business focus 21 One-stop shop for the region
The Solent Growth Hub was launched at the end of last month to act as a one- stop shop for businesses in the Solent region, by helping them to become more successful and to create jobs and growth in the local economy
The Hub provides advice and guidance on matters relating to business growth, ranging from finding partners or funding through to identifying new opportunities or commissioning business analyses.
It provides face-to-face consultation, a telephone advice service, personalised industry growth audits and matched industry investment funding. It will also provide as much or as little advice as a business may need.
The Solent Growth Hub is being operationally delivered by the Hampshire Chamber of Commerce and the University of Portsmouth. The idea was conceived and driven by a collaboration that includes: University of Portsmouth with Portsmouth and Southampton City Councils, Hampshire Chamber of Commerce, Isle of Wight Council, Hampshire County Council, University of Southampton and Southampton Solent University.
“Companies are crying out to grow and generate new jobs. Often all that’s needed is a new connection or the right piece of information at the right time – the Solent Growth Hub aims to make sure that businesses know where to go for that information when they need to.
The initiative is being funded by £2.6 million from the Regional Growth Fund, which became available when the Solent region obtained City Deal status from the Government earlier this year. City Deal facilitates Portsmouth and Southampton to develop key areas in both cities, and provide jobs, homes and economic growth.
Alistair McDermott, director of innovation services at the University of Portsmouth, said: “We are operating in a global competitive market place and in the UK we are fortunate to live in an entrepreneurial and imaginative work culture.
“UK plc is investing in
industries but many businesses don’t know just how much funding is available from different sources and how many willing partners there are. The Solent Growth Hub aims to solve that problem by helping them navigate a course that brings together all the pieces of the puzzle.”
Later this year the Hub will launch a website portal that will increase its reach to more businesses in the region.
Details:
01329-820898
www.solentgrowthhub.co.uk
Growing skills shortage to compromise manufacturers
The latest annual SME Manufacturing Survey from MHA, the UK-wide group of accountancy and business advisory firms, paints a picture among manufacturers of growing optimism, supported by continuing investment in R&D and capital expenditure and an increase in recruitment, including a 13% rise in the numbers due to take on apprentices. That said a shortage of recruits, at every level, is harming future prospects and has been described by Chris Coopey, head of MHA’s manufacturing group, as “a national scandal“.
He said: “Interestingly, despite nine in every 10 small and medium-sized manufacturers predicting growth in 2014, more than half still feel unable to pass on any increased costs to customers.
“The survey also highlights that 36% of the same businesses are unsure how they will meet the upcoming cost of pension auto-enrolment. Unsurprisingly, given the level of administration involved in auto-enrolment, almost six in 10 also say that ’red-tape’ is getting worse, despite government pledges to reduce regulation.“
Green Theme secures grant funding from MRCF
Marine energy consultancy Green Theme, parent company to North Sea Systems, is one of five companies to have been awarded grant funding from the Marine Renewables Commercialisation Fund (MRCF). The grant will be used to develop and manufacture its subsea cable installation tool, the CableFish.
Green Theme, based in Poole, specialises in finding solutions to the many challenges faced by developers and contractors working to generate energy from the power of the ocean. The team combines an unparalleled level of experience of the marine environment, project- management skills, and detailed engineering knowledge.
Services provided by Green Theme include project and
traditional methods of cable installation are ineffective due to the drag generated by the tidal flow on the suspended cable.
The CableFish is a multi-sensor survey system that provides live images and a GPS position of the touch-down point to operators on the installation vessel. The system is based on a carriage that runs along the cable with an umbilical that powers the instruments and relays the data to the surface.
design management, offshore construction management, risk management, health and safety management and marine surveys.
THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – SOLENT & SOUTH CENTRAL – MAY 2014
The CableFish device (pictured) is designed to enable submarine cable installations in high- tidal-flow environments, where
Dave Rigg, director of Green Theme, is delighted with the grant: “Funding from organisations such as the MRCF is critical to the success of the wave and tidal developments that are happening all around the UK, as they help to reduce the cost and risk of the technology.“
www.businessmag.co.uk
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