Andrew Gerrard

I completed the Scrum Alliance Certified Scrum Master course with Paul Goddard early last year (I’m the guy in the white shirt on the right as proof 😂). Brilliantly delivered in a relaxed training environment by someone with many (many) years of experience across many different sectors. If you are interested in upskilling, reach out to Paul, you won’t regret it! The link can be found in the post below. #Agile #Scrum #ScrumMaster

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Today marks the start of Volunteers' Week 2024. Many people tell me they wish they could find the time to volunteer in their local community or support an organisation that has provided help to them or a relative. Well if you are short of time but still want to help I have have some tips for you: 1️⃣ Volunteers sometimes need training, background checks and insurance. Consider making a donation to your favourite charity to help fund these onboarding costs. 2️⃣ Can you provide a volunteering day each year to your employees? You may not have time but you could gift time to others. 3️⃣ Do you run a business that could donate resources to a local charity? Volunteers offer their time but they often need gloves, hi-vis vests, paint, A4 paper, fuel, etc. If you haven’t yet experienced the joy of volunteering, now is the perfect time to start - https://volunteersweek.org What do you do to support your local community or your favourite charity?

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Felt absolutely lousy the last couple of days. Still worked though. Can be sure I wouldn’t have worked the last couple of days if I was office based. I’d either have been too ill to go in, or treated like a leper when I got there (and wouldn’t blame people for doing so). Not to mention the commute. Home working has allowed me to remain productive for a couple of days whilst I get through this bug. Flexibility in how and where your workers are productive is just part of modern day business. If you don’t recognise the importance of work/life balance then you’ll lose good employees/workers.

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📙 Book Recommendation 📙 I read a lot of non fiction books and I'm rarely impressed with them however 'How Big Things Get Done' is well worth a recommendation, lots of useful insights and practical advice to all those involved in delivering projects of any size 👷‍♂️ 👷‍♀️. My top 3 takeaways listed below: 1️⃣ Plan Slow 🐌 Act Fast 🐆: Planning is a safe harbor, plan in detail and extensively to avoid a 'break and fix' cycle. Planning is progression 2️⃣ It's not unique ❌: We all fall into the uniqueness bias, it's human. However your project is not unique. If it is then it is at a lower level. Learn from previous experience 3️⃣ Modularisation is paramount ✔ : The assembly line is objectively more efficient than the construction site. Modularity is a matter of degree #HowBigThingsGetDone Prof. Bent Flyvbjerg Dan Gardner

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⚡️ Quick take on the new tax changes and what they mean for public procurement: 1. SMEs may feel the heat: With CGT rates going up and investors’ relief being cut, attracting private funding for SMEs could get trickier. 2. Procurement challenges: If SMEs struggle financially, will it affect the innovation and competitive pricing they bring to public sector contracts? What can we do? Keep an eye on these trends—tax changes could mean suppliers may look for higher margins, impacting government spending efficiency. 🌟 My takeaway: Public sector procurement teams might need to factor in how these tax changes affect contractors’ pricing strategies. What’s your take? Does this align with what you’re seeing in the market? (Details from Draft Finance Bill, focusing on CGT increases and relief adjustments) #PublicProcurement #GovernmentSpending #SmallBusiness

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My interim project management engagement at NHS Supply Chain is due to conclude at the end of August. If you have any requirements you think I can assist you with please get in touch. All terms considered. #projectmanagement #projectmanager #engagement #management #leadership #governance

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I had a lovely time at the Midlands Women in Tech event today. There was a fantastic panel of speakers compeered brilliantly by Xpertise's Phil Brindley. The event itself was hosted by Rolls Royce and this was the fabulous sight that greeted me as I approached - I was driving so I snuck this photo off Googlemaps and it really doesn’t do the building justice! Speakers included Rolls Royce CIO Norma Dove-Edwin; Suzanne M., MD at Experian; Kristie Grinnell, a DCX executive who travelled from the States for the event; and Lauren Colbeck, CPO at Adro. A couple of takeaways from me plus one opinion 🫣: -         ALLYSHIP: why is it often the lone woman on the board who is asked to champion the women’s network (see also any other diversity initiative)? How lovely it would be to see our allies doing the heavy lifting too. We saw it in the room today and it was very well received. -         BEING YOURSELF: panel discussions that resonated with me included admissions of being ‘introverts pretending to be extroverts’, of having a cry when a job opportunity didn’t go someone’s way, and the awkwardness of pretending to enjoy golf to fit in (OK, I've never done this - much too sporty!). I took this as tacit permission to be myself from some extremely successful women. -         THE OPINION: there was disagreement on whether imposter syndrome exists and/ or is a women’s issue. I felt that this was semantics. Everyone agreed that operating outside of our comfort zone results in, well, discomfort. In my view, ‘imposter syndrome’ is as good a name for this as any other. And is it a women’s issue? Well, the feeling is a universal one, yes, however anyone operating outside of their ‘norm’ is more likely to experience this. Therefore, women in tech will experience it more often than men in tech... in a work setting. It’s a numbers game. I was also excited to hear a career in tech described as particularly appealing to anyone interested in solving puzzles and getting creative. It’s certainly why I moved into tech: it’s a challenge, it’s creative and it’s endlessly interesting! Thank you for the invite. I’m very glad to have been there. #WomeninTech #womeninSTEM #RollsRoyce #XpertiseRecruitment

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Government strengthens Post Office Horizon IT inquiry with statutory powers The inquiry will now have the power to compel witnesses and demand evidence, with fines or imprisonment for non-compliance. From: Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, The Rt Hon Kwasi Kwarteng, Paul Scully and The Rt Hon Boris Johnson Published 19 May 2021 This was published under the 2019 to 2022 Johnson Conservative government The move will give the inquiry new powers to compel witnesses and demand documentary evidence. Parties who fail to comply with the new inquiry or take actions to hinder it could face a fine, imprisonment, or both. The inquiry’s Terms of Reference will also be changed to clarify that it can investigate the Post Office’s decision-making in pursuing prosecutions of postmasters. The decision was taken by the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Kwasi Kwarteng and Minister for Postal Affairs Paul Scully, in light of the recent Court of Appeal judgment which saw 39 postmasters have their convictions quashed The inquiry’s overarching aims – to ensure the right lessons have been learnt and to establish what must change – will remain in place. However, in light of the Court of Appeal Judgment, its Terms of Reference will be updated to reflect this judgment and the need for an in-depth analysis of the events that led to the Horizon dispute. These issues went beyond those already considered by Justice Fraser in his 2019 ruling which was the basis for the current inquiry. Postal Affairs Minister Paul Scully said: The Horizon dispute has wrecked the lives of postmasters and their families – its impact cannot be overstated. We are determined to ensure something like this can never happen again, which is why we launched this inquiry last year to bring the failings around Horizon into the light. [Ed: There can be no cultural change without radical acknowledgement of the truth of workplace abuse] #Feelings #Emotions #Body #MentalHealth

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A study by the Institute for Fiscal Studies has revealed that a very substantial majority of self-employed workers are making no or inadequate pension provision for their retirement. This means that three quarters of the self-employed can look forward to retiring on less than £15,000 per annum including the state pension. What then are their alternatives? I suspect that more than a few will do nothing. Others will either start a pension or increase their contributions. Having been there, I know that a significant reason for low contribution levels is the need to prioritise income in other directions and retirement is always a long way off! Finally, they could look to generating additional income to provide the means to cater for the future. A part time business is a great way of creating extra income and I think that becoming a Partner with Utility Warehouse (UW) ticks loads of boxes. UW is the UK’s only genuine multi service provider offering energy, broadband, mobiles and insurance. Just this weekend, they have introduced a highly competitive EV tariff, improved their SEG payments to those with solar panels and launched a 900mbps Broadband service. These new services sit alongside probably the UK’s cheapest fixed energy tariff and best multi SIM mobile deal. And to set up as a Partner costs just £10, with a virtually unlimited earning potential. If somebody facing pension poverty where to start this business today and commit a few hours a week to introducing two quality customer each month over the next five years, they would generate an on-going monthly income of around £500pm.There is a massive amount of mentoring, training and support available to get new entrants on the road to success as quickly as possible.  To achieve this via a pension I believe they would have needed to invest around £100,000 and I suggest that the UW route might be the easier way to this result. I would be delighted to show anyone what we do and how we do it and what the benefits are, and they are more than just money.

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Thanks to BA Life for sharing another insightful post, this time from one of our amazing volunteers Kenneth J.. In the article below Kenny reminds us to take control of our personal development, a reminder of the continuous need for Learning, Innovation and development. Thanks, BA Life and Kenny 😁 #ba #balife #businessanalysis #selfdevelopment

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Great teach in on Microsoft Co-Pilot today. So pleased to be part of the first HMRC generative AI pilot, really enjoying using it so far. So many efficiencies to be gotten from it on a daily basis, it’s like having your own PA! Microsoft HM Revenue & Customs #microsoftcopilot #artificialintelligence #generativeAI #humanresources #AIprompter #technology #machinelearning #innovation #AI

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You don't get a better opportunity to de-risk hiring for tech roles than this... supported by The North East Combined Authority and Sunderland Software City

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WEBINAR: IR35 - Do you know who the client is in your chain? This webinar is specifically designed to address the critical importance of correctly identifying the "client" in any hiring chain and understanding the implications and potential risks of misidentifying them. This is an incredibly valuable and important webinar. You will gain valuable insights on how to determine the client in a chain and ensure that the correct party conducts the status assessment. Watch now. #IR35webinar #webinar #IR35 #IR35compliance #compliance #tax #HR #HRNews #IR35Training #Training

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Recent tentative enquries regarding iTrent work from Companies can only mean a few things: 1. Companies can not find the resource as usual. Whether it be FTC roles, Permanent roles, or roles inside IR35, the resource must not be there. NTG Consultants Ltd and our consultants are happy to help with anything iTrent and Business Objects related. 2. Companies are feed up of their usual resource supplier, or feed up of waiting for resources from them. NTG Consultnats Ltd and our consultants have avaibility to assist with iTrent and Business Objects projects, however big or small. 3 Companies are going back to their trusted contractors/consultants that can work remotely and outside IR35, and will reap the benefits of their change of direction. NTG Consultants Ltd consultants all work outside IR35, and have years of experience in the iTrent and Business Objects market. 4. Companies have lost their internal iTrent/Business Objects specialist and can't find the right candidate to engage as a replacement. NTG Consultants and our consultants could fill in for you whilst carrying out your recruitment process. Why not get in touch. Quote this Linkedin post and see what we can offer you in the way of implementation, training, health checks, consultancy or just general support. [email protected] or call on 07930 842358.

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The IR35 reform has reshaped client expectations in IT recruitment. Clients now seek compliant solutions and value transparency in engagements. Adapting to these changes is crucial for success. Email: [email protected] Phone: 0113 234 6400 #IR35 #ClientExpectations #ITRecruitment

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