), administer internal audits and maintain compliant record keeping. 

The session will provide information and guidance fully updated after the implementation of UCC and the EU referendum vote, such as:

  • International trade compliance techniques – MSS, EORI, VIES, MRN, ECS, ICS, EAD, CFSP, NES, AEO, TFA, UCC 
  • Brexit – review current international trade activities and the impact on your business of the UK no longer being in the EU
  • Rules and regulators – where can I find the rules/ who are the regulators I need to work with? 
  • Tariff classification – the importance of tariff classification of goods (commodity code numbers)
  • Valuation of goods rules – what is included in the value for duty and VAT payments and what can be excluded?
  • Duty reliefs – how to save money on imports by using legal and HMRC approved regimes
  • Origin and preference – what are the rules and when are these declared?
  • Audits – customs, DIT-ECJU and internal perspectives – what is expected? How should you react? Setting up internal audit programmes, logging results and setting up improvement plans
  • Authorised Economic Operator – what is it? Are there benefits/ negatives? Should we become an AEO? Will AEO be relevant when the UK has left the EU?
  • Intercompany transactions – do we have sister/ parent companies in the UK, EU or worldwide? Should these differ from normal import/ export activities? How to work between internal departments (HR/ finance/ purchasing/ sales/ production/ logistics)
  • Record keeping – what information and documentation you should keep, performance metrics, documented procedures, computer system support
  • Working with HM Revenue & Customs, suppliers, customers, freight agents – documented processes/ service level agreements
  • Compliance culture – how to set up an internal/ external compliance culture
  • Export controls – how are you affected by export controls compliance? 

This workshop will be ideal for compliance managers, finance leaders, business heads and logistics management.

Sign up at Eventbrite

Four workshops in AI innovation: how to sign up

Posted on by Kate Christie

Digital Catapult is holding a series of AI innovation workshops between October 2023 and January 2024. The workshops are designed to empower AI developers and adopters within the agriculture, creative, transport and construction sectors.

The AI innovation workshops will encourage collaboration, explore responsible innovation, dive into data excellence, and uncover investment opportunities for AI-driven start-ups. There are four workshops in the series, each focusing on a different element of AI innovation.

What is Digital Catapult?

Digital Catapult is a UK authority on advanced digital technology. It is dedicated to accelerating industry adoption and driving growth and opportunity across the economy. It is part of the Catapult Network, a network of leading technology and innovation centres established by Innovate UK.

Its goal is to accelerate new possibilities for businesses. To achieve this it aims to break down barriers, open up markets and responsibly shape the products and services of the future.

Workshop 1

Cultivating synergy: strategies for effective AI startup – industry partnerships

When: Friday 20 October or Wednesday 29 November, 9.30am – 4pm 

Where: Digital Catapult Offices, London

About the event

This workshop looks at partnership value and co-creation, addressing barriers that hinder collaboration. The aim is to help bridge AI capabilities and industry needs. There will be interactive activities offering insights into sustainable growth through partnerships. 

Attendees can explore how startups’ innovations meet industry players’ demands, shedding light on AI’s dynamic interplay between supply and demand.

Who should attend?

  • AI Developers: Startups, micro and small enterprises with AI-relevant products or services. Those seeking to enhance their understanding of collaboration with industry end users and interested in establishing potential new partnerships
  • AI Adopters: Medium and large organisations (industry end users) looking to integrate AI solutions into their operations, collaborate with startups, micro and small enterprises, and explore innovative solutions and partnerships to enhance the company’s offerings.

What you’ll gain

  • Leverage industry expertise while connecting with agile partners to spark innovative collaborations.
  • Explore a variety of partnership models aligned with your growth objectives, ensuring the perfect fit for your strategy.
  • Acquire practical strategies for overcoming technical and business challenges, from regulatory compliance to scalability.
Register for Workshop 1

Workshop 2

Minimum viable ethics: An introduction to responsible innovation

When: Wednesday 4 October or Tuesday 16 January, 1pm – 3.30pm 

Where: Digital Catapult Offices, London

About the event

This two hour workshop will explore the risks associated with AI. It will uncover responsible innovation solutions through creative and hands-on exercises.

The aim is to empower attendees with the knowledge and tools to make strides in maximising the benefits of socio-technical systems. It will provide an opportunity to grasp the fundamentals of AI risks and responsible innovation in a creative and interactive environment.

Who should attend

  • AI Developers: Startups, micro and small enterprises with AI-relevant products or services. Those seeking to enhance their understanding of collaboration with industry end users and interested in establishing potential new partnerships
  • AI Adopters: Medium and large organisations (industry end users) looking to integrate AI solutions into their operations, collaborate with startups, micro and small enterprises, and explore innovative solutions and partnerships to enhance the company’s offerings.

What you’ll gain

  • Grasp the significance of responsible innovation in today’s fast-paced digital landscape
  • Develop the ability to systematically identify and address the pertinent risks associated with responsible innovation
  • Ensure your projects are both ethically sound and effective
  • Acquire an introduction to the world of Responsible Innovation interventions and solutions – equipping yourself with actionable knowledge that can positively impact your AI-driven initiatives.
Register for Workshop 2

Workshop 3

Digital transformation: Data excellence and data ethics 

When: Wednesday 4 October or Tuesday 16 January, 9am – 12.30pm 

Where: Digital Catapult Offices, London

About the event

This workshop focuses on digital transformation, data maturity and readiness. It looks at how to adopt AI in the right way.

The session will explore the potential of AI, its advantages, and the hurdles faced in its adoption. It will answer questions such as: 

  • What is digital transformation?
  • Why do most AI projects fail?
  • What are the right steps towards AI adoption?

The session will include interactive discussions and activities. It will explore how data-driven technologies can augment products or services and identify the data readiness and maturity levels needed to achieve data excellence.

Who should attend?

  • AI Developers: Startups, micro and small enterprises with AI-relevant products or services. Those seeking to enhance their understanding of collaboration with industry end users and interested in establishing potential new partnerships
  • AI Adopters: Medium and large organisations (industry end users) looking to integrate AI solutions into their operations, collaborate with startups, micro and small enterprises, and explore innovative solutions and partnerships to enhance the company’s offerings.

What you’ll gain

  • Immerse yourself in an engaging and practical workshop environment that encourages active participation, making the learning experience dynamic and enjoyable
  • Acquire access to a comprehensive approach for successful AI adoption that spans across digital transformation, data excellence and ethical considerations
  • Join a vibrant community of fellow AI adopters and developers. Foster networking opportunities and connections that extend beyond the workshop to enrich your professional journey.
Register for Workshop 3

Workshop 4

Fundraising for AI driven startups 

When: Thursday 26 October or Tuesday 21 November, 2pm – 5pm 

Where: Digital Catapult Offices, London

About the event

This workshop will explore the fundraising landscape for AI-driven companies. It will cover relevant funding opportunities in the UK and beyond, as well as looking at key considerations to weigh up when selecting the best investment option for your business.

The aim of this workshop is to provide businesses with the tools to confidently approach fundraising activities. It will provide top tips for approaching a fundraising process and pitfalls to avoid.

Who should attend?

This workshop welcomes participation from early stage AI-driven SMEs, founders and startup operators within the agriculture, creative, transport and construction sectors who are thinking about selecting the right funding growth engine for their business.

What you’ll gain

  • Develop the skills and knowledge needed to confidently approach fundraising activities 
  • Gain a clear understanding of which funding route aligns best with your company’s goals
  • Gain valuable insights into the investment landscape and dynamics of the AI market 
  • Explore the pros and cons of various investment routes. Gain the knowledge to weigh the benefits and drawbacks which enable you to make strategic choices that best suit your business growth aspirations.
Register for Workshop 4

Birmingham Tech Week 2023 is nearly here

Posted on by Alex Taylor

Birmingham Tech Week is the UK’s largest regional tech festival and conference. This year, it takes place from Monday 16 to Friday 20 October, with online, in-person and on-demand sessions.

The event will feature over 100 speakers across five days, including Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands, Paul Scully MP, and leaders representing dozens of high-profile tech companies. Sessions include dinners, social events, discussions, networking and presentations on a wide range of tech-related topics, including:

  • Sustainability
  • Training and education
  • Championing start-ups
  • Data in real estate
  • New developments
  • Pitching
  • Investment
  • Global growth
  • Health care
  • Women in technology.

The programme culminates in an awards dinner on Friday 20 October.

Prestigious venues for Birmingham Tech Week

The in-person sessions will be held in a variety of Birmingham locations including HSBC headquarters, Birmingham Rep, BT, University College Birmingham, Albert Schloss restaurant, iCentrum, The Exchange, the Ivy, X+Why, The Bond, Shakespeare Martineau, STEAMhouse, BGF, Enterprise Wharf, the ICC, NatWest Entrepreneur Accelerator Hub and Edgbaston Cricket Ground.

For more information, and to sign up, visit the registration page. Fill in your contact details then click ‘next’ to access the full list of sessions.

Resources to help you grow your business
Resources to help you grow your business

Reviewing Brexit: customs compliance and audit for UK importers workshop – new date

We’re holding a series of international trade workshops for Sandwell businesses. Join us for the fifth one at our Sandwell Start-Up Hub. Please note that the date has changed from Thursday 22 February to Friday 22 March.

We (the Sandwell Business Growth Team) are holding a series of international trade workshops covering:

  • How to improve your import, export and customs procedures
  • Ambition to export: mapping and accessing new markets
  • Cutting costs and improving productivity through customs
  • Reviewing Brexit: customs compliance and audit for UK importers.

The fifth workshop in the series takes place on Friday 22 March (new date!) at Jack Judge House in Oldbury. It’s called ‘Reviewing Brexit: Customs compliance and audit for UK importers’.

We (the Sandwell Business Growth team) are hosting the workshop and experts from Falsum Consulting Ltd will deliver the session. It’s a whole-day event – from 9.30am to 4.30pm – that will review Brexit for UK importers.

As HMRC is putting more responsibility on traders and expects greater awareness and compliance within companies, this workshop uncovers how companies can self-audit to remain compliant.

It provides a practical guide to understand origin and preference, classification, valuation and how to read customs entries. 

Knowing what information HMRC will want to look at during an audit is critical to a successful audit. Attendees will learn what HMRC considers the essential areas of a customs audit and how to react when you are under the spotlight.

It will also cover customs special procedures and provide detailed information on what each of the procedures is and what HMRC looks for. Within this section, you will look at authorised economic operator (AEO), the benefits and pitfalls of using AEO, and how a customs audit on an AEO trader could have serious consequences when being audited, such as:

  • Customs audits – what are they? 
  • Meeting AEO conditions
  • Understanding your responsibilities
  • Record keeping requirements: Imports, exports and EU trade
  • Writing procedures, internal guidelines and self-auditing 

The workshop will also cover topics such as:

  • Planning for an audit – providing company information to the auditor 
  • Who should lead the audit? 
  • Management support and awareness
  • Responsibilities of freight companies
  •  VAT evidence of export
  • Classification of goods
  • Valuation issues
  • Preference at export and import
  • Intra-community Trade Statistics (INTRASTAT) linking physical movement of goods within the EU to VAT returns
  • Special customs procedures IP, OP, CW, EnU, TA and AEO conditions. 

This workshop will be ideal for compliance managers, finance leaders, business heads and logistics management.

Sign up at Eventbrite

Ambition to export: mapping and accessing new markets workshop

We’re holding a series of international trade workshops for Sandwell businesses. The fourth one takes place on Thursday 22 February (new date!) at our Sandwell Start-Up Hub.

We (the Sandwell Business Growth Team) are holding a series of international trade workshops covering:

  • How to improve your import, export and customs procedures
  • Ambition to export: mapping and accessing new markets
  • Cutting costs and improving productivity through customs
  • Reviewing Brexit: customs compliance and audit for UK importers.

The first three workshops covered a beginners’ guide to importing and exporting, how to improve your import, export and customs procedures, and cutting costs by improving productivity.

The fourth workshop in the series takes place on Thursday 22 February* at Jack Judge House in Oldbury. It’s called ‘Ambition to export: mapping and accessing new markets’. It is an introduction to exporting and fully revised to reflect Brexit issues and current practices.

*Postponed from Friday 12 January.

We (the Sandwell Business Growth team) are hosting the workshop and experts from Falsum Consulting Ltd will deliver the session, which is designed to offer basic grounding in export procedures. It’s a whole-day event, from 9.30am to 4.30pm.

The workshop will cover the key points of exporting, including export documentation and working with freight forwarders. It is ideal for any businesses new to export or for anyone whose job has an export connection. 

Whether you work in sales, contracts, finance, customer services, shipping, logistics or you would like a managerial overview of the whole export procedure, attendance will increase your confidence and awareness.

The workshop aims to provide a greater understanding of overseas requirements and export document procedures, such as:

  • Rules and regulators
  • Trading inside the EU
  • Goods on the move – a look inside the freight world
  • Export procedures –  the steps along the supply chain road and what happens to goods when they arrive overseas 
  • The export control system (ECS) and the export accompanying documents (EAD)
  • INCOTERMS® 2020 RULES –  a review of the importance of using shipping terms correctly 
  • Documents – finding out what documents are needed and key documents examined and explained
  • Origin rules – certificates of origin and preference certificates, ATR and EUR forms, invoice statements, approved exporter status
  • Customs control – an introduction to customs procedures, how to handle temporary movements and record-keeping requirements
  • The language of exports – jargon explained, including shipping terms (incoterms), payment terms, customs codes and common abbreviations
  •  Working with a freight forwarder – getting it right
  • Where to go for advice.
Sign up at Eventbrite

This workshop will be ideal for compliance managers, finance leaders, business heads and logistics management.

More international trade support
More international trade support

How smaller businesses in the West Midlands can thrive with diversity: British Business Bank event

On Tuesday 7 November, the British Business Bank will bring together an expert panel to share advice about debt and equity options for smaller businesses. This event is particularly relevant to entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds.

The event will be a great opportunity to hear from guest speakers, network with the presenters and ask your own questions. The speakers will include:

  • Tracy Sherratt – senior manager at British Business Bank
  • Harinder Kunor – regional ecosystem manager at NatWest
  • Jim Shirley – founder of Funding Hero
  • Steve Parry – director at Q Commercial Finance
  • Surlender Pendress – co-founder of Love Writing Co.

British Business Bank is hosting it, in partnership with NatWest, Funding Hero and Q Commercial Finance. The event is free, and includes a networking lunch and refreshments.

For more information, and to register your place, visit the Eventbrite page.

Visit our Finance for start-ups page
Visit our Finance for start-ups page

Birmingham Black Business Conference: an event from Legacy Centre of Excellence

The Black Business Conference provides knowledge, services and networks to businesses of all kinds. It takes place on Saturday 14 October at the Legacy Centre of Excellence in Birmingham.

This year, NatWest is the headline sponsor. Actor and presenter Richard Blackwood will host the event, alongside journalist Merisha Stevenson. The day includes a business networking expo, industry-focused workshops and panel discussions featuring renowned black business leaders such as:

  • Paulette Simpson
  • Beverly Johnson
  • Corey Weekes
  • Craig Pinkney
  • Karl George MBE
  • Kenneth Gray
  • Deirdre LaBassiere LL.B (Hons) FTLS
  • Sophie Marie Bennett
  • Yetunde Dania
  • Natalie Scarlett
  • Zoe Bennett, BEM.

There will be plenty of advice, links and resources for both start-up and established companies.

For more information, and to book your free place, visit the Eventbrite page.

We’re looking for your stories for Black History Month 2023
We’re looking for your stories for Black History Month 2023

Sandwell Start-Up Hub: your business co-working environment is now open

Posted on by Marie

Our new co-working environment in Oldbury is open. The Sandwell Start-Up Hub is a spacious, welcoming place for local entrepreneurs and businesses to network, plan, collaborate and learn.

The Sandwell Start-Up Hub is on the top floor of Jack Judge House in Oldbury, opposite Sandwell Council House. Our aim is to help small local businesses on their journey to success by providing an open-plan office with 60 workstations, collaborative spaces, meeting rooms, event space and free WiFi.

The Sandwell Start-Up Hub is a co-working environment where entrepreneurs and business owners can collaborate, network, and receive advice and support from the Sandwell Business Growth Team and partner organisations. More on that support soon!  

Within the Sandwell Start-Up Hub are three areas:

  • Collaboration Zone: for networking and collaborating
  • Quiet Zone: for focused work
  • Event Zone: hosting informative sessions by business support organisations on various topics.

“Get inspiration and share knowledge”

Carlene Taylor and Nasteha Isak are the founders of We Are Able CIC, helping parents and carers of children and young people who have special educational needs and disabilities with impartial guidance and advocacy services. Carlene and Nasteha attended the launch event at the Sandwell Start-Up Hub on Tuesday 26 September. They had accessed support from Sandwell Council’s Business Growth Team earlier in the year.

Nasteha said: “We are really looking forward to taking advantage of the resources and support on offer here. It’s incredible that we get the chance to have somewhere where we can work from, rather than having to use our homes, and we can get inspiration and share knowledge with other people while we’re here.”

Sandwell, the home of start-ups

Councillor Peter Hughes is Sandwell Council’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration and West Midlands Combined Authority. He said: “The Sandwell Start-Up Hub will be more than just a workspace. It is the Business Growth Team’s plan to create a community of businesspeople who can collaborate, network and learn from one another – as well as from guest organisations delivering useful business workshops and talks.

“One of Sandwell Council’s priorities is to promote inclusive growth that raises people and communities up alongside thriving businesses. The Sandwell Start-Up Hub offers a physical space in which that success can be incubated. With this innovative new Hub, Sandwell will truly become the ‘Home of Start-ups’ for the West Midlands, where entrepreneurs from all sectors are welcome.”

The Sandwell Start-Up Hub will be free for local businesses and entrepreneurs to access until September 2024.

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Pictured left to right: Nasteha Isak of We Are Able CIC, Helen Peach from Sandwell Council’s Business Growth Team, and Carlene Taylor of We Are Able CIC.


‘Celebrating Black History Month’: a free event from NatWest

On Monday 9 October, NatWest is marking Black History Month with a free event to celebrate the year-round success of the black business community in the region. It takes place at the NatWest Accelerator Hub in Birmingham city centre, and the keynote speaker is inspirational hair care entrepreneur Kamesse Davis from Sandwell.

Kamesse founded Nylahs Naturals in 2013, without any business capital, whilst working as a careers adviser and raising two young children. Other black business people will also be there to share their stories and advice, incuding:

  • Denise Morris, founder of TAG Network Midlands
  • Oyinkansola Adebayo, who runs the Niyo group of companies
  • Drew Currie, who runs ‘Show Me The Money’ funding events across the country
  • Keith Shayaam-Smith, CEO of 7E Youth Academy and Chairman of The Legacy Centre of Excellence.

As well as the expert panelists, there will also be time for questions and networking.

This event is for anyone at any stage of their business journey, from initial idea to experienced business owner. If you’d like to be inspired, offer your time for others, or be an ally of the black business community, this event is for you.

For more information, and to register your free place, visit the Eventbrite listing.

We’re looking for your stories for Black History Month 2023
We're looking for your stories for Black History Month 2023

“Start Small; Dream Big”: help children in our primary schools to achieve their potential

Posted on by Marie

The Careers and Enterprise Company has selected Sandwell-based SIPS Education to deliver its ‘Start Small; Dream Big’ programme for primary schools in the Black Country. Now SIPS Education is looking for local businesspeople to inspire the next generation. Will you take part in employer encounter experiences for our young people?

Studies show* that, by the age of six, children have already started to adopt limiting stereotypes based on gender, ethnicity and social background. By age nine, some have already started to abandon their biggest ambitions.

Start Small; Dream Big is a £2.6m pilot project, funded by the Department for Education, set up to address these findings. It aims to raise awareness among primary school-aged children of the world of work, raising aspirations and combatting stereotypes. Delivered overall by the Careers and Enterprise Company and Teach First, its aim is to reach 600,000 children in 2,250 primary schools across the country, between now and 2025.

The Careers and Enterprise Company has selected SIPS Education as its delivery partner for schools across Sandwell and the rest of the Black Country. The West Bromwich-based not-for-profit organisation will play an important part in encouraging children from disadvantaged backgrounds to dream big about their future careers. SIPS’ work will include supporting senior leaders, teachers, parents and children with information and resources. It will build children’s understanding of the links between the things they learn in school and the world of work.

Serving schools across the region: about SIPS Education

SIPS Education (www.sips.co.uk) started in 2013. It provides professional services for secondary schools, primary schools, nurseries and special schools across the region. These include HR, financial services, software support, IT technical support and project work, catering delivery and consultancy, health and safety consultancy, data protection consultancy and support, school improvement solutions, managed work experience, and music and arts services.

SIPS Education is a co-operative and therefore governed by its members, not shareholders. CEO Brian Cape previously told us: “Our people feel it’s important to be able to put schools (members) first and we’re proud to be part of an organisation that doesn’t make profits from children”.

Brian, who is also a Sandwell Business Ambassador, explained how Start Small; Dream Big will work.

“Start Small; Dream Big will integrate with children’s learning by linking lessons to careers. It will also give them an opportunity to explore different jobs and meet inspiring employers.

“We want children in our region to reach their full potential by finding something they love, and pursuing it with confidence and ambition. So I would love to see local employers and entrepreneurs get involved and help to dispel those limiting beliefs and stereotypes that hold children back.”

How you can support the programme

SIPS is asking employers to pledge a number of days/hours for their teams to support Start Small; Dream Big. You could support multiple schools at both school-based and regional events, or one school within your local area. SIPS is keen to stress that any time you can give is valuable to our amazing young people.

So can you pledge a day or so to help SIPS and our local primary schools with Start Small; Dream Big? Please email wrl@sips.co.uk for more information. Tell them the Sandwell Business Growth Team sent you!

Or you can sign up for the information sessions in late January and February 2024.

SIPS is also looking for suitable people to become Enterprise Advisers. As well as local organisations that can offer work experience placements. Again, email wrl@sips.co.uk with your details.

* PDF opens in a new tab: ‘What works? Career-related learning in primary schools’ – Dr Elnaz Kashefpakdel, Jordan Rehill and Dr Deirdre Hughes OBE.

We amended this article in January 2023 to include the information sessions and remove a mention of SIPS’ provision covering Coventry.

More ways to give back
More ways to give back

‘Achieving social value through people’: virtual conference from the Supply Chain Sustainability School

On Wednesday 8 November, hear from Balfour Beatty, Bouygues Energies & Services and VGC Group on how you can improve wellbeing and decrease absenteeism, reduce reputational risk, attract and retain talent, develop more resilient supply chains and collaborate to improve labour standards in your organisation.

By joining this virtual conference, you will: 

  • Discover how Balfour Beatty is addressing modern slavery and labour exploitation across its operations and supply chain 
  • Hear top tips from Bouygues Energies & Services on how to embed a culture of fairness, inclusion and respect, and why this matters 
  • Gain insights from VGC on how it is developing a pipeline of talent and empowering workers, and the value of collaboration
  • Learn about the People Matter Charter and how it’s benefiting members of the Supply Chain Sustainability School
  • Receive practical case studies and tools to help you tackle these issues in your business and supply chain.  

Sign up via the Supply Chain Sustainability School.

See more events coming up
See more events coming up

‘How to improve your import, export and customs procedures’: workshop

We’re holding a series of international trade workshops for Sandwell businesses. Join us at the second one on Thursday 19 October at our new Sandwell Start-Up Hub!

We (the Sandwell Business Growth Team) are holding a series of international trade workshops just for you. Over the coming year, we’ll cover:

Our first workshop was in September – a beginners’ guide to importing and exporting.

The next one takes place on Thursday 19 October at our new Sandwell Start-Up Hub (on the top floor of Jack Judge House in Oldbury). It’s called ‘How to improve your import, export and customs procedures’. It will guide you through advanced customs compliance standards and legislation surrounding compliance in international trade.

We (the Sandwell Business Growth team) are hosting it and Sam Ballard-Robinson of Falsum Consulting Ltd will deliver the session. It’s a whole-day event, from 9.30am to 4.30pm.

During the day, we’ll explore the ‘Three Pillars of Customs Compliance’ and how these impact your business. You will gain knowledge about what to check and how to implement changes within these three pillars.

This practical guide will look at ‘Classification, Valuation, and Origin & Preference’, ensuring you have the knowledge to capture and record the required details.

Focusing on Customs Special Procedures, Sam will give you detailed information on Inward and Outward Processing, Customs Warehouses (and how they operate) and more. We will also cover Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) and the benefits and pitfalls of using AEO.

During the day, we will:

  • Focus on how the Three Pillars of Customs Compliance affect day-to-day activities within a business trading internationally
  • Be guided through the Transit System and GVMS (Goods Vehicle Movement Service)
  • Understand the need for import and export licensing
  • Clarify the differences between the data elements and box numbers in CHIEF and CDS
  • Get an overview of the different valuation methods and how to build up the customs value of goods for duty and import VAT purposes
  • Understand the importance of tariff classification and origin and preference rules within international trade
  • Highlight the different customs’ special procedures and when they can be used
  • Review record-keeping and reporting requirements and explain the benefits of obtaining MSS reports.

This workshop will be ideal for you if you have an established understanding of customs procedures, or you’ve already attended sessions that introduced these topics. We also recommend it for supervisors and managers, who will benefit from a deeper awareness of their required tasks, responsibilities and controls.

Sign up at Eventbrite