Torbay Business Hub to create 1000 new jobs
February 25th, 2010
Residents and traders are being asked for their views on a £6.8m plan to create new, state of the art offices in Torquay to help attract investment into the Bay and hundreds of jobs.
Torbay Business Hub is part of the Castle Circus Regeneration Project, which aims to regenerate the town centre, bring council services under one roof and create major savings.
Torbay Council has now organised a public consultation event to display and explain plans to develop offices on part of the car park behind the Town Hall. Visitors will be asked for their feedback at the event, which will be held on Tuesday 2 March in Torquay Town Hall's Assembly Hall between 1pm and 6.30pm. Information will also be available on Torbay Council's website from Tuesday 23 February.
The council has approved the business case for the Castle Circus Regeneration Project and has already consulted on this proposal. The business case shows that by completing the project the council will save over £1 million a year. Feedback on the project as a whole has been mainly positive and this is another opportunity for residents to express their views, specifically on plans for new offices, before the planning application is submitted.
The Business Hub will create approximately 40,000 square feet of new office space and car parking. It aims to attract more businesses and inward investment to Torbay as well as create a 1000 new jobs. It is envisaged that the opportunities will be felt Bay-wide as associated businesses and suppliers feel the benefit of new, inward investment.
The project has been designed with flexibility in mind so that it will appeal to a variety of office users. A number of sustainable design features have been incorporated, including maximising the use of natural lighting; natural ventilation; solar collectors and a bio-mass boiler which utilises fuels from sustainable sources. If planning consent is granted, work could start later this year.
Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Councillor Chris Lewis, said:
There haven't been any major private sector initiatives in the town centre in the last 20 years and this project will act as a catalyst for further regeneration in the Bay. This is the time for us to invest in our economy and it is just one of many projects we are involved in to help our town centres. This project demonstrates our commitment to attracting businesses to Torbay and creating new opportunities for our residents.
We now want to consult with the public on the plans for Business Hub to enable residents and local businesses to influence the final project. We had a good response to previous consultations on the Castle Circus Regeneration project and I hope that that people come along to next month’s event to inspect the latest designs and make suggestions.
Source: Torbay Council
How rewarding is a career in social care?
February 9th, 2010
A new TV advertising campaign that shows how rewarding a career in social care can be and urges individuals to consider this as a career option, kicks off this week.
Over 1.5 million people are employed across the adult social care sector in England, and as many as 200,000 jobs in the sector are expected to be advertised in the coming year, based on existing trends. The campaign will encourage the next generation of social care workers.
The Department of Health campaign, which runs until March 20, focuses on the difference a career in social care can make through the voices of those who work in the sector.
The recruitment drive comes as a new survey reveals more than a third of people would consider switching into a career in social care, especially in younger age groups.
The TV and print advertising is supported by a series of face-to-face events across the country that encourage people to come along and find out more about the range of jobs available.
In the three broadcast adverts, real-life care workers talk about what makes their job special. Laura, a care worker who supports Joe, who has a learning disability, explains that when she goes home, she is happy to know that she has made a real difference.
Demand for social care is predicted to steadily increase as the population continues to age. In the next 20 years the number of people aged over 65 in England will increase by just under half, and those over 85 will double.
Care Services Minister Phil Hope said:
Social care has a huge variety of roles that are challenging and rewarding. Jobs range from home care assistants, to work within residential care homes and there is a wide range of positions working with older people, children, families and people with disabilities.
Careers offer flexible working hours and opportunities for further training and qualifications such as NVQs. With the number of people who may need help with day-to-day tasks set to grow, this is a sector that will offer an increasing number of opportunities for those looking for jobs or a new career.
Our campaign shows that workers in social care have a big positive impact on the people they work with.
David Taylor, 23, who works as a care assistant in Mansfield having decided to leave a career in fashion and move into social care, said:
Moving into social care is one of the best things I’ve done. Every day is different and I work with an amazing and inspiring team of people. Whilst you do get the odd hard day on the job, every time I go in to work and see the smiles on the faces of the people I help, and knowing they’re waiting for me to come in makes the job worthwhile. It’s given me more confidence in myself and I’ve just completed an NVQ3.
The Department of Health ran a similar campaign in 2009 which proved very successful. Over 32,000 people contacted the information line to ask about careers in social care, and over 385,000 unique users visited the website. The Department conducted follow-up surveys afterwards with a sample of the callers, and 58% of those asked had taken action to find work in social care since calling the advice line.
To find out more about the social care recruitment campaign, including the full list of events across the country visit www.socialcarecareers.co.uk
Source: Central Office of Information
