Business Basics Fund

In a speech to the CBI on the 26th June  Small Business Minister Andrew Griffiths unveiled a new £8m fund to boost the productivity and performance of small businesses in England. Boosting national productivity and increasing workers’ earning power forms a key part of the Government’s modern Industrial Strategy and the Business Basics Fund, run […]

Aston Villa Foundation

Pete Ezard is the Programmes Manager for the Aston Villa Foundation; a charitable trust and new IOEE Academy. The Birmingham-based foundation supports young people through the delivery of learning and employability opportunities and SFEDI-accredited qualifications, using the status of Aston Villa Football Club to attract and inspire pupils. This month we chatted to Pete about […]

Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Framework launched at the Advanced HE Employability Symposium

On Tuesday 15th May an Employability Symposium was hosted at Advance HE in York and provided an opportunity to profile an enterprise and entrepreneurship education framework developed last year by a range partners including IOEE and SFEDI.  The symposium offered a space within which to share experiences and discuss contemporary practice in enterprise education and […]

National Employability Day with Novus

Novus is joining forces with Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) to celebrate National Employability Event on June 29 at a ground-breaking North West Conference. As part of the unique event, we are bringing together employers, prisons and those that support us to highlight how working with ex-offenders can help organisations grow their business […]

The IOEE Academy visits Sicily

IOEE Enterprise Academy Rocketeer have taken their programme to Europe and this month we find out how entrepreneurial students in Sicily have benefited from IOEE accreditation and membership.  Rocketeer have recently completed a ‘European Further Education (FE) Social Enterprise’ project with a Sicilian FE College, Leonardo Da Vinci College in Piazza Armerina in Sicily – http://www.iisdavinciarmerina.gov.it/. as well as […]

Was your business ready for GDPR?

With the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) effective date pinned at 25/05/18, the UK is gearing up for tougher fines and stricter regulations, across all industries. GDPR regulation for small businesses is a hot topic, but are you prepared for the changes? It’s a wide-ranging regulation designed to protect the privacy of individuals in […]

This Months Spotlight is on Karen Brown

Karen Brown has a busy career as both the Office Manager and PA to the Director at Growth Lancashire Limited; a company owned by several Lancashire local authorities to aid business and economic development across the county. Through Boost Business Lancashire’s Growth Hub, Karen has recently completed her Level 7 Diploma in Professional Business and […]

Developing Micro Enterprise Owners and Managers

In recent years one of the central ‘big ideas’ emerging from policy development has been the employer ownership of the skills agenda – i.e. moving from the traditional supply led model to one where power is shifted to employers by devolvement of funding in order for vocational education and training to become demand led.  In […]

A Matter of Mindset: How NatWest Harnesses Entrepreneurial Skills for Growth, Performance and Fantastic Company Culture

Gordon Merrylees is the Managing Director, Entrepreneurship for NatWest. Within his role, Gordon leads the bank’s Entrepreneurship Strategy and Entrepreneurial Development Academy; designed to harness the entrepreneurial potential of businesses and colleagues through its unique academy which is grounded using the principles of having a growth mindset or growth culture. This customer-led Academy has recently been […]