Chamber’s new head office pledge

HAMPSHIRE Chamber of Commerce has opened its new head office with a pledge to help solve the skills issues regional employers face every day.

Business leaders, the Chamber management team and member representatives attended the launch in the Fareham College business centre, the new home of the independent membership organisation and ‘voice of business’.

Declaring the office open, HampshireChamberChiefExecutive and Executive Chairman, Ross McNally, said: ‘This is all about championing growth for our members and strengthening the essential links they rely on between the worlds of business and education.

‘By moving to this fantastic new business centre, we put ourselves at the heart of the facilities and solutions that will beinvolvedinsolvingtheskills gaps Hampshire businesses grapplewithdayin,dayout.We are right here at the junction of business and skills growth.’

The business centre is on the college’s 22-acre Bishopsfield Road campus in Fareham and is part of the wider ‘skillslabs’ project being delivered under the government’s SkillsAcceleratorprogramme.

The idea of skillslabs is that business centres act as interactive hubs providing regional employers with access to the training they require.

Hampshire Chamber has also dedicated part of its new office as a coworking space for Chamber members to use.

Branded ChamberSpace, options include hot-desking, boothsformeetings,andboard room facilities, with highspeed connectivity, a smart screen TV for presentations, and free on-site parking.