The Business Exchange Swindon & Wiltshire Edition 33: Oct/Nov 2017 | Page 7

BUSINESS NEWS Putting Swindon on the map The Swindon and Wiltshire Local Enterprise Partnership (SWLEP) has published its fi rst annual report, outlining its vision for Swindon to be world-renowned for entrepreneurialism by 2026. Paddy Bradley, director of SWLEP, told us more. How does SWLEP decide which areas need investment? consistent demand for written and verbal communication skills. Digital skills are also in high demand. We carry out a thorough economic assessment of the Swindon and Wiltshire area, identifying trends in growth or decline within business sectors, population, skills and analysing the prospects for growth in our area and how the productivity of our businesses compares with other areas. From that analysis of the evidence, we identify our priorities. The report claims improving skills is a ‘priority’ - which skills are most in demand? In terms of qualifi cations, the greatest demand over the next few years will be for jobs requiring a Level 4 (Higher National Diploma) and above. In particular, there is a great demand for degree and higher level qualifi cations. In terms of skills, there is a How will SWLEP address the skills gap? The Higher Futures programme was established by the SWLEP as a response to the skills gap we had identifi ed. It works with businesses to match the needs of business to higher education training providers in order to run degree-level training courses for current employees. The report mentions £22.03M investment in wiltshire college - what will the money be spent on? campus, the plan is to build a new Construction, Life Sciences and Engineering Centre as well as a new higher education centre. How will Swindon benefi t from SWLEP? Many local businesses including Dyson, Excalibur and Serco Employment are already actively involved with SWLEP. We need the private sector to provide the business drive and the public sector to create the environment which supports economic growth. Ultimately, residents profi t from employment opportunities and businesses have a good environment in which to grow and create wealth for the area. The plans for the Lackham campus aim to boost the rural economy with a new Agricultural Technology Centre and a higher education centre. At the Salisbury @SWLEP For more info: www.swlep.co.uk THE CLOCK IS TICKING FOR FREE SME GROWTH SUPPORT Oxford Innovation is reminding Swindon & Wiltshire SMEs that time is of the essence for anyone looking to take advantage of the Governments 12-hours of free business growth funding. The SME Growth Project is aligned with the Government’s agenda to encourage small businesses to thrive and prosper. Oxford Innovation is one of the key delivery partners for the project. They are working across the country and is one of the UK’s leading business support companies. To date they have helped over 5,000 businesses grow and develop, opening doors to over £100m of external funding to support their plans. Leading the project in Swindon and Wiltshire is Theda Gray. Theda is a business coach and strategist based in Bradford on Avon. Theda started her career in two family run businesses and truly understands the challenges owner-run and managed businesses face. She is also a qualifi ed chartered management accountant and looks at a business holisti cally, from strategy to software, systems and fi nancial foundations. When delivering the free support, Theda travels to a client’s place of work or often to one of Swindon & Wiltshire’s TEN Centres in Trowbridge, Royal Wootton Bassett, Ludgershall or Salisbury. The 12 hours are split into manageable sessions of two to four hour meetings. Theda begins her client sessions by looking at where a company is, where they want to go and what they would like to get out of the sessions. She then plans her time with you around what your biggest needs are, whether it’s helping you understand your fi gures better, assisting you with how to access funding for growth or creating a long-term plan aligned with goals to drive you towards success. The idea is to provide you with practical advice that quickly makes a difference to you as an individual and to the company as a whole. Unique to Oxford Innovation is their highly acclaimed GrowthMapper business diagnostic tool. The 100 question online questionnaire maps business and employer cohesion across key areas of the business. This includes sales and marketing, strategy, leadership, operations and innovation. A local business owner said: “The GrowthMapper is a fantastic tool for ensuring you’re on the same page as your employees. It helped me understand where my leadership needed improving and ensured we had a clear aligned strategy moving forwards.” Crowdfunding expert Anthony de Souza added: “Theda and the Oxford Innovation team were most professional and competent in supporting me and my business. The GrowthMapper vision session and establishing KPIs proved extremely useful. Help with structure and cashfl ow forecast was invaluable.” Once your 12 hour sessions have come to an end, Oxford Innovation can work with you to apply for match funding to achieve your future growth aspirations. Grant funding is available from £2,000 - £10,000. To fi nd out more about the 12 free hours of funding email Theda Gray: [email protected] or call 01865 261460 For more info: www.oxfordinnovationservices.co.uk @OI_HighGrowth Theda Gray, business coach and strategist Theda started her career in two family run businesses and truly understands the challenges owner-run and managed businesses face. She is also a qualifi ed chartered management accountant and looks at a business holistically, from strategy to software, systems and fi nancial foundations. THE BUSINESS EXCHANGE 2017 7