Remploy, the UK’s leading provider of employment services for people with disabilities and health conditions, has notched up early job successes from its newly opened high street branch in Derby Square. Thanks to a partnership with high street retailer Wilkinson in Liverpool city centre, two disabled people have just been appointed as store merchandisers - and both are delighted to be back in work!

Twenty-two year old Caroline Edge from Aintree is profoundly deaf, the reason she cites why dozens of other employers have rejected her job applications. “Being out of work for the last two years has been very hard, not least because nobody would give me a chance to prove myself,” she said.

Caroline walked into Remploy’s recruitment branch, and with the help of Remploy’s specialist employment advisors, walked out with an invitation to attend an interview at Wilkinson’s store. She was one of hundreds of people to apply, but succeeded in being offered one of just nine jobs that were available.

“Staying at home is not for me,” she said. “I want to work and to be amongst other people. I know I can do the job, and thanks to Remploy and Wilkinson, I have been given the chance.”

David Benn, 35, says he will now leave his home in Bootle each day with renewed enthusiasm, having finally got a job after almost 100 rejections. David has a learning disability and epilepsy, which he says have proved to be huge barriers to him getting a job. “I’ve almost lost count of the number of jobs I have applied for! Most never even sent me an acknowledgment,” he said.

David attended Remploy’s first jobs fair at its Liverpool branch. At this event, Wilkinson’s Liverpool store manager Mark Allen gave a presentation about how his company recruits staff and what qualities they look for in their candidates. David took careful note and used his knowledge during his interview, which impressed departmental manager Lynne Vint.

“I am delighted for both Caroline and David,” said Mrs Vint. “Clearly, Remploy’s candidates are well prepared for their interviews and they know what we are looking for. They happen to have a disability or health condition, but that is irrelevant - they want to work for Wilkinson. We look forward to interviewing more Remploy candidates when more opportunities arise in our store.”

Pictured above are Caroline Edge and David Benn, now merchandisers at Wilkinson’s.

Legislation is in place that makes it illegal to discriminate on the grounds of gender, race, ethnicity, disability, belief, sexual orientation or age. All organisations no matter what their size are covered by these equal opportunities and anti-discrimination laws.

Ensuring that your organisation is compliant with the legislation is only the minimum requirement. Liverpool Chamber is offering a course on Equality Awareness on Thursday 13th September 2007.

This course will help you to embrace best practice and ensure your organisation meets the spirit as well as the letter of the law. The course aims to answer questions such as what’s the difference between diversity and equal opportunities? How can a diversity policy help you win government contracts? What are the changes in legislation that could affect you and what should you do about it? How do you make sure you are compliant in ways that help rather that hinder your business? How should you be dealing with complaints? Are you likely to be taken to a tribunal and what should you be aware of if you are?

Delivered by renowned diversity authors and trainers Learning inc, this is a half day awareness raising session aimed at providing a practical introduction to diversity in action.

Those who should attend:

• Those interested in diversity but not sure how to a make it relevant
• Those faced with implementing a diversity strategy who aren’t sure where to start
• Those who are familiar with diversity but don’t think its practical for small organisations without a HR function.

If your company is based in the Merseyside area and has less that 259 employees you may be eligible for up to 60% funding support with Mersey Skills Network.

The half day course lasts three hours and costs just £75, for more information or to book, contact Alma Mayers at Liverpool Chamber on 0151 224-1883 or email alma.mayers@liverpoolchamber.org.uk

This is one of a range of business development seminars on the Chamber Professional Development Programme designed to help you develop your business. See the full list of events and book online here.

The Problem

It is the age-old problem of the employee who is regularly absent with a variety of different ailments. You know the impact that this can have on the workforce if this allowed to get out of hand which, sadly, it can where management fail to deal with it firmly but fairly.

The direct approach could be adopted by visiting their house and drenching them with cold water to encourage them to get their back off the bed, as well as cure that night-before hangover, or you could adopt a more reasonable counselling approach. This approach, whilst often derided, can work if it is followed up with a pragmatic approach to dealing with backsliders, through the disciplinary process.

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If you’re looking to grow your business, raise your profile, generate sales leads and get ahead of the competition, why not exhibit at the Business Generator. Face to face marketing is one of the most effective ways of developing your business. For less than the cost of an advert, you could meet hundreds of potential customers, all in one place - and they come to you!

The Business Generator is now in its new home in the brand new facilities at Aintree Racecourse. The event is being held on Wednesday 19 September 2007 and stands are available to book now.

There will be a comprehensive range of free workshops on offer to help businesses grow, the Chartered Institute of Marketing will be holding one-to-one marketing clinics for businesses and many more activities to attract visitors.

Stand prices are excellent value for money. To book your stand or for more information,  visit www.thebg.org.uk or call 0800 652 6665.

Give yourselves and your employees a true taste of Summer with LiveOne20.

Get cards for your staff and together you can greet the warm, sunny days by taking advantage of the fantastic offers with some of Liverpool’s leading bars and restaurants.

There’s a terrific 20% off food and drink at both Blue and PanAm between Sunday and Thursday. You can also enjoy a wonderful weekend discount of 10% at both venues too!

Grab a waterside table and savour the views and fine cuisine at the Ha!Ha! Bar and Canteen at the Albert Dock, which has a whopping 25% off your food bill during the week.

Or get 20% off your favourite food on the superb a la carte menu at the Newz Bar on Water Street in the city centre.
These offers are just a flavour of more than £800 worth of exclusive deals you can provide for staff by rewarding them with their own LiveOne20 card. They work out at between £10-18 per year per employee and they’ll love you for it!

To buy LiveOne20 cards, just contact Livesmart’s account manager Daniel White on 0870 055 3472 or by e-mail at liveone20@livesmart.biz.

Managing Transport Efficiently

Merseyside businesses are invited to find out how to manage transport effectively with a free business event at Liverpool’s Racquet Club on Thursday 16 August 2007.

The TravelWise Merseyside event  is being supported by Liverpool Chamber of Commerce. It will brief businesses on ways to maximise accessibility to their site by employees, customers, businesses and freight and how to retain an uncongested transport network to minimise transport delays.

TravelWise Merseyside works with businesses across the region to develop Workplace Travel Plans which help to manage commuting, business and fleet travel and the event will include a presentation on their use.

TravelWise Merseyside is the campaign promoting sustainable transport run by the Merseyside Local Transport Plan Partnership, (Liverpool City Council, Merseytravel and the four other Merseyside authorities), and is part of the £230m Local Transport Plan, a five year transport strategy and improvement programme for the region.

To attend the free event on Thursday, 16th August, 10am to 11.30am, at the Racquet Club, Hargreaves Buildings, 5 Chapel Street, Liverpool, please contact Steve Atkinson at Travelwise by calling 0151 330 1851 or email steve.atkinson@merseytravel.gov.uk

Here’s some details about roadworks etc that may effect your journies around the city:

Kingsway Tunnel
There will be slight delays in both tubes from Monday, August 6  to Thursday, August 9 from 9.45am to 3.30pm for maintenance work. The offside lanes will be closed while the nearside lanes will be operating as normal. There will be further delays in the Liverpool to Wallasey tube from Monday, August 6 to Thursday, August 9, from 10pm to 6.30am. This is for maintenance work.

Edge Lane
Phase 1

The project has now been substantially completed with only defects and quality issues still being addressed. These will be completed by the end of the month.

There is no traffic management currently on the carriageway.  Any traffic management to undertake the above works will be established only off-peak between 9.30am and 3.30pm.

Edge Lane Drive
The project has been substantially completed with only defects and quality issues still to be addressed.  These will be completed by the end of September.

There is no traffic management currently on the carriageway.  Any traffic management will only be established between 9.30am and 3.30pm.

Phase 2

Works are on-going with completion anticipated in December 2007.

There is a single lane closure at all times on the outbound carriageway and off-peak lane closures, 9.30am to 3.30pm, on the inbound carriageway from the fruit and veg market entrance to Rathbone Road Junction for work outside the Retail Park.

The Rocket Junction
These works are for the major refurbishment to the flyover structure and to provide an area wide environmental upgrade to the junction.

Work will start from mid-August for four months with off-peak lane closures for all works, between 9.30am and 3.30pm.

There will be major disruption to traffic around this junction and there will be overnight closures in-place from time to time, to complete some of the proposed works.

Meanwhile there will be an off-peak one lane closure (after 9:30am) on Wavertree Boulevard.

From Friday, August 10 at 8am until 6am on Monday, August 13, a part of link road works to Edge Lane, Wavertree Boulevard will be closed from the junction of Wavertree Road to Barclaycard. Access to the companies in the park will be maintained at all times.

Preferred alternative route inbound, Queens Drive, Mill Bank, West Derby Road to city.

Alternative routes outbound, to Rocket:
1. West Derby Road, Mill Bank, Queens Drive.
2. Kensington, Prescot Road, Queens Drive.
3. Smithdown Road, Allerton Road, Queens Drive.

Two advance information signs will be strategically placed one towards the end of the M62 inbound and the other on Islington near to Shaw Street outbound to update traffic on daily basis of the traffic situation. Call 0151 210 3939 to hear a recorded message, updated weekly.

Details of works can be found on www.liverpool.gov.uk/bigdig. Public transport arrangements on: www.merseytravel.gov.uk.