Small businesses account for
99 per cent of all companies in
the UK and are key drivers of
economic growth, employment
opportunities and innovation.
Because of their size, SMEs are often much
better at identifying and embracing new trends
and, therefore, driving innovation. This allows
SMEs to be pioneers in emerging technologies,
paving the way for bigger investments –
particularly in the Health Technology and Life
Sciences sector.
Because of their adaptability, SMEs arguably have a
better chance of
withstanding difficult
economic conditions
and they are faster at
recovering from crises –
which has been particularly
pertinent over the last seven years.
Such adaptability also brings more balance to the economic
growth of the UK and ensures that local communities
participate in stimulating growth.
In this feature, we’ll look at two examples of our SME members
who have rapidly grown their businesses over the last few
years, whilst also detailing an upcoming project in the area
of skills and training – an area constantly rated as one of the
highest priorities for SMEs.
LOCAL RESPONSE FUND FOR SHEFFIELD CITY REGION
A new fully funded training programme in the Sheffield City
Region which will look to upskill workers in the healthcare
technology sector is set to be delivered by Medilink
Yorkshire & Humber.
Medilink in partnership with the Sheffield City Region Local
Enterprise Partnership (LEP) HealthTech Sector Group, and
Ingeus, a leading provider of employment and training services
– developed the programme with funding from the Local
Response Fund (LRF) from the Skills Funding Agency.
The LRF programme will look to respond to two specific
training needs – UK market access and innovation. These two
training areas have been identified based on sector demand and
the knowledge and experience of the stakeholders involved in
the project bid.
Medilink will deliver a
fully funded training
programme of half
day workshops and
seminars to more than
200 learners from July
2014 until June 2015.
This programme,
which is co-financed
by the European Social
Fund (ESF), will ensure
that companies in the
Healthcare Technology
and Associated Life
Sciences sector across
the Sheffield City
Region have the necessary expertise and knowledge to
implement innovation (product and service) into their
organisations, and then have a clear and structured
approach to market access
around this.
More information about this training
programme will be released in the coming
weeks. If you are based in the Sheffield City
Region and would like to be kept informed,
please send an Expression of Interest email
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