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As we reflect over the past year, I am proud to highlight the significant strides we have made at Hertfordshire Futures. This month we have welcomed five new board members, bolstering our corporate expertise. Our Generation careers events continue to go from strength to strength. I was privileged to attend and open the 23rd and 24th Generation events in Hertford and Bishop’s Stortford which attracted thousands of students and a wide range of employers. This demonstrates the value of connecting young people with prospective employers in their local areas and we welcome the continued support from district partners.
On a personal note, it’s been a hugely busy end to the year with Hertfordshire Futures alongside the University of Hertfordshire joining Space East; meetings with MPs and community leaders and celebrating our business flagship programme Hertfordshire Growth Hub’s decade of delivery.
Over the past six months we have engaged in pivotal discussions to help develop a new Economic Strategy that is representative of your views. An upcoming report summarises this engagement and will be shared in due course. When we come back after the festive break, we will be running a series of online seminars to take a deeper dive into the key emerging themes. The first one will look at the dramatic rise in economic inactivity linked to ill health. Please do join us for ‘Get Hertfordshire Working’ on 29 January, 09.30-10.30 and take part in this series of important debates that will help shape Hertfordshire’s future.
I extend my heartfelt thanks to the Board and Team for their unwavering dedication and hard work. Your contributions have been instrumental in driving our mission forward and fostering economic growth and sustainability in Hertfordshire. Together, we have created a strong foundation for continued success in the coming year working in partnership with our fantastic businesses, places and residents.
Happy Christmas,
Adrian Hawkins OBE
Chair, Hertfordshire Futures
2024 Highlights
Business and Enterprise
Hertfordshire Growth Hub gears up for 10th anniversary
Celebrating at the sold-out ‘All the Help you can Get’ business support show, the Growth Hub's flagship event featured a conference, a business exhibition with 17 exhibitors, and 6 mini-workshops, showcasing the support available in Hertfordshire. Over a decade, the Growth Hub has supported 14,000+ businesses and created 1,750 jobs, despite challenges like Brexit, wars in Europe, and a global pandemic.
Celebrating creating growth
The Create Growth Programme has been a beacon of opportunity for many aspiring entrepreneurs and creatives in Hertfordshire. Over the course of the programme this year, participants have received tailored mentorship, access to industry experts, and invaluable networking opportunities.
Empowering entrepreneurs
The Get Enterprising programme is designed to give ambitious Hertfordshire businesses the tools they need to succeed.
This year, we celebrate:
- 7,868 hours of support delivered
- 1,949 clients supported
- 286 new businesses created
- 398 jobs created
- 116 social enterprises supported
Skills
Enhancing skills and opportunities in Watford
This initiative aims to provide a targeted skills advisory service to hard-to-reach SMEs in Watford, helping them connect with education and training opportunities to boost business productivity and growth.
Achievements to date:
- 25 unique businesses have been supported
- 136 potential learners have been referred to skills programmes
- 14 local residents have gained qualifications
Strong community and business ties
This year, Hertfordshire Futures has successfully hosted eight ‘Generation Events,’ creating a significant impact on the local community and businesses.
The last of these events for this calendar year was Bishop's Stortford.
Pioneering skills development
With the support of the Department for Education (DfE), Hertfordshire Futures secured Skills Bootcamp funding for 2023-2024, focusing on accelerating solutions to bridge critical skills gaps in key growth sectors.
Skills Bootcamps offer a unique, accessible, and barrier-free route to skills training, empowering adults from diverse backgrounds to enhance their career prospects with sector-specific skills.
Green skills
Hertfordshire, like the rest of the UK, faces two big problems, rising energy prices and the urgent need to reduce carbon emissions if it is to reach net-zero by 2050.
Homeowners are increasingly worried about higher bills. The scale of this problem locally is huge. In a recent report, Hertfordshire Retrofit Skills Plan identified that 500,000 homes require more work to make them more energy efficient by 2050. This work is called retrofit – bringing our draughty, old houses up to new energy efficient standards by installing better insulation, glazing, smart heating controls and modern, low-carbon heating technologies.
Sectors and Investment
Year of innovation
Amidst a year filled with significant challenges, the Hertfordshire Film Office (HFO) has emerged as a symbol of resilience and innovation.
Despite the disruptions caused by the writers’ and actors’ strikes, HFO showcased a strong recovery, underscoring its unwavering commitment to the local film industry and economic growth.
Opening doors to careers in Film & TV
The HOP into Film and TV programme is designed to showcase career pathways and raise awareness of employment opportunities within the film and TV sector, which is often challenging to enter due to its freelance nature.
The Discover! Creative Careers Roadshow in November 2024 was a standout event, attracting 1,300 students who engaged with industry experts and skills providers in areas such as screenwriting, production, set design, rigging, specialist electrics, hair and beauty, and more.
Shaping the future
Hertfordshire Innovation Quarter (Herts IQ) is at the heart of transformative growth in Hemel Hempstead, driven by strategic local plans and key developments.
The recently submitted draft Local Plans by Dacorum and St Albans aim to shape long-term planning strategies, guiding housing, employment growth, commercial development, and infrastructure needs up to 2041.
Pioneering strategic growth
Invest Hertfordshire has emerged as a strategic powerhouse, making significant strides in promoting Hertfordshire as a prime investment destination.
The launch of Invest Hertfordshire at UKREiiF 2024 was a resounding success. The event saw the introduction of a new service and website, which have been pivotal in creating a unified countywide brand.
Economic Update
Business Intelligence
Key points:
- Unemployment falls to 2.2%
- Employment rate rises to 79.8% in June 2024
- Strong growth in larger employing businesses in 8 of Hertfordshire’s 10 districts
- High growth business density in Stevenage and Hertsmere outperforms the UK average
News and events
Get Hertfordshire Working
Join us for the first in a series of online seminars as our panels of local and national experts debate some of the biggest questions facing our county – from the impact of ill health on employment to attracting more green investment and bridging the digital divide.
29 Jan 2025
0930-1030 online
New UK Screen Investment Programme to springboard growth
The UK Screen Investment Programme – a new national initiative to attract the next wave of capital investment into the UK’s flourishing film and TV sectors - has just been launched in partnership with Hertfordshire Futures.
The programme will profile the UK as a pivotal hub of film and TV production – historically significant and globally leading – building on the industry’s success in the last decade.
Hertfordshire is a top destination
Hertfordshire has firmly established itself as a premier choice for overnight stays, with recent tourism statistics highlighting a significant post-pandemic rebound.
Findings reveal that overnight visitors contributed £560 million to Hertfordshire’s economy in 2023, marking a 16% increase from 2022 and an impressive 12% rise compared to 2019.
Space East cluster expands
Hertfordshire Futures and the University of Hertfordshire join Space East to help further strengthen the region’s credentials in the global space sector.
Space East is the UK’s newest space cluster and brings together leaders from across industry, research and Government in the East of England to develop and champion exciting new opportunities in space technology and unlock the potential for further commercial development.
