Bringing Aycliffe Business Park Together | 05
The Work Place…
Four years on
Crowdfunding
to explode
Since opening in September 2008, The Work
Place at Newton Aycliffe has proved popular
with both the business and education sectors,
providing conference facilities and learning
opportunities.
“In partnership with the SORA Group, we’ve
established a base at The Work Place which
houses two assembly line facilities for people
to train, learn and gain that valuable experience
required by industry.
”
They have welcomed more than 4,000 students
to the building over the past four years and
have been engaged in a variety of activities
including health and social care and design
and manufacturing.
The Work Place’s newest partner, Darlington
College, are attracting young people onto their
courses in Catering and Childcare.
The Work Place has changed its focus in the last
12 months, and in 2011 welcomed Hartlepool
College of FE who are working with Newton
Aycliffe companies Husqvarna and Tallents to
provide pre-employment training.
Skills Centre Manager Tracey said:
“It is a great opportunity for
many young people to get back
into education and realise what
they can achieve.
”
Paul Marshall from the College said: “Last year
Hartlepool College of Further Education trained
over 300 customers, most of whom were
signposted into direct employment.
The Work Place is also a provider of high quality
training courses to industry and individuals
in First Aid, Health & Safety and Food Safety,
while there are also Conference facilities
available.
“The customers came from Job Centre Plus
and Work Programme providers. Clients gained
a Level 2 certificate in ‘Preparation for working
in the manufacturing and engineering industry’.
To make an enquiry, call 01325 375900
or email [email protected]
www.twpa.org.uk
With Craig Peterson
At the start of 2012 there were an
estimated 4.8 million businesses in the
UK. Within this population, 99.2% (almost
all) were small businesses. No wonder,
then, that they are viewed as being the
‘lifeblood’ of our economy and the key
to socio-economic recovery.
This business population is also proving
to be highly-adaptive and innovative when
it comes to entrepreneurial finance,
and many are embracing the new
opportunities created by online platforms
and social media in relation to business
funding. This, coupled with a sociallymotivated, social media savvy public, is
creating what can only be described as a
‘boom’ in the Crowdfunding community.
Whether you are a service provider, social
entrepreneur, angel investor, venture
capitalist, or one of the millions of people
ready to become a small-scale start-up
financier, a new dawn approaches.
With estimates for annual Crowdfunding
transactions reaching levels in excess of
£300 billion for 2013, on the back of £1b
and £2b for 2011 and 2012 respectively,
I believe Crowdfunding will completely
change the landscape for start-up and
growth financing and the importance
that SMEs will play in this cannot be
underestimated.
Not having sufficient funds in place is a
key factor in business failure rates and
Crowdfunding can make a significant
contribution to enhanced survival or
growth potential.
GrowthFunders is a locally-based,
online Crowdfunding platform that
makes investing in start-ups and growth
businesses simple and rewarding.
Via our online platform, it introduces
investors and entrepreneurs to create
mutually beneficial, tax-efficient
opportunities while also enabling
investors to spread or limit risk.
There are a multitude of benefits with
‘the power of the crowd’.
Craig Peterson
Carlton & Co. Director and
GrowthFunders co-founder
www.carltonandco.com