The Chamber

Due to the increasing burden of employment legislation dealing with health and safety issues is becoming increasingly difficult, time consuming and costly.

An investment in training can pay dividends in ensuring that your business is compliant. Liverpool Chamber Professional Development has teamed up with Steve McClean from Safety Management Consultancy to deliver vital health and safety qualifications. (NEBOSH) National General Certificate in Occupational Safety and Health and Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) Managing Safely.

The venue for both courses is Liverpool Chamber of Commerce, Number One Old Hall Street, Liverpool L3  9HG

To book either course or for  details of how the course can be delivered in house. Please contact Alma Mayers Tel: 0151 224 1883 or e-mail alma.mayers@liverpoolchamber.org.uk

Why indeed!  When you  have a free service right on your door step.

As members of the Liverpool Chamber of Commerce you are entitled and indeed encouraged, to make use of  the Trident Training Recruitment Service which is FREE to members.

Trident Training have been involved with schools and colleges within the Greater Merseyside Area, through the Compact Careers and Guidance Open Days.  We have over two hundred applicants waiting to be placed in employment

If your organisation is looking to employ any staff in the 16 to 18 years age group in a junior administrative or general office position we can assist.  All applicants are thoroughly vetted by qualified staff, providing screening and testing of each individual applicant before Trident release their CVs to employers for consideration

Each successful applicant will commence their apprenticeship with Trident Training in one of a number of subjects such as Business Administration, Retail & Customer Service, IT User& IT Practitioner with key Skills and Technical Certificate

The Learning & Skills Council provide funding of 100% for any staff in the 16 to 24 years old age group to gain a National Vocational Qualification through the apprenticeship scheme which is also open to existing staff in this age group.

The employer is responsible for employing the employee at an Apprenticeship wage of not less than £80.00 per week. Also the employer is responsible for ensuring that the employee receives support and assistance with their apprenticeship program.

For more information, please call the Workforce Development Team on 0151 236 3222 or 227 1234

It’s maritime culture we celebrate this week with two major events happening on the river this month.

CLIPPER RACE FINALE takes place on July 5 when the Mersey hosts the climax of an epic ocean adventure in July with the return of the Clipper 07-08 Round-the-World Yacht Race. The race is the world’s fastest, non-professional, yachting race with a flotilla of boats following the yachts up the Mersey to the finishing line. Cheer on the Liverpool 08 Yacht. For more details contact www.liverpool08.com

THE TALL SHIPS’ RACE 2008 takes place around Albert Dock, Liverpool, July 18 – 20 Enjoy the biggest gathering of tall ships anywhere in Europe this year as over 70 sailing vessels fill Liverpool’s quaysides and docks, berthing in the Wellington and Albert docks.

Climb aboard to find out more about the realities of life at sea, or enjoy the waterside location with live music, performers and displays to enjoy. The three-day maritime festival culminates with the start of the Tall Ships’ Race 2008 on 21 July as the ships begin their parade of sail and their journey to Norway.

For visitors travelling to the Tall Ships’ Race by car, please note that there is no parking within the Wellington Dock, Regent Road area of the city. Please use Park and Ride sites or City Centre car parks, and the shuttle bus service. Visit the Tall Ships’ Race website for more travel information. For more details contact www.tallshipsliverpool.co.uk

Liverpool Chamber of Commerce recognises the difficulties faced by small businesses when tendering for public sector contracts. Barriers often quoted include:

• accessing tendering opportunities
• finding relevant contracts
• the pressure to respond to calls within limited timescales
• contracts being too large or diverse for a small business to compete
• even the language of procurement has presented problems.

As a Chamber of Commerce we have worked over a number of years to redress this imbalance for our members and have developed unique products such as our tender alert service to address some of the issues.

An independent inquiry has recently been launched looking specifically at the barriers faced by small businesses and social enterprises when tendering for public sector work. An opportunity has now arisen to put your views directly to government and as your Chamber we encourage you to respond to the consultation and have your views heard.

(more…)

At Liverpool Chamber, we’re commencing production of the 2009 Business Directory.

Visit our online membership directory to check your company details on our website, before we go to print. Mistakes cannot be rectified later!! If you have any changes please email membership@liverpoolchamber.org.uk and we will amend your details.

You may also wish to advertise in the directory which goes out to over 4000 businesses in Merseyside.  Benham Publishing are working with the chamber and will be contacting your shortly to find out your requirements. Alternatively you may wish to book early to get the best advertising space, so you can email rogerswift@benhampublishing.com or call him on 0151 236 4141.

The European Commission adopted the fees and charges that will be applicable under the new REACH regulation on 16 April. The charges will be for the registration, evaluation and authorisation of all chemicals manufactured or imported in the EU and will range from €1600 to €31000.

In order to keep the burden on SMEs to a minimum, the Commission has developed a policy of reduced registration fees for different groups of companies; 30% for medium companies, 60% for small companies and 90% for micro companies. There will also be a 25% reduction for firms that cooperate on registrations due to the reduced workload for the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA).

REACH requires that all substances manufactured or imported in the EU in quantities above 1 tonne per year be registered as from 1 June 2008. Extended registration deadlines apply if the substances have been pre-registered (all so called “phase-in substances” are eligible for pre-registration).

Companies that want to benefit from staggered registration deadlines - 2010, 2013, 2018 - must pre-register their chemical substances between 1 June and 1 December 2008.

If a manufacturer or importer of a chemical fails to pre-register by 1 December 2008 he cannot continue manufacturing or importing it until he has submitted a registration dossier. Users of chemicals cannot continue using substances which have not been pre-registered or registered by their supplier.

For more information see the European Commission’s press release.

Train times for passengers travelling from and to Chester and Ellesmere Port change and Merseyrail is running more 6-car trains to increase capacity. The changes are a result of Merseyrail’s improvement plan to create a more robust and reliable service on the Chester line based on passenger feed back.

The new service pattern means that Merseyrail trains from Chester now depart on the hour and on the half hour (at ’00 and ’30) towards Liverpool throughout the day. Departures from Ellesmere Port to Liverpool are at ’19 and ‘49 minutes past the hour throughout the day.

During the morning and evening peaks additional trains will run from Chester and Ellesmere Port creating a 4 trains per hour service for commuters to/from Liverpool during the peaks. This is unchanged from the current frequencies during the peaks.

The changes create more recovery time during the morning and evening peaks leading to better punctuality and reliability of the service. This announcement coincides with the re-opening of the front entrance of James Street Station after an intense programme of refurbishment.

In response to growing numbers of passengers and in partnership with Merseytravel, more of the trains from Chester in the morning peak and to Chester in the evening peak will consist of 6-cars. This also applies to Saturdays when many Chester services will be formed of 6-car trains.

Bart Schmeink, Merseyrail’s Managing Director said: “Passengers on the Chester line have given us a loud and clear message. And I agree with them; I want their trains to be as punctual and reliable as the rest of the Merseyrail network. Together with Merseytravel we have been able to respond quickly. The changes won’t just benefit Chester; they will also benefit all passengers travelling from and to South Wirral stations as there will be more 6-car trains for them as a result”.

Do something different with your lunch hour. On Wednesday 21 May, Chamber Council member and renowned local artist, Terry Duffy will be giving free talks in the Walker Art Gallery at 1pm and 3pm about his exhibition ‘Standing Stones’.

Terry explains: “The title ‘Standing Stones’ is a metaphor for humanity. It expresses my long-term fascination with humankind’s legacy and the decisions made for good or evil by individuals, groups, societies and cultures.”

‘Standing Stones’ will features a very new and fascinating diptych ‘Somewhere between life and death we make decisions 2008′. This diptych further demonstrates Duffy’s fascination in experimenting in oils on sheer ‘hot pressed board’ which he rips away creating dynamic shapes that suggest the human form whilst retaining ambiguity.

‘Standing Stones’ will be the first of a series of exhibitions by Terry Duffy to be held at various venues in Liverpool during its year as European Capital of Culture.

‘Standing Stones’, by Liverpool-born international artist Terry Duffy, runs at the Walker Art Gallery Liverpool from 26 April to 8 June 2008.

Artists Talk: 21 May 2008 1pm & 3pm in the gallery and 1pm on 4th June. Limited places available, please call in to the Walker or call 0151 478 4199

Free exhibition brochure: To receive an exhibition brochure free of charge please email with your name and address to info@british-art.org.uk.

Further information: Please contact Clare Sheppeard at The British Art and Design Association London: info@british-art.org.uk.

Artists website: www.terryduffy.info

Walker Art Gallery website page: http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/walker/exhibitions/standingstones/

Thursday 12 June 2008, 9.00am – 1.00pm at The Racquet Club, Liverpool City Centre.

Introduction to the North West Business Network, the London Business Network and CompeteFor

The Northwest Business Network in collaboration with The Mersey Partnership and the Liverpool Chamber of Commerce would like to invite you to a free seminar and workshop to learn about how your business can get involved in the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and other public sector procurement opportunities.

London 2012 expects to have around 7,000 direct contracts which, together with its suppliers, will form supply chains of around 75,000 opportunities. The opportunities will be in sectors ranging from construction, engineering and manufacturing to creative, merchandising and retail.

CompeteFor is the chosen site of London 2012 for the publication of London 2012 related contract opportunities. It acts as a brokerage service between buyers throughout the London 2012 supply chain, and potential suppliers. Businesses of any size can use the CompeteFor brokerage service as a buyer or supplier of London 2012 goods and services.

This event is aimed at all private sector businesses in the Merseyside region and will be an introduction to the Northwest Business Network and CompeteFor. The event will give valuable information on how your company can compete for London 2012 business opportunities and other public sector contracts.

To register online for this event visit www.businesseventsfor2012.co.uk

Liverpool Culture Company has teamed up with The Beatles’ company Apple Corps and Cirque du Soleil to present the UK premiere of the documentary film ‘All Together Now’ on Friday May 30 at FACT in Liverpool.

‘All Together Now’ tells the story of the remarkable collaboration between The Beatles and Cirque du Soleil that resulted in the staging of LOVE, the spectacular show that is astonishing audiences in Las Vegas.

The film presents dozens of revealing incidents and encounters. Using archival material as well as intimate interviews with Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono Lennon and Olivia Harrison, musical directors Sir George Martin and Giles Martin, and the show director Dominic Champagne, this feature-length documentary is an intriguing glimpse of the artistic process from within the creative circle. ‘All Together Now’ directed by Adrian Wills at FACT, Wood Street, Liverpool - Friday May 30 at 6:15pm. The DVD will be released later in the year.

The following evening, also at FACT, Olivia Harrison and the Liverpool Culture Company stage a special tribute to George Harrison with a screening of ‘Concert For George’. This film captures rock music’s most celebrated musicians at The Royal Albert Hall in November 2002 paying tribute to one of their own. On a magical night, the first anniversary of George’s passing, the concert included stunning performances from Ravi Shankar and his daughter Anoushka, Eric Clapton, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty, Billy Preston, Joe Brown and many others. ‘Concert For George’ directed by David Leland at FACT, Wood Street, Liverpool - Saturday May 31 at 5:00pm.

Tickets will be on sale at the FACT Box Office on Wednesday 14 May, initially to FACT members (limited tickets) from 12.00pm until 6.30pm and then to all members of the public from 6.30pm. Drop in or call the Box Office on 0871 7042063.