Latest news with #SuzanneCaldwell
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Cumbria Chamber urges Government to back business growth in spending review
Fresh calls have been made for the Government to prioritise business growth ahead. Cumbria Chamber of Commerce has joined the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) and chambers across the UK to urge the Government to put business growth at the centre of its spending plans. The call comes ahead of Wednesday's Comprehensive Spending Review, which will set out the Government's budget priorities. Suzanne Caldwell, managing director of Cumbria Chamber of Commerce, said: "Wednesday's Comprehensive Spending Review will impact the future shape of our economy for years. "So the Government can't afford to get this wrong. "At the end of the day it's businesses that create wealth and growth in our economy. "So fundamentally the Government needs to put more time, money and effort into supporting business. "That's a downpayment on our future prosperity." The chambers have outlined a series of recommendations under three themes: Get Britain Thriving, Get Britain Working, and Get Britain Trading. These calls focus on improved investment in infrastructure, people, and international trade. Recommendations include funding for transport and energy projects, better grid connectivity, long-term support for Project Gigabit, and practical help for SMEs to adopt artificial intelligence (AI). When it comes to getting Britain working, the chambers want more Apprenticeship Levy funding redirected to the Department for Education to boost training, and a broader Youth Guarantee for 18- to 24-year-olds. The chambers want more employers to be involved in skills planning by extending investment in Local Skills Improvement Plans and addressing gaps in training provision. On trade, the chambers are calling for investment in 'digital trade', better export support for SMEs, and a stronger pipeline of overseas investment. The recommendations were developed through consultation between the 51 chambers across the UK, the BCC, and the BCC's Business Council. They are also backed by research from the BCC's Insights Unit, which gathered feedback from more than 5,000 businesses on the biggest barriers to growth. Ms Caldwell said: "If the Government wants strong and consistent economic growth, it has to look at three key areas. "It must promote consistent investment in people, in infrastructure and in trade. "If it provides the support businesses need to thrive, in an increasingly competitive and protectionist global market, then the future can still be bright."
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
'Whole generation is at risk' - Cumbria Chamber backs calls to fix Gen Z jobs crisis
Cumbria Chamber of Commerce has responded to the release of a report warning of a "lost generation" unless the government takes urgent action to tackle the employment crisis affecting young people. The new report, published by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), has called for action to remove barriers preventing almost a million people in Generation Z from engaging with work, education, and contributing to society. The BCC is urging ministers to invest in support to help young people into work, support SMEs to take on and train young people, increase workplace health support for businesses, and set a target to reduce the proportion of young people not in employment, education, or training (NEETs) to that of the Netherlands. The report, produced by the BCC's People and Work Challenge Group, says that tackling the NEET challenge could add £69bn to UK output. It also calls for the Government to align its response to the issue across all departments, saying that the problem is likely to worsen in the short term. According to the report, only 13 per cent of businesses currently have specific recruitment, training, or retention plans for under 25s. The BCC believes SMEs, in particular, are missing out on the benefits of a "targeted approach" to youth employment. Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows the number of NEETs has risen by more than 110,000 between the end of 2023 and 2024. In October to December 2024, there were 987,000 NEETs, including 392,000 unemployed and 595,000 economically inactive. Suzanne Caldwell, managing director of Cumbria Chamber of Commerce and lead for Cumbria's Local Skills Improvement Plan, said: "The situation here in Cumbria is significantly less bad than the national picture. "There were 306 young people classed as NEET in February 2025, which is 22 fewer than in January. She added: "But those Cumbria figures do hide pockets of particular challenge and we're failing our young people if we don't address them. Ms Caldwell concluded: "Unless more comprehensive action is taken a whole generation is at risk of being cut loose from society."
