Tag Archives: public sector

Careers, News

“Connect and collaborate”: Early Career Network launched by Institute of Economic Development

The Institute of Economic Development (IED), the UK’s leading independent professional body representing economic development and regeneration practitioners working for local and regional communities, has launched its Early Career Network: a dedicated platform to enable those in the early stages of their economic development careers to connect and collaborate.

The network’s mission is to create a pool of resources to help members’ progress their careers and build their knowledge of the opportunities available within the economic development industry via networking events, accessible channels of communication, and other activities including talks with experts on economic development.

As well as a dedicated on LinkedIn group, meetings will typically run on a monthly basis and take place online. These meetings will be accessible via a link shared exclusively to members in the network’s WhatsApp group chat, and include:

  • ‘Talks with experts’ – a series of interview-style sessions with speakers from the economic development sector, as suggested by members of the network.
  • Spotlight sessions – where members of the network take time out of the meeting to explain and describe what their day-to-day roles consist of, as well as sharing industry and events information. This will allow for networking and further understanding of the opportunities within the sector.
  • Bi-weekly admin meetings – run by a core group of five volunteer members, these meetings will take place to enable the ongoing running of the network and for members to touch base if they would like to. This group, which will rotate, will also own communications platforms and publish content.

Micaela Benvenuto, an Economic Development Consultant at Mickledore, is one of the volunteer members driving the network.

“We are really excited to launch the Early Career Network, which brings a valuable opportunity to connect with others in the early stages of their economic development career, and already we have 40 members,” she said. “Not only will members gain on-the-ground industry insights from other members, they will be able to expand their professional network which could lead to new business partnerships and/or potential career opportunities. Members can also build their personal brands and professional credibility by being a part of a network affiliated with a well-renowned organisation such as the IED.

“From my perspective, it is helping me to explore different areas of economic development and connect with peers of the sector to understand how we can better partner up to intervene in ways that may produce positive outcomes.”

The network is open to anyone who is a member of the IED and in their early stages of their economic development career or aspiring to join the sector, including students. Those who do not hold an IED membership but are interested in joining the network are encouraged to communicate with admin@ied.co.uk and attend one of the network’s meetings and/or be co-opted into the group for an agreed period of time.

Claire Hill, Economic Growth Officer at West Lindsey Council, said: “Having worked across the private, not-for-profit and public sectors, I have arrived in economic development later than others. The professional networks I have already established are outside of this area of work. The Early Career Network therefore seemed an ideal opportunity to connect with others in a similar position, and further my understanding of the wider work happening in this field.”

“I am excited by the opportunities this network brings, especially in terms of learning from my industry peers and staying up-to-date with the latest developments,” added Martin Owen, Planning/Regeneration Consultant at BE Group.

IED Executive Director Nigel Wilcock commented: “The Early Career Network is a fantastic initiative to unite professionals in the early stages of their career across the economic development sector. It is built very much on the principle of co-creation between members of the network, and we are excited by its potential to inform and inspire the progression of up-and-coming economic development professionals.”

More information about the Early Career Network, and its membership, can be found here.

With nearly 1,400 IED members overall, professionals are drawn from the public sector (local authorities, universities and government departments) and the private sector (consultancies supporting economic development in its widest sense). For higher education the IED offers student membership for full or part-time students working towards a qualification in a relevant discipline but who are not in employment.

Construction, Construction News, News, North of England

MC Construction completes first phase of multimillion-pound Crewe scheme

A multimillion-pound scheme to transform the civic and cultural quarter of Crewe town centre is under way.

The project involves:

  • Creating a cleared site for a new history centre to co-host Cheshire’s archives;
  • A new pedestrian link between the Lifestyle Centre, Memorial Square and Market Hall connecting into the southern gateway link;
  • A new car park with 31 spaces;
  • A new, two-storey magistrates’ courts entrance;
  • Public realm improvements, including new lighting, paving, seating and planting, bicycle racks, activity space and public art.

Salford-based MC Construction has completed the first phase of the scheme, which involved enabling works to strip out the former library next to Memorial Square where the history centre will be developed, clearing the structure over the existing Civic Centre car park and erecting a temporary entrance to the magistrates’ courts.

MC Construction will begin the next phase in February when it dismantles the former library building and the existing concourse. This phase is expected to be completed by summer 2024.

The works by MC Construction are being undertaken for Cheshire East Council.

Russ Forshaw, managing director of MC Construction, said: “This scheme will transform the civic and cultural quarter of Crewe town centre by providing new and greatly improved facilities for the public.

“Having successfully completed numerous other projects for Cheshire East Council, we are proud to be working with the authority once again and to further strengthen our relationship with this valued client.”

The revamp is being supported by the government’s Towns Fund and Future High Streets Fund.

The history centre, supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, will co-host the regional’s written and pictorial history collections with a second history centre being built in Hoole, Chester. This scheme has been driven by Cheshire Archives and Local Studies, a shared service of Cheshire East and Cheshire West and Chester councils. The centres will replace the archive service’s current facility and open the collections to new audiences across Cheshire.

The centres will have climate-controlled environments and will feature event and gallery areas to host performances, workshops and exhibitions, more space for people to conduct research and better spaces to make the collections more accessible to the public.

Other professionals involved alongside MC Construction include Bowker Sadler Architecture, Davis Partnership and Wardell Armstrong.

News

Public Sector IT specialists awarded place on framework to support NHS frontline workers

Public Sector IT specialists Kingsfield has announced its latest framework win to support The Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust’s National Framework Agreement for the provision of Refurbished Electronic Devices and Repair Services.

In this new framework, IT specialists Kingsfield will provide crucial repairs over the next four years. This will ensure access to essential services for thousands of frontline workers across the entire NHS and wider Public Sector.

The framework is the first of its kind in the UK. Kingsfield has been awarded a place on lot one: ‘Repair Services’ – making the company a one-stop-shop for NHS frontline workers in need of repairs to mobile electronic devices.

Kingsfield Managing Director, Brian Boys, commented on being successfully awarded onto the Framework Agreement: ‘We’re delighted to have been awarded a place on this framework and we believe it will support so many Hospital Trusts, Local Councils, and Blue Light services across the country. All repairs will then be covered with an appropriate warranty. Our team will also offer access to loan devices under this agreement.

‘Our support will help significantly reduce the environmental impact caused by a high device turnover. In the long-term, we aim to save the Public Sector thousands by maintaining their existing IT estate to ensure a lengthy lifespan, as opposed to buying or upgrading equipment more frequently.

‘One thing that I really appreciate about this framework is the fact it’s been developed and managed by a Hospital Trust to serve the wider Public Sector.’

Kingsfield also provides IT consultancy and support to various other public sector bodies and organisations, working with clients such as the Ministry of Defence, Department for Education, BBC and the National Health Service to help elevate IT across Government bodies.

The Commercial Procurement Services National Framework Agreement for the provision of Refurbished Electronic Devices and Repair Services commenced on the 1st September 2022.

Law, News

Cater Leydon Millard Secures Place on Crown Commercial Service’s Public Sector Legal Services Framework

Cater Leydon Millard (CLM), a specialist employment law firm, part of the WorkNest group, has been named as a supplier on Crown Commercial Service’s (CCS) Public Sector Legal Services Framework (contract RM6240).

The new Public Sector Legal Services Framework will run from October 2022 to September 2026. This framework has been established to provide simple and compliant access to a range of legal services by Local and Regional Government, health, education, emergency services, third sector and social housing organisations.

CLM has been appointed for Lot 2a, Regional Service Provision – covering England and Wales. Their contracted specialism is employment law. CLM currently advises many health and education sector organisations, and its appointment to CCS’s Framework recognises its strong offering to the public sector.

Crown Commercial Service supports the public sector to achieve maximum commercial value when procuring common goods and services. In 2021/22, CCS helped the public sector to achieve commercial benefits equal to £2.8 billion – supporting world-class public services that offer best value for taxpayers.

Lisa Harris, Associate Director at CLM, says, “We are thrilled to be appointed again to this prestigious framework. Our selection further confirms our specialist expertise in employment law and our strong public sector credentials. The public sector is a key focus for our firm, and we look forward to continuing to work closely with our public sector clients and developing new relationships within the sector, providing practical employment law advice and solutions to their challenges.”

Mergers & Acquisitions, News

Blancco acquires WipeDrive

Move extends Blancco’s reach in US among private and public sector organisations

AUSTIN and LONDON – June 8, 2022—Blancco Technology Group (LON: BLTG), the industry standard in data erasure and mobile lifecycle solutions, has announced that it has acquired WipeDrive, formerly known as White Canyon Software Inc, a US-based provider of data erasure software solutions. The transaction will enable Blancco to enhance its reach, specifically in the US region, and strengthen its competitive position. Under the terms of the deal, WipeDrive’s employees will join the Blancco team. The new group of talent spans research and development, sales, support, IT, finance, HR and marketing.

Headquartered in Utah and founded in 1998, WipeDrive provides data diagnostic, wiping, transfer and verification software tools. WipeDrive’s expansive customer base spans the private and public sector markets – and includes Fortune 500 companies and large US government bodies. WipeDrive also has various proprietary technologies that Blancco plans to leverage.

“We’re thrilled to announce this acquisition of WipeDrive, a business which is highly complementary with Blancco’s offering to the market – but will only serve to strengthen it”, said Matt Jones, Chief Executive Officer of Blancco. “Blancco has built a strong reputation as a global leader in the data erasure space, and this deal is set to further enhance our position. I’m also delighted to be welcoming the new team to Blancco and wish them all the best for a bright future with us.”

“Everyone at WipeDrive is extremely excited to be joining Blancco”, said Bill Glynn, Chief Executive Officer, WipeDrive. “Blancco is an acknowledged leader in data erasure and is the ideal company to take our business to the next level. The teams are incredibly complementary and are set to collaborate on what I am sure will be a very successful future together.’’

News

Diligent Community to Transform Governance Solutions for Mission-Driven Organisations

Diligent, the global leader in modern governance providing SaaS solutions across governance, risk, compliance and ESG, has announced Diligent Community, a next-generation governance and civic engagement solution for public organisations that simplifies the end-to-end agenda and meeting management process. Representing significant updates to the company’s platform, Diligent Community enables organisations to easily manage complex governance tasks in any environment and significantly reduce meeting preparation overhead efforts, freeing up time to focus on the organisation’s mission.

The landscape for public boards has changed significantly over the last several years, and technology will play an important role in driving security, engagement and trust in the future. Diligent Community improves the process of agenda and meeting management while ensuring accessibility, increasing transparency and boosting community engagement by utilising a fully secure and streamlined process.

At its core, Diligent Community enables state and local governments, special districts, school districts, libraries and community colleges to better serve their communities through more effective governance. The new solution:

  • Improves engagement: The Public Request to Speak feature empowers board administrators and leaders to advocate for their mission while addressing critical community issues

  • Increases efficiency: Users can customise workflows for meeting preparation, including adding content for approval, sharing agenda packets via one-click publishing and republishing last-minute agenda items; meeting minutes can be captured in real time, with automatic video timestamping

  • Expands access and fosters collaboration: The Library Document Center supports sharing documents and marking content for public consumption

  • Promotes inclusivity: Its out-of-the-box solution is ADA and WCAG 2.1 AA compliant and follows Open Meeting Law guidelines, so information is accessible on any device, enabling leaders to connect with their entire community anytime

“ISBA has long partnered with Diligent to supply our members with solutions to successfully manage their board governance responsibilities,” said Terry Spradlin, executive director of the Indiana School Boards Association (ISBA). “We’re excited to bring Diligent Community to our membership and pleased that we can offer our members preferred pricing for this powerful new platform.”

“We recognise that digital transformation poses a number of challenges to public organisations that have limited resources and expertise,” said MarKeith Allen, senior vice president and managing director of Mission-Driven Organisations at Diligent. “With Diligent Community, we are delivering on our commitment to provide solutions that will simplify processes and management so that public organisations and their leaders can get back to focusing on their purpose and mission.”

Diligent Community, the next innovation to join Diligent’s BoardDocs and iCompass solutions, offers a governance platform that expands on Diligent’s existing footprint in boards and councils in public education and in local government.

Learn more about Diligent Community here.

News, Storage

Governments and public sector organizations spend millions globally each year destroying data storage devices despite sustainable alternatives

New Blancco report sparks conversations on SSD policy reform, revealing financial and environmental costs as well as security concerns for public sector organizations

AUSTIN and LONDON – March 9, 2022—New research launched today by Blancco Technology Group (LON: BLTG), the industry standard in data erasure and mobile lifecycle solutions, reveals current practices and policies for device sanitization within the public sector. For Blancco’s study, The Price of Destruction: Exploring the Financial & Environmental Costs of Public Sector Device Sanitization, researchers spoke to 596 government IT leaders across nine countries. The survey revealed that the governments and public sector organizations represented spend as much as USD$17M annually on the physical destruction of solid-state drives (SSDs), a data storage device widely used both independently and within laptops, desktops, and servers.

Additionally, replacement costs added another $40M, bringing expenses up to $57M for destroying public sector technology that is often still usable. For 70 organizations surveyed in each country, the costs for SSD destruction and replacement reached between $6.9M and $7.3M for the U.S. and between $6.4M and $6.9M for the U.K.

Environmental Costs

With global electronic (e-waste) called the “world’s fastest growing domestic waste stream,” the study also explores the environmental costs of physical destruction and the public sector’s current engagement with sustainable alternatives. Unnecessary destruction increases IT operations and materials costs for fiscally constrained public sector organizations. It also fosters increased e-waste creation during a global call for more prudent environmental stewardship.

Despite 54% of respondents agreeing that reuse of SSDs is better for the environment than physical destruction and almost all respondents (93%) saying their organization had defined plans to reduce the environmental impact caused by destroying IT equipment, less than a quarter (21%) are actively implementing those plans.

Security Concerns

For security reasons, physical destruction is still mandated if decommissioned drives were used to store classified or secret data. For unclassified data-bearing assets, other data sanitization solutions are available.

On the whole, respondents were well informed of their country’s or region’s respective data protection laws. However, some respondents’ processes for carrying out compliant SSD sanitization are concerning. For example, 78% of respondents globally said they reformat drives to sanitize them. Unfortunately, formatting alone can still leave drives vulnerable during transport or storage, and much of the data can be recovered with forensics tools easily available online.

“Governments and public sector organizations are responsible for handling some of the most sensitive information in the world. But several factors, including accelerated digital transformation, rising numbers of public sector data breaches and global sustainability initiatives, are changing the data management landscape,” said Alan Bentley, President of Global Strategy, Blancco. “With growing environmental and funding pressures, there is a need for these public sector operations to be more sustainable and efficient while maintaining robust security. Public sector organizations must explore SSD sanitization alternatives to demonstrate prudent use of agency funds and a greater contribution to national and international sustainability efforts.”

“We’ve seen several public sector departments benefit from moving away from destroying data bearing assets to reusing them or building up the circular economy. Our study highlights that there are significant opportunities for policy reform surrounding SSD data protection as national policymakers seek to steward financial, environmental, and data resources entrusted to their care,” added Bentley.

As the report concludes, governments and public sector organizations are committing to sustainability improvements, but very few have pushed forward with their implementation. This is resulting in a high cost of SSD destruction and replacement.

With overnments and public sector organizations under the spotlight when it comes to spending, it is increasingly urgent that they consider sustainable alternatives that extend device life, maintain lock-tight data security on end-of-life SSDs and, ultimately, save public services millions of dollars.

According to Blancco’s global study of 596 public sector respondents:

  • 41% of respondents say physical destruction is mandated by law to physically destroy SSDs that contain classified data, so they destroy all SSDs “just in case.”
  • Almost a quarter (22%) are unaware of alternative methods of sanitization.
  • Between 23% to 52% of organizations within a country believed that physical destruction was cheaper than other sanitization solutions, including those that would facilitate reuse and longer device life.
  • 35% believe there is no certified or approved vendor or solution that provides another option for them.
  • Between 37% and 45% of our respondents’ devices, or the drives alone, are sent offsite for physical destruction.
  • 37% of respondents are “aware of only” the NIST SP 800-88 r1 and do not know guideline details.

For full analysis, read the report here: http://www.blancco.com/the-price-of-destruction.

 

News

Marks Consulting Partners does the double with a brace of awards shortlists and new hires

Property recruitment specialists Marks Consulting Partners is celebrating being shortlisted in two categories of the Recruiter Awards 2021 and appointing two new trainee consultants.

Specialist Recruitment Consultancy Marks Consulting Partners is delighted to have been shortlisted in two categories of the Recruiter Awards 2021. The Recruiter Awards are the UK’s most prestigious honours in recruitment, recognising best practice and celebrating the great work and achievements in-house, agency and RPO teams, and individuals. Marks Consulting Partners has been shortlisted in the Best Public/Third Sector Recruitment Agency and the Recruitment Agency of The Year (Up to 19 employees) categories.

Winners will be announced live at a glittering gala dinner on Thursday 23 September 2021 at JW Marriott Grosvenor House, London. Judges from across the recruitment industry, as well as previous Recruiter Awards winners, will make their final decisions on over 30 hard-fought categories.

Toby Marks, co-founder and director of Marks Consulting Partners said: “We are delighted to be recognised in these highly respected industry awards. We founded our agency in order to be different. To be honest and put candidates and clients first. To add value to our clients’ businesses and contribute to their success, whilst placing candidates in roles that really are the right next career step for them. As recruitment experts for property professionals, we truly understand the markets we operate in, the qualities of our candidates and the needs of our clients. We are looking forward to the awards night and reflecting on everything that we have achieved over the past 12 months.”

In response to recent company growth, Marks Consulting Partners have also welcomed Jack Price and Ethan Mooney to their team as Trainee Recruitment Consultants. Both will be specialising in supplying Development and Regeneration staff to the Property Services sector, under the experienced supervision of Toby and Jake Marks.

Jake Marks added “2021 was definitely the most challenging that we have faced since we founded Marks Consulting Partners in 2015, but we are so proud of everything we have achieved. Faced with a global pandemic and national lockdown we quickly transitioned to remote working. We worked hard to support our clients and candidates throughout the difficult lockdown months. We were delighted to win multiple tenders to become the preferred supplier for both temporary and permanent recruitment in several housing associations and win many new clients including several District Councils across the South East. Due to this expansion, we are delighted to be adding to the team and welcome Jack and Ethan to support us on our next stage of growth.”

Marks Consulting Partners is a specialist recruitment consultancy, dedicated to contract and permanent recruitment within the property services sector. Founded by brothers Toby and Jake Marks in 2015, from their Hertfordshire base they cover construction and maintenance recruitment into Local Authorities and Housing Associations including related Private Sector Consultancies and Contractors across the South East.

News, Technology

86% of Public Sector Decision Makers Believe their Organisations’ Productivity Depends on Network and Application Performance

Riverbed today launched its expanded ‘Rethink Possible: Visibility and Network Performance – The Pillars of Business Success’’ Study, focused on the public sector. The study revealed that 89% of IT decision makers (ITDMs) and 82% of business decision makers (BDMs) in the public sector believe productivity is reliant on effective network and application performance. In addition, three-quarters of those surveyed (72% ITDMs and 79% BDMs) agreed that visibility into IT performance is the key to driving business innovation and staff retention.

These and other findings in the study highlight the necessity for public sector organisations to have effective IT infrastructure in order to be successfully productive, innovative and drive their growth. These are key considerations given the critical challenges public sector organisations are facing to maintain infrastructure, policing, health, and political balance in today’s environment.

Poor visibility and outdated systems proving to be a hindrance

Decision makers within the public sector recognise that improved visibility into network and application performance will have a direct, positive impact on their organisations’ development. In fact, over three-quarters of ITDMs (77%) think that having more visibility into their organisation’s systems will help to mitigate risk and ensure productivity. Both of which are essential factors in improving efficiency, driving employee engagement, and developing projects within public sector organisations. However, a clear conflict exists in the public sector between the visibility experienced by the IT teams and business decision makers. More than half of ITDMs (54%) state that they do not have enough visibility into the performance of their networks, applications, or infrastructure, compared to 76% of BDMs who believe IT has a comprehensive overview of applications. This disconnect may be why 75% of public sector leaders surveyed felt frustrated by their current network performance (74% of BDMs and 76% of ITDMs). Ensuring ITDMs and BDMs see eye-to-eye is paramount to helping them recognise the need for new technology that will improve visibility and performance, overcoming this frustration.

Productivity and organisational growth need the right IT infrastructure

As the recent global pandemic has shown, the public sector needs technology that evolves with the increasing demands placed on national services. In fact, over 90% of IT decision makers in the public sector believe future success hinges on their organisations’ ability to innovate and break boundaries. It is therefore encouraging to see that over 85% of both ITDMs (89%) and BDMs (86%) in the public sector believe there should be more investment in technology solutions that enhance overall IT visibility. With more than three quarters (78%) of public sector leaders agreeing that investment in next-generation technology is vital, organisations need to act quickly or they risk not only diminishing productivity levels from employees but also failing to keep up with customer needs and expectations.

Commenting on the research findings, Colette Kitterhing, Senior Director UK&I at Riverbed Technology, said: “Strong IT infrastructure is essential for any business but in the public sector – where ineffective systems cause major disruptions for national government departments, non-departmental public bodies such as the NHS, and service delivery – it is crucial. Especially during these unprecedented times, it is really positive to see that both IT and business decision makers in the public sector recognise the need to invest in the right technology to optimise their IT infrastructure – for both employees in the office and those working remotely – and successfully achieve business growth, now and in the future.

Kitterhing, continued, “At Riverbed, we want to encourage public sector leaders to work together in order to identify and overcome the IT challenges they may be facing, from the lack of visibility, to poor network performance and inefficiencies due to outdated infrastructure. We fundamentally believe that in finding a solution to these problems, ITDMs and BDMs can unlock the capability to evolve their business, drive innovation, boost productivity and ultimately, achieve success in the public sector.”

Rethink Possible: Evolving the Digital Experience

Over 80% of all public sector leaders (87% of ITDMs and 81% of BDMs) agree that organisations must rethink what is possible to gain true success in today’s fast-moving world. Technology has to be the enabler in the process. Riverbed’s portfolio of next-generation solutions is giving customers in the public sector across the globe the visibility, acceleration, optimisation and connectivity that maximizes performance and visibility for networks and applications.

Charity & CSR, Creative News, News

Charity donations go online within two weeks with Caution Your Blast

Charities and churches were digitally enabled in a matter of days when it came to fundraising over the Easter break, thanks to a new online donations service launched by digital practice Caution Your Blast.

The service, aimed at charities who were, pre-pandemic, raising funds face-to-face or at donation points inside buildings, has been offered to 700 charities initially, with several dozen early adopters setting up in time for Easter weekend.

The urgent need arose as prior to the pandemic these charities were raising funds through contactless card payments via Give A Little, an Android App innovation which Caution Your Blast set up for Christmas 2019 and which has continued to gain traction since. More than £270,000 in donations had been raised since the software was made available for download, £40,000 of which was taken in February. However, these donations along with cash donations, dried up in a matter of weeks with the onset of COVID-19.

“With no one going to church right now, the rapid change that these churches and charities have undergone when it comes to shifting donations online has demonstrated the art of the possible, and gone some way to beating what would have otherwise been a blue Easter for them,” said Ben Stewart, CEO, Caution Your Blast. “In response to major events, all organisations large and small, need to be able to react rapidly, sometimes even changing their processes and ways of working. This is another area where digital services and products are able to make a huge contribution to social stability.”

“This has provided us with a valuable new opportunity for people to donate towards our ministry in a really user-friendly way. The seamless integration of the online giving feature with our SumUp account is a massive bonus,” said Nathan Conway, Operations Director at Top Church, Dudley.
The solution is available to over charities and churches via the Give A Little service across the UK and other global markets.