SWLEP
The Growth Hub : Reborn for regrowth
The Swindon & Wiltshire Local Enterprise Partnership ’ s ( SWLEP ) Growth Hub team has expanded to help deliver exciting projects providing modern , consultative support for Swindon and Wiltshire ’ s business community .
The Growth Hub has evolved , from being predominantly a website resource for businesses , to being a dynamic hub of enthusiastic business advisors and specialists offering one-to-one support sessions .
Growth Hub Manager , Chris Stevens , said ,“ Our Business Navigators have a broad business background and are able to give advice on a variety of areas essential to businesses . Following on from the tremendous efforts helping the region to cope with the first lockdown , where we assisted more than 1,000 businesses , we continue to give advice on key areas . These include funding , marketing , skills and all things digital in addition to the available support programmes open to businesses in our area .”
The exciting new Peer to Peer networking sessions will provide the opportunity for a diverse cohort of individuals to collaboratively work through common business issues with the help of professional facilitators . One of the aims of these new communities is to look at improving the UK ’ s productivity gap whilst also enabling growth and success for businesses .
An ongoing programme of interactive webinars : This Way Up : Leadership , Finance and Digital , is another new initiative started by the relaunched Growth Hub . Covering wideranging sub-topics under the main headings , they are providing much needed assistance and guidance for business owners and senior managers .
Chris Stevens believes that the newly invigorated Growth Hub can help businesses now more than ever during the ongoing economic emergency .
He added , “ I am extremely proud of the personalised and bespoke approach that is given to our clients by our Business Navigators and Skills Advisors . Quality advice , provided free of charge , is a rare find , and I would recommend all Swindon and Wiltshire businesses to make use of this fantastic resource .”
THE GROWTH HUB TEAM Creating a dynamic , diverse and knowledgeable Growth Hub team was an exciting opportunity for Claire Alexander , Director of Programmes .
Following the appointment of Chris Stevens as Growth Hub Manager at the beginning of 2020 , the team had no idea that the need for Business Navigators would be essential to so many businesses in such a short period of time .
Recruiting during Lockdown and a pandemic meant that the Growth Hub had to swiftly implement new and innovative recruitment plans . As with many other businesses in the region , Teams interviews and online assessments became the norm ; HR formalities were all completed virtually and all new starters worked from home from day one .
Many of the team have not actually met each other face-to-face , and yet have already built strong working relationships . The daily ‘ morning cuppa ’ meetings occur on a Teams call instead of in the office kitchen or around the water cooler .
The team has a myriad of business specialisms , backgrounds and experience drawn from finance , digital , HR , marketing , business development and coaching to name but a few .
One core message from the team is the importance of working with , and for , the local business community . The Growth Hub is helping to lay foundations for Swindon and
Wiltshire ’ s future and the team is keen to make a positive impact by sharing the support , knowledge and help available to SMEs . The ultimate aim is to help businesses survive and thrive , enabling our region to continue to grow and develop .
Wiltshire is a vibrant place for a diverse range of businesses . It is a centre for tourism . It has manufacturing , digital , retail , specialist , technical and scientific businesses . The MOD is a significant employer . It has niche and mass market businesses , all utilising skilled and unskilled workforces .
With such diversity , it is imperative that the Growth Hub has a team that can support the nuances and differences of each business , helping to develop the similarities and connecting owners and managers to expand their corporate networks .
The Growth Hub team understands the challenges faced by business owners and prides itself on being approachable , friendly and knowledgeable .
Tim Burghes , Digital Marketing Manager , said , “ Our team is amazing , kind , fun and hardworking as only a dedicated small team can be . Many of the staff are an inspiration . It always amazes me how many outputs we have and our reach and influence .”
WHAT IS THE GROWTH HUB ’ S LINK TO THE LOCAL INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY ?
The Growth Hub is a programme run by the Swindon & Wiltshire Local Enterprise Partnership ( SWLEP ) and a key driver towards the SWLEP achieving the priorities of its Local Industrial Strategy and improving the business environment across Swindon and Wiltshire .
Currently home to over 722,000 people with an economy worth £ 21.4 billion ( as at 2018 ), the SWLEP wants to ensure that our businesses are productive and our communities benefit from inclusive and sustainable growth , making the Swindon and Wiltshire area world-renowned for its convergence of innovation , entrepreneurialism and great quality of life . The SWLEP recently obtained £ 9.7m from the Getting Building Fund which will be spent on priority projects from our Local Industrial Strategy - the Swindon and Wiltshire Business Cyber Centre in Corsham and Chippenham , the second phase of the Porton Science Park and the regeneration of the Carriage Works in Swindon .
The SWLEP is also a partner in the Western Gateway , a cross-border super-region covering Swindon and Wiltshire , Gloucestershire , the West of England and cities and regions in South Wales . All partners in the Western Gateway work together to strengthen and better the economy , environment and infrastructure for their communities .
The SWLEP also works with The Marches , Worcestershire and GFirst LEPs to develop the ever-growing ‘ Cyber Valley ’. Working with LEPs along the M4 corridor from London to Bristol the aim is to create demonstrator projects for new energy vehicles ( electric and hydrogen ) and also to promote the potential Tourism Zone along the length of The Great West Way , the slow route from London to Bristol .
To date the Growth Hub focus has been on expanding our start-up and scale-up support and improving the overall competitiveness of our small and medium sized businesses ( SMEs ). Through our Local Industrial Strategy , it now looks to build on these successes by improving the productivity of our low-output sectors , increasing the proportion of innovation-active businesses and encouraging technological diffusion . Supporting our
Register as a Growth Hub member for free . Sign-up by visiting : www . growthhub . swlep . co . uk
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