I have been delighted to see more fantastic business news coming out of the county in the past month.
I would like to start by congratulating Titania, Smart Actuator Company, Metrasens and Oakland International who have all received a Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the latest April 2017 announcement. The national announcement also gave special recognition to Oakland International who achieved multiple awards for both innovation and export, a fantastic achievement.
There has also been evidence of success for the wider Worcestershire business community, with the latest QES results highlighting an increase in turnover and number of employees for local companies. This is a great reflection of a thriving local economy and we are seeing improvements to our business infrastructure every day. We are continuing to support a number of local programmes and initiatives to boost local business, for example, the Superfast Worcestershire programme which is now reaching a total of 92% of Worcestershire premises and will continue to grow further.
We know how important our digital infrastructure is in allowing our world class cyber and digital businesses to continue to grow and I am pleased that we will have the opportunity to showcase these companies as part of the US delegation between the 5 – 9 June. We have been working with partners in hosting the return mission from Baltimore and as part of the delegation we will be visiting InfoSec Europe 2017, the largest information security event in Europe. We will also attend an industry event at QinetiQ, where local cyber companies can learn more about potential opportunities with US partners.
There are many more upcoming opportunities to recognise some of Worcestershire’s fantastic businesses. drp, last year’s winners of Worcestershire Apprenticeship Employer of the Year award is encouraging local businesses to enter this year’s Worcestershire Apprenticeship Awards 2017. The upcoming Worcestershire Innovation Wednesday ‘The Makers’ event is showcasing how innovation has created products that are integral in our everyday lives. While some of Worcestershire’s finest businesses will also be recognised as part of the Herefordshire & Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce business awards in June, and I would encourage all local businesses to book their space at the awards.
