Monthly Archives: May 2024

Marketing, PR and SEO, News, Technology

Agency for Integration and Civic Integration chooses Zivver for Secure Emailing and Preventing Data Leaks

After a careful tendering process, the Agency has decided to implement Zivver to enhance their digital communication security

29th May 2024 – The Agency for Integration and Civic Integration (AII), a central player in facilitating integration and civic integration in Belgium, has chosen Zivver as their partner for securely sending emails and documents and preventing data leaks. This choice follows an extensive tendering process, in which Zivver emerged as the best solution to meet the high demands of the Agency in terms of digital security and privacy.

The collaboration with Zivver marks an important step for the AII in enhancing the security of sensitive information shared with employees, clients, and collaborative partners. The ability of Zivver to minimize human errors and provide a very high level of data protection was decisive in the AII’s choice.

The implementation of Zivver’s solutions has now started, with the aim of completing the integration with existing email systems such as Outlook. This integration ensures that the AII can continue its mission with the certainty that communication is not only efficient, but also secure.

“The clear focus of Zivver on both security and ease of use was an important factor for us,” said Bram Penninckx from the Agency for Integration and Civic Integration. “This collaboration gives us the confidence that we can fulfill our responsibilities in data protection while continuing to enhance our services.”

Dr Rick Goud, CIO and founder of Zivver, emphasizes the significance of this collaboration: “We are honored to be selected by the Agency for Integration and Civic Integration after a competitive tendering process. This confirms the strength of our solution in providing the optimum balance in terms of security and ease of use. We are excited to contribute to the security of digital communication within the AII and look forward to a fruitful collaboration.”

About the AII and Zivver

The Agency for Integration and Civic Integration plays a crucial role in supporting newcomers in Belgium and promoting their integration process. It strives for a society in which everyone, regardless of background, has equal opportunities.

Zivver, founded in 2015, is a leading provider of solutions for secure communication, aimed at preventing data breaches and protecting sensitive information. With clients in various sectors worldwide, Zivver is committed to promoting secure and efficient digital communication.

Charity & CSR, News

Rubix VT supports charity Together Co with telecoms and volunteers

Lonely and socially isolated people will now be better connected, thanks to Rubix VT, a leading independent telecoms provider based in Brighton. The business stepped up to help beat social isolation by extending a helping hand to Brighton and Hove loneliness charity Together Co with telecoms and volunteers.

With a passion for helping others, Rubix VT has allocated free telecoms services to 20 users at Together Co, a contribution valued at £10,500. This initiative will significantly bolster the charity’s befriending and social prescribing services, which offer crucial advice and support to people facing loneliness and social isolation.

Team members from Rubix VT have also volunteered to become Telephone Befriending Volunteers for people supported by Together Co. After undergoing comprehensive training, five employees are now poised to provide regular companionship and support through weekly phone calls to those in need.

Nick Poyner, managing director of Rubix VT, said: “Rubix VT’s telecoms services align perfectly with Together Co’s mission to ‘create connections’ and combat loneliness, so we’re especially proud to play a part. “It means a lot to our team to have an opportunity to volunteer and collaborate with Together Co and help people who are struggling. “Helping people and giving back is a core part of Rubix VT and it’s wonderful to know that thanks to our team, we will be brightening up someone’s day.”

Emily Daniel, head of insight and involvement at Together Co, said: “The smooth changeover allowed us to continue connecting with people using Together Co’s services, which was particularly important as many of the people we support do not have access to the internet or email. “Rubix VT are genuinely passionate about our mission as a charity, and their dedication is reflected in their proactive efforts to ensure our telecommunications solutions are perfectly aligned with our needs. “What’s also been lovely is that many of their staff have signed up to be involved with Together Co as volunteers. We can’t thank them enough for their support.”

Together Co received a new telecoms system tailored to its specific needs and integrated with existing systems, which have already helped to speed up internal processes and made the charity operate more efficiently. Rubix VT also provided the charity with training and ongoing support to ensure staff could use the new system easily, minimising disruption during the transition period.

For more information please visit: https://www.rubixvt.com/

News

NHH achieves gender parity in executive education

NHH Norwegian School of Economics is one of only four schools to have achieved gender parity (an equal 50:50 split between men and women) in the Financial Times Executive Education Open 2024 ranking.

This result demonstrates the School’s ongoing commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and reflects Norway’s reputation for high levels of gender equality. The country currently places second in the Global Gender Gap Index ranking.

NHH’s dedication to academic excellence is reflected in the School ranking within the top 50 institutions globally for its open executive education programmes, and top 90 for tailor-made programmes in the FT’s latest Executive Education Custom ranking.

“The rankings show we have world-class business programmes. We are competing against outstanding international business schools from around the world. This competition is sharpening and that makes us better. It gives us valuable feedback and contributes to the development of NHH’s strategy for continuing to adapt our executive education offerings to the needs of businesses,” says NHH Rector Øystein Thøgersen.

The School’s successes are reflected at all levels, with the addition of a second bachelor’s programme that incorporates elements of AI and data science (starting in Autumn 2024) contributing to record-high application numbers.

Recently published figures from the Norwegian Universities and Colleges Admission Service show 2,830 applicants made NHH their first choice to study a bachelor’s programme – a 30.4 percent increase from last year.

News

Green shoots of recovery for UK tech jobs market

The UK technology labour market is showing the green shoots of recovery after a torrid 12 months which saw the number of job vacancies plummet, a new report says.

Vacancies in the IT sector plunged more than 40 per cent in 2023 compared to the previous 12 months, as employers across the country tightened their belts amid uncertain economic conditions and rising interest rates during late 2021 and 2022 as the pandemic ended, the analysis shows.

However, in the first three months of 2024 there were 18,551 IT vacancies, a rise of nearly 16 per cent compared with the last three months of 2023 and 1.4 per cent up on the monthly average in 2023, when the market was significantly stronger.

The report on UK tech employment trends in the first quarter of 2024 has been published by Manchester-headquartered recruitment marketplace Hiring Hub. It is based on research by Vacancysoft, a provider of labour market data and analytics.

Information used to compile the report was gathered from the career centres of company websites and relates to unique job postings only, not duplicated ones.

Hiring Hub founder Simon Swan said: “Last year’s job market slowdown, which saw over a 40 per cent reduction in IT and tech jobs from the peak of 2022, clearly left its scars.

“But there is good news to share: the green shoots of a mild recovery were visible in the first quarter of 2024, leaving me cautiously optimistic about the next few months as employers are clearly adapting to higher interest rates, tighter financial conditions and seismic technological shifts catalysed by AI.

“We definitely felt this temperature change at Hiring Hub, with March 2024 the best month for job uploads on our recruiter marketplace this year. While there’s still a degree of uncertainty around the economy causing obvious headwinds, the jobs outlook is gently improving and the sentiment should be one of cautious optimism after a tough second half of 2023.”

He added: “Driving the rebound in IT jobs is a thawing of venture capital investment, as funders that were sat on the sidelines last year with dry powder to deploy seek high-quality start-ups and scale-ups whose growth they can fuel – jobs typically coming a few months downstream of each deal.”

London, which was particularly hard hit in 2023 as IT jobs there plummeted by more than 50 per cent, is the main beneficiary of increased VC activity, says the report. The capital and the south east combined accounted for more than 52 per cent of all IT and tech roles between January and March this year.

Nationally, there were more than 6,000 tech vacancies in February and March and only just less than that in January. March was the strongest month since August 2023.

The technology, media and telecoms sector accounted for 48 per cent of IT vacancies in the first three months of this year, followed by financial services on 22.7 per cent and consumer goods and services on 8.5 per cent.

The report says the trend of more jobs specialising in data has continued into 2024, as businesses look to integrate and exploit the opportunities which AI presents. This has meant the importance of data is more prevalent, leading to more jobs in this niche area.

Skills in greatest demand are IT development and engineering, IT management, infrastructure and support.

James Chaplin, chief executive of Vacancysoft, said: “After the downturn in 2023, the signs are positive. As economic conditions pick up, so the IT jobs market has been taking shape, with London in particular being the biggest beneficiary.

“A big part of the uplift can be attributed to the pick-up in VC funding. If VC and private equity funding are indicative of where the market is going next, we believe that technology firms specialising in climate and ecology will lead the way. Funding into these businesses is now at record levels.”

Hiring Hub, which is backed by Manchester-based private equity house investor MonacoSol, connects employers with recruitment agencies to help them find quality candidates quickly.

HR News, News

Only third of UK businesses are fully utilising their people data, research shows

Robust HR analytics and reporting is essential for any organisation looking for real-time insights into their workforce. But only a third of UK employers are thought to be getting the most out of their people data.
New research commissioned by HR software provider Ciphr shows that just 32% of HR professionals believe that their organisation fully utilises its people data to make evidence-based, strategic decisions.
That leaves over two-thirds (68%) of organisations that are not fully utilising workforce reporting to better inform decision-making and improve outcomes.
The findings, from a survey of 300 UK-based HR decision makers, also suggest that nearly two-thirds (64%) of organisations don’t actively seek HR’s input on business decisions – even though HR are the people who know the makeup and capabilities of the workforce better than anyone.
Claire Williams, chief people and operations officer at Ciphr, says: “It’s important to recognise the impact that utilising people data can have on overall company performance. Businesses that aren’t fully harnessing these powerful insights, particularly for planning ahead, are being incredibly short-sighted. People costs can be at least 80% of an organisation’s P&L (profit and loss), so this data should be scrutinised and leveraged in every way possible – the same way many look at their sales, marketing and pipeline data.
“Everyone knows you need people to run a business. Successful businesses know how to identify and harness their talent – their people – to ensure they continue to grow and succeed.
“People data is essential to this. Having an improved understanding of your workforce can help instil business confidence that you can scale your people in line with forecast growth. It can help inform workforce planning so that you can hire ‘just in time’ rather than once the capacity gap has started to impact your customers. It can give a clearer picture, backed by evidence, of how long it takes you to get new starters competent and ready to start making sales or servicing customers.
“As a business, could you easily identify your risks in relation to turnover or burnout, without in-depth workforce reporting? Do you know who your high and low performers are? If you don’t know where to focus your time and energies, it’s much harder to overcome retention challenges, for example, or ensure the right training needs are met.
“HR teams need to be able to access and utilise robust people data to answer these questions. Especially when the HR profession is becoming more recognised at board-level for its strategic value.”

So which HR metrics are the most useful to report on?

When asked to select which HR metrics (if any) they believed to be most important for their organisation to track regularly, nearly a third of the 300 HR professionals polled cited employee turnover rate (31%), employee engagement (30%) and quality of hire (30%).
Absence records ranks fourth (selected by 27% of people), followed by employee performance measures or KPIs – key performance indicators (26%).
Next on the list is reasons for absences, followed by employee training qualifications and training days per employee (with 23%, 22% and 20% of votes respectively).
Revenue per employee (17%) and compliance reporting – ie the percentage of employees trained in company policies (14%), round out the top 10 of must-track metrics.
To get a more complete picture of how HR teams use their HR systems’ reporting capabilities, Ciphr also compiled a list of the most popular standard reports used by its HR customers (custom reports were not included).
Ciphr found that some of the most commonly run HR reports tend to be those that track staff leaving (leavers report and leavers by department) or measure employee leave and absence, such as who is away, holiday left, reasons for absence, absence summaries and Bradford Factor scores. Pay-related reports are also popular, pulling together data on job and pay point in time, starters for payroll, job and pay changes, and current pay, for example.
Ciphr HR customers’ most reported on people data:
  • Leavers
  • Who is away
  • Holiday left
  • Reasons for absence
  • Departmental listings
  • Job and pay point in time
  • Absence summary
  • Starters for payroll
  • Start date
  • Departmental summary
Ciphr commissioned Onepoll to conduct an independent survey of 300 HR decision makers in February 2024. The full results are available at https://www.ciphr.com/infographics/the-hr-metrics-that-matter-most.
Ciphr is the go-to HR software and solutions partner for medium and large organisations in the UK. Its integrated HR, payroll, learning and recruitment software, services and content provide invaluable insights to HR teams to inform their people strategy and grow and develop their organisations. Based in Reading, Ciphr is on a mission to amplify the voice and value of HR through intelligent people data solutions that help HR be heard – in the boardroom and across the business.
For more information, please visit www.ciphr.com.
HR, HR News, News

STIEBEL ELTRON ranked in top companies for workplace development

STIEBEL ELTRON UK has been listed as one of the top 100 companies across the country for developing and furthering its employees’ careers.
The leading supplier of renewable heating technology was ranked at number 70 in Great Place to Work’s 2024 UK’s Best Workplaces for Development as a result of its culture, benefits, and approach to leadership and development.
Reacting to the listing, STIEBEL ELTRON UK Managing Director Mark McManus said: “Our employees are the driving force behind everything that we do at STIEBEL ELTRON. So, ensuring they are given the tools they need to excel in their careers is vitally important to us and we’re delighted to see this recognised.”
As well as creating a positive, inclusive culture which can be enjoyed by all employees, STIEBEL ELTRON UK invests in various training initiatives across all departments to ensure its workers are equipped with the skills they need to succeed.
Training schemes the company offers include management courses, sales training, SAP assessor courses, a customer relationship management program, and comprehensive Microsoft training.
Additionally, STIEBEL ELTRON UK is set to send two employees on an open university course in September this year, while the company also runs a graduate scheme for up-and-coming students who are looking to venture into the renewable heating industry.
Great Place to Work is a global authority on workplace culture and uses employee surveys to help guide organisations in building a strong work environment.
Its certification process captures valuable employee feedback using its research-driven Trust Index™ survey, as well as compiling information on the company’s culture, benefits, and approach to development, to benchmark its value proposition against the culture employees experience.
The latest accolade builds upon the company’s strong track-record in delivering an environment where employees can thrive, with the company being previously listed in Great Place to Work’s top 50 Best Workplaces list in March this year.
Listed in the UK Small Business category, 100 percent of employees said STIEBEL ELTRON treated them fairly regardless of race or gender, gave them the resources to do their job, created a safe environment, and provided facilities for a good working environment.
As well as identifying trust and fairness within the company, workers highlighted how they wanted long and established careers at the company, as well as how they are proud to work for the organisation.
Mark McManus, STIEBEL ELTRON UK Managing Director, said: “At STIEBEL ELTRON UK we know how valuable our workforce is. They give so much to the company and make it a unique and special place to work.
“So it only makes sense that we give them everything they need to build a successful career, and we place a special focus on doing this with numerous training and development measures.
“It’s incredibly rewarding to see our employees acknowledge this, and a huge thank you goes out to them for their superb work and fantastic attitude which makes STIEBEL ELTRON one of the best places to work in the country.”
Lynsey Green, STIEBEL ELTRON UK Head of People, added: “Training and development means more than just equipping employees with the skills they need. It’s about showing that they are valued, that we believe they can progress, and crucially, that we will support them with their career ambitions every step of the way.
“It’s fantastic to see our efforts in this regard recognised both by employees and Great Place to Work.”
As well as developing its employees, STIEBEL ELTRON UK has placed an onus on growing its offering to the UK’s renewable heating market as it looks to drive the adoption of heat pumps across the country with the most innovative technologies and comprehensive training for installers.
Following an initial £350,000 investment into a new state-of-the-art training centre and programme in November 2022, the company expanded the facility at its headquarters in Bromborough, Wirral, in September last year to increase capacity for new heat pump installers.
Meanwhile, the company expanded its operations into the Irish market in February this year with a view to delivering renewable heating technologies and driving greener homes across the country.
Throughout 2024 the company is committed to growing every aspect of the business, from investing in new renewable energy technologies and products, to further developing its training facilities and workforce.
For more information visit: www.stiebel-eltron.co.uk
STIEBEL ELTRON’s Great Place to Work Accreditation can be found here.
News

New chairman takes the helm at WeDo Business Services

The former chief executive of a division of Close Brothers has been appointed as the new chairman of ambitious WeDo Business Services.

James Broadhead spent more than 20 years at Close Brothers Motor Finance. He joined in 2000 as operations director and later spent nearly 14 years as CEO of its UK and Ireland business.

Before joining Close Brothers, he worked at Abbey National in a number of roles, including heading its debt recovery business.

He succeeds Hugh Fell as non-executive chairman of the WeDo group. Hugh stepped down after nearly four years in the role.

Mark Lindsay, chief executive of the WeDo group, said: “The board extends its sincere thanks to Hugh for his support of the business over the years and we all wish him well for the future.

“James joins us at an exciting and pivotal time. He has a wealth of experience of leading senior management teams in the lending sector and understands the markets in which we are active and looking to grow, such as asset finance.

“He has operated in regulated environments and has managed stakeholder expectations from shareholders and investor boards alike. His knowledge, experience and skillset will be invaluable to WeDo as we develop the business.

“We have new investors on board, and are shaping our strategy and structure to drive the growth opportunities we have identified, while at the same time ensuring our processes and rigour remain robust.

“James is an excellent fit for WeDo and he is already adding value to the board structure, board reporting packs and development of the team. He will continue to add a new level of professionalism, which he has been used to working at group level in his previous roles.

“Above all, he is excited by our vision and culture, and understands our desire to drive strong sustainable growth.”

The WeDo group has its headquarters in Greater Manchester and additional offices nationwide. It provides invoice and trade finance, asset finance, loans and start-up funding to a growing client base, as well as accountancy, HR, back-office and IT services.

Mark and Chris Robinson founded WeDo in 2019 with just four staff and the business has grown rapidly through organic expansion and acquisition. It currently has over 70 staff across its Oldham headquarters and its network of offices.

Its overall lending now exceeds £50m, and it aims to reach £100m within the next three years. The group’s current nationwide client base spans sectors including recruitment, engineering, manufacturing, logistics and wholesale distribution.

WeDo recently secured £50m in funding which will enable the business to significantly expand its support of small and medium-sized companies across the UK. The funding has come from alternative investment manager Waterfall Asset Management.

James said: “WeDo is a dynamic business which has the ability and means for further substantial expansion. I’m excited to play a part in its growth strategy.

“The team are young and keen to be part of this journey. I was involved in Close Brothers’ growth for over 20 years, and hope I will be able to bring my experience to bear to help WeDo to achieve similar success.”

James is also executive chairman of GT Hub, a Leeds-based independent provider of bespoke vehicle finance to high-net-worth individuals and business owners for sports cars, supercars, classics and collections.

News, Packaging

Lesters looks to green the supply chain with new automotive offer

Delivering a sustainable supply chain is at the heart of a new dedicated offer launched by Burntwood-based Lesters.

The UK’s leading manufacturer of high-performance packaging has introduced a specialist ‘automotive’ division to work even closer with its growing customer base that features OEMs, first and second tier suppliers and third-party logistics providers.

A team of experts in design, sales, marketing, and logistics are on hand to help clients reduce their carbon footprint through supply chain optimisation and the replacement of plastics and foams with sustainable packaging mediums.

“Our automotive experience, expertise and consultative approach go beyond the product to help identify and create value in supply chains…whether that is reducing end-to-end costs, increasing efficiencies or boosting sustainability,” explained Mark Aucott, Automotive Business Manager at Lesters.

“The sector is complex and requires a circular approach and that is where this new offer really comes into its own. From initial consultations and identifying different types of material to testing and tapping into our expansive prototyping capability”.

He continued: “By employing this method, we’ve been able to help several of our automotive customers potentially reduce their supply chain costs by up to 25% – a saving that can run into the hundreds of thousands of pounds!

“We also have the added benefit of Lesters Logistics – our very own supply chain capability that closes the loop for the customer and can provide next day delivery, ‘stock and serve’ and ‘pick and pack’ services.”

Lesters has enjoyed a major period of expansion, with over £7m invested in creating an ecosystem around its core large format high performance box manufacturing capabilities and capacities.

This is supported with market leading design and innovation facilities, aligned with both theoretical and physical pack testing to support product development and testing before implementation.

Thanks to its two TCY Casemakers, which are capable of printing in three colours, the company has the capability to run over 465,000 large format, sustainable cases per day.

On the automotive side of the business, Lesters offers heavy duty packaging for extreme protection of intricate components and valuable items, and ‘Easy Pick’ folding pick bins that don’t require gluing or staples, making them easy to assemble.

It also has a strong track record in bespoke die cuts, providing a wide range of style and board grades, as well as a host of tailored options that offer a unique combination of strength and weight saving features.

Mark, who has been involved in the automotive industry for the last twenty years, went on to add: “Electrification is something that everyone is talking about, and we have already developed innovative packaging that has reduced costs in their supply chain.

“There is also major growth in the field of new automotive start-ups, where our expertise in setting up packaging and packaging lines can ensure a smooth transition into start of production (SOP).”

One recent example of Lesters capability in this field is its work with Rolec, the UK’s leading manufacturer and supplier of EV chargepoints.

With sales for electric cars going through the roof, the customer had seen a massive increase in demand for its products, yet the packaging hadn’t really kept up with its innovation and growth.

Led by Design Manager Greg Burton and his three-strong team, Lesters came up with a new solution for its Zura intelligent charger that was optimised for the courier service, removed all plastic from the equation and upgraded the end user ‘opening’ experience.

Following numerous prototypes, the client settled on a unique one-piece design using a high-quality print large format box, with the print carried through the internals and the box featuring integrated fittings.

The packaging has reduced the number of SKUs from 4 to just 1 and is suitable for the complete product range, including the 5-metre tethered, 5m double tethered and 10m single tethered options.

For further information, please visit www.lesterspackaging.co.uk

Cleaning & Facilities Management, News

Fabulosa Celebrates Landmark Export Achievement

Fabulosa, the fragrance-led home and lifestyle brand, is celebrating another landmark achievement after winning the highly coveted ‘Export’ award at Insider’s Made in the North West Awards 2024.

In recognition of phenomenal growth through its export strategy, the firm was deemed the most outstanding exporter in the region in terms of international presence and exports as a proportion of sales at a well-attended ceremony held in Manchester on 23 May.

Fabulosa has grown from a well-known household name in the UK to an established global bargain sector specialist over the last 12 months, distributing its hugely popular range of fragranced household cleaning products across Europe, Africa, West Asia and Australia and celebrating many international milestones. The firm has worked closely with one of its biggest retail partners, Action, to introduce a core Fabulosa range which is now stocked in all of the retailer’s 2300+ stores across 11 countries, and the firm’s first shipment has recently landed in South Africa.

Additionally, the brand’s recently secured listing with Coles, the biggest retailer in Australia with over 900 stores, is due to go live in the coming months.

The judges said Fabulosa’s growth has been incredible, with brand awareness and international strategy clear to see. The business was also proud to secure finalist status in the ‘Manufacturer of the Year (over £25m)’ category.

Adam Burnett, Global Brand Director at Fabulosa commented: “We are thrilled with this high-profile industry recognition for our manufacturing excellence in the region. Fine-tuning our offering in line with consumer demand across overseas territories has been a major focus for the business over the last year as well as a direct contributor to our success, and we have set our sights on taking this one step further over the next 12 months to drive our continued export growth.”

Adam added, “We are eager to build on our overseas success further in 2024, and the next year will see the brand continue to excel globally, drive further domestic growth and most importantly, continue to lead the way in fragrance innovation.”

Following its entry into the FMCG market in 2019, through an expertly executed, fast-moving schedule of exciting category-leading new product development, together with highly effective marketing campaigns, Fabulosa changed the perception of cleaning, and has rapidly taken value and volume share from well-established iconic household brands.

Fabulosa has since leveraged its strategic positioning and focus to bring fragrance to alternative lifestyle sectors, widening reach and disrupting not only the cleaning sector but also other FMCG categories outside of this category including home fragrance (candles, wax melts and diffusers), shoe and trainer care, and personal (bath and body), whilst it continues to grow and innovate with prolific NPD ongoing in Surface Care, Air Care, Laundry Care and Task Specific ranges including car care and garden care.

For more info on Fabulosa, please visit: https://myfabulosa.co.uk/

Awards, News

Darlington clinician awarded ‘Graduate of the Year’ accolade after completing highly-coveted training programme

An ambitious 22-year-old, based in Darlington, has been named Graduate of the Year after completing a fast-track Graduate Development Programme (GDP) with healthcare services provider, Connect Health.

Adam Peacock is one of 26 graduates from the 2022 intake who has completed the 18-month long, sector-leading training scheme, and entered a full-time Senior Musculoskeletal (MSK) Clinician role.

Working at Connect Health’s Integrated Musculoskeletal Service in Darlington, based at the town’s Dolphin Centre, he was also recently recognised for his achievements in Connect Health’s annual internal Colleague Excellence awards.

The Teesside University graduate, who studied Physiotherapy for his degree, wanted to join Connect Health’s GDP after undertaking a placement with the company during his third year of study.

Talking about the training programme, which includes self-directed learning via Connect Health’s learning division, known as the Academy, and monthly face-to-face study days with a member of the faculty team, Adam explained: “From day one I received a lot of support– there really is a great team environment. Colleagues are very approachable – so no question is a stupid one and every day is different.”

Adam relishes supporting patients from all different walks of life, and he believes getting the best outcomes for them comes down to nurturing relationships, overcoming their barriers and exceeding expectations, where possible.

He continued: “My favourite part of the job is when I get to support a patient from the beginning of their journey. Initially speaking to them via our telephone triage PhysioLine, building a rapport and understanding how they’re struggling, and how physiotherapy will help them. You can then start to break down their barriers and by the end of their treatment ease them back into their day-to-day routines.

“To hear someone tell you they never thought that they would get back to their valued activity and never thought they would be able to do the things they love again – that’s the big win for me,” Adam added.

Connect Health has now accepted applications for its 2024 GDP.

The industry-leading scheme, targeted at those looking to accelerate their clinical careers, focuses on developing compassionate, skilled clinicians that thrive within a contemporary healthcare environment. It features work-based training with a senior clinical mentor and protected continuous professional development (CPD) time.

With an impressive 90% pass rate, those, like Adam, who complete the programme are promoted to senior MSK clinician within 18 months.

Dr Andrew Cuff, Director of Clinical Strategy at Connect Health, said: “Our sector leading graduate scheme proves immensely popular every year, thanks to our commitment and track record of providing high-quality training opportunities and professional development. This is in addition to the impressive remuneration package and Connect Health’s standing as an industry leader in MSK.

“As Adam’s story shows, there’s great potential for growth and recognition within Connect Health and we work hard to support the talent of tomorrow and today, through our comprehensive training and development, all while keeping our patients front and centre.”

To find out more about the GDP visit: https://www.connecthealth.co.uk/gdp