A partnership aimed at promoting Worcestershire as a place to do business has been highly commended in the ‘Promoting Entrepreneurial Spirit’ category at the fourteenth Enterprising Britain Awards.
World Class Worcestershire – a Place to Do Business! is led by Worcestershire County Council (WCC), supported by Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership, all six districts councils, the Chamber of Commerce, Worcester University and the Growth Hub (WBC). Private enterprises such as QinetiQ and the CEC Company also provide some support.
The World Class Worcestershire banner has encouraged over £700million worth of private sector leverage and a number of large infrastructure projects managed by Worcestershire County Council alongside the Community, Support & Funding ethos created by Worcestershire County Council have created an environment which is ripe for business growth.
In the last two years alone, the support services provided by the Partnership have supported in excess of 7,000 businesses and created over 800 jobs which have increased our GVA by £30,400,000 annually. These are just the jobs counted via ‘formal’ funding and doesn’t include those achieved through expansion and inward investment.
All partners within the collaboration have played their part in the economic success and growth of the County. The partnership also works within Schools, with over 30 enterprise advisers (local business owners) now working with schools, offering their time for free to advise schools on enterprise education and inspiring young people to be entrepreneurial as well as supporting ‘real life’ work experience. This is supported by the Young Enterprise Awards which recognises and supports young people to set up and develop their business, with some amazing product development ideas being brought to market.
Cllr Simon Geraghty, Leader of Worcestershire County Council, said: “Being awarded Highly Commended in the ‘Promoting Entrepreneurial Spirit’ category really reinforces all the work we have been doing to ensure Worcestershire is Open for Business as a County.
“World Class Worcestershire started as a great tag line for our Inward Investment work and has developed to encompass a wider range of work we do as a County to support our economic ecosystem. The partnership we have developed to support our businesses have adopted this approach, and to this end, we have seen a significant increase in our Economic Growth as a County – with Worcestershire now been recognised as one of the fastest growing local economies in the UK. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those involved across the wider partnership who have contributed to this success.”
Small Business Minister Margot James MP, said: “The Enterprising Britain Awards are a fantastic reminder of what can be achieved when we bring together local knowledge and leadership to provide targeted support to entrepreneurs and the innovative businesses they build.”
The Enterprising Britain Awards are part of the Government’s drive to support entrepreneurial activity in the UK. Managed by Investment in Young People on behalf of the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS), the awards celebrate the work of public sector and government-backed organisations that support and encourage entrepreneurialism across the UK.