Praetorian Outsource Marketing Anticipates Birmingham Enterprise Zone.

Praetorian Outsource Marketing is delighted that £125 million has been approved to kick-start the development of the Birmingham City Centre Enterprise Zone.

Praetorian Outsource Marketing, a direct sales company in Birmingham city centre, has been following the progress of the Birmingham City Centre Enterprise Zone carefully and is extremely excited by the potential for businesses in the city. Firstly what is an Enterprise Zone? Enterprise Zones are areas where local businesses get together and agree to commit a certain sum of money to be spent on schemes to improve the area. Once the money has been pledged, and the area of the zone agreed, those businesses decide where the money would best be spent. The Greater Birmingham and Solihull LEP was announced in July 2011and includes 26 sites covering 68 hectares across the city centre. It is consequently one of the largest in the country.

A spokesperson for Praetorian Outsource Marketing explains why they think the scheme has so much potential, “What is great about these Enterprise Zones is that the government allows the LEP to retain any business rates growth within the zone for at least 25 years. Secondly businesses love the idea of having control of how their money gets spent, after all they know the needs of their customers and clients and they’ll know how best to improve services for them.”

Andy Street, the Chair of the Enterprise Zone  believes that the results will be spectacular. “Not only will we create a further 40,000 jobs, add £2 billion a year to the value of the economy and make available 1.3m sq meters of floor space over the lifetime of the EZ, but ultimately we will deliver our ambition of becoming a truly world-class city region.”

The spokesperson for the outsource sales company said, “In a tough economic climate these are ambitious goals but Birmingham is an ambitious city. We have repeatedly impressed investors and clients and for that reason they trust the businesses in this city to perform. Our industry of outsource sales is thriving, no more so than at Praetorian Outsource Marketing. We’re confident that this EZ is going to be a great success and that business in Birmingham will continue to boom.”

Praetorian Outsource Marketing Looks at Employment Figures

The latest figures show that employment has risen in the last quarter. Praetorian Outsource Marketing takes a look at whether the improvement is likely to be long-term.

Praetorian Outsource Marketing, a direct marketing and sales company in Birmingham, has frequently covered the ups and downs of the job market. Consequently they were initially pleased to see that figures released by the Office of National Statistics showed that the number of people in work in the UK had risen by 201,000 in the three months to June. A spokesperson for the direct marketing company said, “These figures on the surface look very encouraging however when you also take into consideration that in the same period our national output shrunk by 0.7% it suggests a deeper problem.”

The unemployment rate fell to 8.0% in the period, a 0.2% decrease from the previous quarter. The number of people claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance also fell by 5,900 to 1.59 million in July. Analysts have suggested that the overall figures have been distorted by the Olympics. Shadow work and pensions secretary Liam Byrne said, “It looks like about 90% of the fall in unemployment has been in London where there has obviously been a boost from the Olympics. In about half of Britain’s regions you’ve got unemployment going up.”

The Praetorian Outsource Marketing spokesperson continued, “Whilst the Olympics has been fantastic for morale and for some businesses, the reality is that they were temporary jobs and we’re pretty certain that we’re going to see a rise in unemployment next quarter as a result.” The Trade Union Council has warned that the job outlook for young people is the worst it has looked since 1994. Their general secretary Brendan Barber said “Students looking to start their careers or continue in their education next month are facing the toughest climate for nearly 20 years.”

What does Praetorian Outsource Marketing think this means for graduates entering the job market? “We believe that graduates face a very tough time ahead and are going to have to be persistent and diligent to find careers that suit them. Experience counts for everything and the more work experience they can get in their chosen field the more chance they’re going to have of success.”

Praetorian Outsource Marketing On How Students Must Adapt to the Working World

As thousands of school leaders and graduates embark on their job search, Praetorian Outsource Marketing looks at the differences between education and the working world.

They say that your school and university years are the best of your life, an opportunity to spend time with your friends and prepare yourself for life ahead. There is a heavy focus in schools, colleges and universities to prepare young people for future careers. Praetorian Outsource Marketing has compiled a list of things that they don’t teach students, but which are incredibly important.

Schools and universities are hierarchical. Teachers ‘rank’ above students, and masters students over undergrads. Because of this many students believe that if they’re leaders they’re the ‘boss’ and if they’re not the boss then they have to do what they’re told. Praetorian Outsource Marketing is keen to point out that in working environments this simply isn’t the case. "Your standing in an organisation is based on how hard you work and what kind of impact you make. It doesn’t matter whether you’re 18 and you’ve been there for 6 months of you’re 60 and been there for 30 years. Even the most senior people in organizations can’t rely wholly on hierarchy. If they did then talented people would get stuck at the bottom and companies wouldn’t grow."

Schools and universities deal in certainties and finites. ‘If you learn this information you’ll get the question correct. If you answer the question in this style and put in the key facts, then you’ll get a high mark.” Unfortunately there often isn’t a right or wrong answer. “At Praetorian Outsource Marketing we deal with direct sales and marketing. Whilst completing a sale is an easily measurable entity, the way in which someone goes about it can vary hugely. There is no right or wrong way, simply different ways, which need to be adapted to the customer or campaign that we’re working with or on.”

As a student your sole focus is on you, improving your grades and bettering your CV so that you have a greater chance of getting a job. “At Praetorian Outsource Marketing we believe that the best leaders are ones that can manage their own career paths as well as helping others. People gain respect by showing that they can think beyond themselves for a bigger goal or wider cause. Those who focus solely on themselves will only get so far. There has to be a much bigger picture to really succeed.”

Praetorian Outsource Marketing is a direct marketing and outsource sales company based in Birmingham with offices in Southampton. For more information on our services please visit http://www.praetorianmarketing.co.uk

Praetorian Outsource Marketing Unsurprised Birmingham one of the Best Places to Invest

Praetorian Outsource Marketing was delighted to learn that Birmingham is now one of the most attractive places in the country for foreign investment.

The outsource sales and direct marketing company has always known that Birmingham was one of the best places for business in the UK, however, they thought  they were a little biased.  Now they have the statistics to back it up! The figures released yesterday by the Marketing Birmingham Regional Observatory showed that the number of foreign investment projects in the UK fell by 2% last year. However, in comparison in Birmingham there was a 37% increase with 26 new projects in the city. The result of this was far reaching, it has created more than 5,700 jobs and safeguarded a further 5,000 jobs across the West Midlands region.

What does Praetorian Outsource Marketing think the reason for this is? A representative for the company said, “Birmingham has consistently been an attractive place for foreign investment over the years. We are famous for our manufacturing industry and indeed the figures show that 70% of all investment is going into this sector. In general there is a very proactive, can do attitude to business in the region. As a community we don’t rest on our laurels and wait for contracts to come to us, we go out there do a fantastic job and our reputation and hard work brings us clients. We believe this attitude is what has seen Praetorian Outsource Marketing grow so consistently over the last few years.”

Wouter Schuitmaker, from Business Birmingham, praise local industry for “creating an environment for growth” and said that the levels of international investment in the region were a “considerable achievement.” Big projects in the region which have seen investment included £1.3m at MG Motor Longbridge factory and more projects at Jaguar Land Rover.

The representative from Praetorian Outsource Marketing continued, “With our reputation as a strong place for international companies to invest we’re confident that this is only going to serve Birmingham further in the future. We already have the reputation as the UK’s second city and that accolade is only going to strengthen in the coming years as we draw in more and more investment. At Praetorian Outsource Marketing we will continue to work hard for our clients, we know our colleagues around the city will do the same.”

Praetorian Outsource Marketing Pleased Business Confidence Increased

Praetorian Outsource Marketing was pleased to learn that business confidence in the West Midlands has steadily increased since the beginning of 2012.

As a direct sales and outsource marketing company Praetorian Outsource Marketing has been riding high this year. So they were delighted to learn that their business partners around the West Midlands are sharing the optimism that they feel. The report released by Lloyds TSB Commercial called Business in Britain, showed that business confidence around the country has improved since January 2012 and no more so than in the West Midlands.

The overall business confidence balance in the West Midlands is 20 which is a 12 point increase from January when it was down at 8. The managing director for Praetorian Outsource Marketing is unsurprised by the confidence. “You only have to look around Birmingham and see small and medium sized businesses managing to stave off the recession. Our own field of outsource sales and marketing has been booming as companies have been looking to cut their costs and outsource to a specialised sales team like us. It’s been a trying time but I think that the fact that so many have ridden out the problems is testament to the support, forwards planning and hard work of so many businesses in this region.”

Of course there is still more to be done, “There are still some worrying trends” he continued. “Companies are still keeping major investment on hold and the report suggests that the long-term effect of this is that we will lose out to global competitors.” Praetorian Outsource Marketing understands from the report that 46% of businesses state that their investment will stay the same, 21 % intend to increase and 16% feel that they will need to cut investment before the year end.

John Robson who is the director for Lloyds TSB Commercial in the Midlands and North is more positive about the findings. He said, “It is encouraging, after a tough first half, to see that SMEs are exhibiting a lift in confidence and that they expect to see improved sales and orders over the next six months. Businesses have proved resilient in a tough economic climate and this is exactly what is required to see the UK economy grow.”

With confidence on the increase Praetorian Outsource Marketing is certain that the West Midlands and Birmingham in particular will continue to be a hotspot of business development and primary and secondary homes for major companies from both the UK and abroad. Exciting times are ahead. 

Praetorian Outsource Marketing Pleased as UK Jobless Rate Falls

Praetorian Outsource Marketing was thrilled to learn that the UK jobless rate has fallen to a nine month low.

In the quarter through May the UK unemployment rate has fallen by 65,000 to 2.58 million according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Praetorian Outsource Marketing has been reporting on the wavering jobs market for some months and believe that while this is encouraging there are still some underlying problems.

The ONS figures show that that the number of people in employment is now 29.35 million, a rise of almost 181,000. Economists believe that the holding of the Olympic Games is currently providing a boost in employment but warn that this could be temporary and there could be relapses within a year. The north east of England still has the highest unemployment rates at 10.9%. Praetorian Outsource Marketing, a Birmingham-based outsource sales company, was pleased to see that the West Midlands was faring better even than London with figures at around 8.6%. The South West of England once again seems to be holding out against unemployment best with only 5.9% of people out of work.

Praetorian Outsource Marketing has been discussing the plight of graduates and young people in the job market for some time and were pleased to see that unemployment among 16-24 year olds fell by 10,000 to 1.02 million. The managing director of Praetorian Outsource Marketing said, “This is really very encouraging. We hope that as people graduate and look for jobs over the next quarter that this improvement can be sustained. There is still a lot more work to do but we’re pleased to see things moving in the right direction for young people.”

Also incredibly interesting to Praetorian Outsource Marketing were the figures that showed that the number of self-employed people had risen by 32,000 accounting for nearly half of the jobs created during the period. “We’ve often spoken about how people have been taking matters into their own hands and starting their own small businesses to fight back against unemployment. These figures are fantastic news, being self-employed is a great way to take control of your own career and is incredibly rewarding. We’re pleased to see people being so resourceful."

Employment Minister, Chris Graying feels that there is still work to do and that unemployment figures were “still much too high.” He did continue however, “But, I’m at least encouraged, in what are difficult times economically that we’re seeing improvements, across the board.” Praetorian Outsource Marketing hopes that this pragmatic approach will mean that the government and private sector continue to work hard to make long-lasting improvements to help people into work. A spokesperson for the company said, “Business in our sector is still booming as companies continue to outsource their sales to specialist teams like ours. This continues to be a very confident and fast-moving industry that we’re fortunate to play such a prominent role in.”

Praetorian Outsource Marketing Unsurprised at University Application Fall.

Praetorian Outsource Marketing has learnt that applications to universities have fallen by 7.7%.

Praetorian Outsource Marketing has frequently reported on the difficulties faced by graduates entering the job market. It now seems that going to university at all is becoming increasingly difficult as tuition fee rises have made going to university an unobtainable dream for some. The Universities and College Admissions Service (UCAS) says that the total number of applicants to all British universities has fallen by 7.7% with a 10% drop in the number of English applicants.

UCAS believe that about 15,000 English 18 year olds who might have previously applied for universities have not done so this year.  Universities hardest hit include Sheffield Hallam, Manchester Metropolitan and Leeds Metropolitan universities. The University of Derby saw applications figures fall by 25.4% and the University of Surrey say a fall of over 20%.

A representative from Praetorian Outsource Marketing said, “The government’s argument that anyone who wants to go to university will be still be able to is just not true. Yes of course people can access student loans that will cover their fees but this is just a quick fix. The reality is that most students will be left with at least £30,000 in debts from tuition alone and this figure is not something that young people want to be facing when they enter a tough job market.”

With graduates finding it harder and harder to find jobs when they do complete their degrees, many feel disillusioned. With experience now the biggest requirement for many employers many young people are wondering whether they would be better off entering the jobs market after school and getting the experience they need whilst they are earning as well.

Despite their disappointment in the figures Praetorian Outsource Marketing believe that some good may come out the fee rises. “There is a case to be argued that the fee-increases will put off people who are not entirely committed to going to university. The purpose of university is not simply to have a great time but to also gain academic, employment and social skills that will help you in later life. Unless people are 100% sure that a university pathway is right for them they should look at the wealth of other viable options available to them. Apprenticeships, internships and entry-level jobs are all fantastic ways to learn the skills to have a great career and people should give serious consideration as to whether university is worth the investment.”

Praetorian Outsource Marketing is a outsource sales and direct marketing company based in Birmingham and Southampton. They offer world-class, cost-effective sales solutions to companies in a wide-range of industries. To find out more please visit: http://www.praetorianmarketing.co.uk