• WALLIS Shipping has secured a major deal with a Korean shipbuilding manufacturer. The Colchester-based firm will transport eight large generators, setting sail from Liverpool, to the Far East. The generators will be used to build liquid gas carriers and drill ship, which will be used to transport oil and gas in the region. Wallis Shipping recently carried waste water screens to China for the 2008 Olympics.
  • A RETIREMENT home complex is to create 50 new jobs. Holiday Retirement UK, has opened a new hotel-style residence at Meadow Park, Braintree.
  • RED tape is putting small firms off employing more people, it has been claimed. The Essex branch of the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) said the number of sole traders had increased in the last ten years. A report by the FSB found only one in five employers were confident about employment law and more were put off by regulations, even though small firms were considered good employers.
  • ANGLIAN Water has been recognised for its in-house training and development scheme. Just days earlier, the firm picked up gold in the East of England Environment Index. The latest award for its Licence to Operate scheme, which helps staff along clear career paths and helps them achieve external certificates, was granted at the Utility Industry Achievement Awards.
  • FIRMS may be tightening their belts but they have not shied away from spending on good causes, a survey has found. In East Anglia, only a minority are inviting employees’ partners to their Christmas parties, with fewer inviting clients. But 40 per cent bought Christmas cards suporting charities with 22 opting for e-cards, said the Chartered Management Institute.
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