Small firms hold the key, MP tells forum

The Rugby HR Forum, a new representative body established for the benefit of HR Business Partners and Personnel Directors/Managers in and around Rugby, held its inaugural meeting at the new Rugby Business Centre of Warwickshire College on Technology Drive last week.

Mr Mark Pawsey MP, who formerly ran a business in Rugby for over 25 years himself and who now represents the constituency on the back benches, spoke at the first event. Mr Pawsey emphasised to delegates the role that private sector business and in particular SME’s will play in the economic recovery of the country and highlighted a number of proposed measures to support employers in achieving that goal.

Mark Pawsey was delighted to be involved in the Forum from its inception and said “The Rugby HR Forum is a great idea and will provide an opportunity for local businesses to get together to discuss how HR matters affect their business. I am fully aware of the concerns of business owners relating to staffing issues in particular and it is fantastic to have the opportunity to share what is on the government’s agenda to support small businesses, particularly in terms of the Employers Charter, with a focus group such as this. It has been a great opportunity for me to explain how government intends to remove red tape and encourage employers to have the confidence to recruit staff and this new body will offer me an important insight into how those measures are working in practice. I plan to continue to be involved with the Forum.”

The Forum, organised by Brethertons LLP Solicitors in partnership with Intec Business Colleges, has deliberately been structured as a Forum rather than a traditional networking meeting, according to David Hodge, Head of Employment Law at Brethertons. “Our ambition is for the Forum to provide a much needed local focus group for Personnel Managers/Directors to share experiences and know-how as well as to discuss and consult over changes that affect HR matters both at a regional and a national level. We want to build on the success of this first forum and look forward to developing a respected body to feedback the views of the local business community to our local MP.”

John Herman, Managing Director of Intec Business Colleges, said, “This first Forum has opened up the dialogue between businesses in our local community to discuss HR and Personnel matters, an area that can often be difficult. We want to encourage more businesses to join us and through the sharing of experiences and the topical presentations we want the Forum to become a valuable resource and provide a strong network of support for this area of business.”

The second HR Forum is set to take place on 15th December at the same venue and will see John Herman, Managing Director of Intec Business Colleges lead a discussion on Apprenticeships, the extensive funding available and the flexibility of Apprenticeships to support growth