CHAMBER NEWS
Discovery College celebrates win at charity awards
An innovative Plymouth education project which delivers a range of vocational training courses was named cream of the crop at the leading youth charity’s award ceremony in London on 8 November. Discovery College, run by local charity YMCA Plymouth,
based in Honicknowle, won the prestigious title of Training and Education Project of the Year at the Youth Matters 2019 awards ceremony. The awards were held in London and hosted by acclaimed broadcaster and TV presenter Nihal Arthanayake. Now in its tenth year, Discovery College has established itself
‘The college triumphed over strong competition’
as a successful and innovative post-16 college. Growing from a small project of two courses, the college now delivers several vocational training courses and three employability programmes for 16-19s each year. The college also supports more than 50 local families through a range of services delivered by its students each week at the YMCA. The college triumphed over strong competition from other projects
across England and Wales during shortlisting, a public vote and a final decision by judges. It was praised for its overall success, with students achieving their best ever exam results and engaging with their local community, as well as leading and supporting services at YMCA Plymouth. Tom Lavis, Director of Education at YMCA Plymouth said: “We are
overjoyed to have won such a significant award. For a small college like us to get recognition like this and win on a national platform is a massive testament to the hard work of our team.” Also attending the awards was Plymouth volunteer and ex-Discovery
College student, Emma Taylor. Volunteering for YMCAs ‘Stay & Play’ childcare service, as well as their disability sports club for over three years, Emma was one of three finalists and runner-up in her category of Young Volunteer of the Year.
Discovery College Wins Training and Education Project of the Year Stacey Ferris, Centre Manager at YMCA Plymouth said: “We are very
proud of Emma who is an outstanding volunteer that dedicates herself to helping many people at the YMCA each week. “She is a great example of the work Discovery College does supporting
young people in Plymouth.” Visit:
www.discoverycollege.co.uk
Inspiring a brighter future for businesses
SMEs in Devon that want to scale up will now have the perfect opportunity to do so after a leading business support specialist launched into the county. Inspire have been selected by
the Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership to pilot a scale up programme for fast growing SMEs across Devon - and almost 150 business owners descended on Deer Park Country House, Honiton to hear how they can help. Inspire is designed to break
down barriers to growth, share best practice and provide one-to-one bespoke support, advice and networking opportunities with like- minded companies. The service also includes access
to the Goldman Sachs 10,000 small business programme, which provides 100 hours of fully-funded support to growing businesses. And, having provided support for
high-growth businesses in Wiltshire, Bristol, Bath and Somerset, they have now joined forces with Devon & Plymouth Chamber to deliver this support across Devon.
16 Chamber Profile Winter 2019
Inspire’s CEO Rob Perks (left) with Stuart Elford, Chief Executive of Devon and Plymouth Chamber at the Devon launch event in Honiton
For both the Chamber and the
Heart of the South West LEP, having such support available will be a huge boost for SMEs in Devon. Stuart Elford, Chief Executive of
Devon and Plymouth Chamber, said: “We are pleased and proud to
be partnering with Inspire. I spoke to other Chambers and they couldn’t recommend them highly enough. Inspire boasts a 70% average growth rate for clients and I am excited to be able to offer this ambitious service to our members.”
David Ralph, Chief Executive of
Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “Raising productivity and prosperity are key aims of the LEP and Devon is an innovative and exciting place to work. “Our Growth Hub provides
support at every stage of a business’s journey, but it hasn’t been where we’d have liked it to be when it comes to scale ups. “That’s why I’m delighted to be
linking up with Inspire to help bridge that gap. I’ve already seen the quality of work they have done in Somerset and I have no hesitation in recommending them to businesses in Devon who want to scale up.” Rob Perks, Inspire’s CEO, said: “It
was great to attract so many like- minded businesspeople to our launch event and let them know about the resources that are available. There is so much information out there that sifting through it to find what’s right for your business is impossible – we’re here to do that for you.”
Visit:
www.inspirebiz.co.uk Youth Matters 2019 Awards Ceremony
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