News Archives - Page 59 of 68 - North East Local Enterprise Partnership

Businesses in the North East LEP area now have access to specialist hands on support to access the most appropriate types of finance required to fuel their growth.

Local businesses who are seeking to invest in their growth can access free specialist support through the North East Growth Hub to identify, compare and apply for all types of business finance. The service is impartial and objective and helps businesses to quickly, simply and transparently review over 300 business finance providers who collectively offer thousands of products covering every type of business lending from asset finance to growth finance as well as every type of secured and unsecured business financing.

Through this service, the North East Growth Hub, working alongside access to finance specialists Rangewell will help local businesses of all types and sizes to access every type of business lender in the UK including high street banks, challenger banks, specialist and boutique lenders, as well as online and alternative finance providers.

Luke Kovic, Head of Access to Finance for the North East region at Rangewell said: “Rangewell work with all types and sizes of business and we know only too well how often businesses struggle to access finance even though there are many specialist lenders out there who would be willing to provide them with appropriate and sensibly priced finance. Rangewell pride ourselves on offering an independent, in depth and in-person service to help North East businesses access finance in a simple and transparent manner allowing them to focus on doing what they do best – growing their business and supporting the local community”.

Colin Bell, Business Growth Director, North East LEP added: “Accessing finance is essential for many growing businesses, yet with so many options it is difficult for businesses to identify the right solutions for them. The North East Growth Hub now provides impartial and objective support to access over 23,000 financial products which makes it easier for businesses to identify the most competitive products and the Rangewell platform and one-to-one support provided should have a significant impact on the number of businesses successfully accessing finance’’.

Twelve projects have been shortlisted, following a call for projects seeking support from the Local Growth Fund which closed in April.

More than 50 applications were received in total, which were all appraised by the North East LEP Board. The projects which have been selected to progress to the next stage will all go through thorough due diligence before any funding is finalised.

The 12 shortlisted projects are:

• Beacon of Light – World of Work and Education (Foundation of Light)
• Eagles Arena (skills) (Eagles Community Arena Ltd)
• Northern Centre for Emerging Technologies (Gateshead Council)
• East Sleekburn Enterprise Zone site (Arch Group)
• Medicines manufacturing and medical technology innovation infrastructure (CPI)
• Explorer grow on work space – NETPark (Durham County Council)
• Auckland Castle Welcome (Durham County Council)
• Cowpen Road, Blyth (Northumberland County Council)
• Smart @ Pendower Hall (Tier One Capital)
• Durham City Incubator (Durham County Council)
• Phase II, Intersect 19, Tyne Tunnel Trading Estate (North Shields – UK Land Estates)
• Monkton South Business Park (South Tyneside – Hellens Development)

The North East LEP’s Local Growth Fund capital programme forms a key element of the North East Growth Deal negotiated and agreed with Government in July 2014. It is enabling the North East LEP and its partners to take forward ambitious growth measures to achieve the objectives set out in the Strategic Economic Plan (SEP).

Find out more about the Local Growth Fund.

Do you want to increase your international sales online? UKTI’s “Go Digital to Boost Your International Sales” free taster session is full of top tips, case studies and practical examples to help grow your business.

Download further details of the event here: UKTI Digital Marketing Taster Session July 21 2016.

Presented by UK Trade and Investment, (UKTI), in partnership with Norma Foster Associates and Business Durham, this workshop will show you ways to win more international business online and develop your digital skills to create an action plan for success.

For more information, contact Sue Beverley, E-Commerce & Digital Trade Adviser on 07966222258 or email: [email protected]

A training provider has opened a second office in Sunderland as it gears up for growth.

(Photo caption: director of Milltech Training, Derek Freeman and some of his team)

In addition to a city centre training facility, Milltech Training have opened a second office at the North East Business and Innovation Centre (BIC) acquiring over 2000 sq ft of office space.

The company, which boasts an 88% success rate and Grade 2 Ofsted, has moved into the BIC’s Riverview to focus on recruiting adult learners onto management courses as well as providing new 16+ apprentices for businesses in the city centre and at the BIC.
With just over 250 apprentices on Milltech’s books and over 21 employees, the company were keen to offer two locations to suit all employer and learner needs, director Derek Freeman explains:

“Most of the businesses we work with are within a 40 mile radius of Sunderland so to offer facilities at the BIC with ample free car parking makes sense. Likewise a lot of our learners either rely on lifts to our training centre or public transport so to retain presence in the city centre made perfect business sense.
“We are delighted to join the BIC’s business community, with over 140 businesses on site we hope that we can continue to build on our existing strong connections at the BIC. We wanted somewhere that our employees could feel proud to work and I feel that the BIC is the best environment.
“We needed a large space all on one floor and one that could also offer private offices and a training room, and Riverview at the BIC was ideal. We wanted to ensure we had a large presence in our own building.”
The company is now into its 33rd year of operations and works with over 350 local businesses in recruiting and training existing staff in administration, management, and customer service, team leading and motor vehicle. Derek continues on the benefit apprentices can bring:

“With our learners who have recently left school there will be a unique opportunity for the employer to mould them into their own business ways and routines and ‘growing your own’ and bringing a high level of loyalty to the employer. The minimum wage for a learner is also below the equivalent for a non-apprentice also giving a small economic advantage.”

David Howell, director of operations at the BIC added:
“As Derek mentioned the BIC have worked closely with Milltech in the past, we have had many apprentices from the company which I am pleased to say of which 10 have been able to gain full time employment with businesses on site.

“We welcome Milltech to our community.”

Call Abby or Suzanne at Milltech Training for more information on apprenticeships or adult learning 0191 510 0414 or email: [email protected] or visit www.milltechtraining.co.uk

For more information on the space available at the BIC call the team on 0191 516 6066 or visit www.ne-bic.co.uk

ENDS

Media Contact
Sarah Spence
0191 516 6073
[email protected]

The North East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) is seeking reassurance that European (EU) funded projects already signed off by Government will continue to be delivered.

To date, the North East LEP area has £89.5million of its £437million EU structural funding committed to projects for the 2014-2020 period.

A further £104.5million worth of projects were put forward to Government for approval in advance of the Referendum.

Collectively these projects will support over 7,400 businesses across the North East LEP area, which covers Durham, Northumberland and Tyne and Wear, driving growth and job creation.

The funding will also support almost 30,000 local people into employment and provide those in employment with the skills they need to progress in work.

Chair of the North East LEP Andrew Hodgson said: “We are hopeful that these projects will be honoured by Government and deliver important support to businesses and local people before Brexit happens.

“It is important to realise we will not be immediately losing the opportunities that EU funding has historically brought to the North East.

“Millions of pounds of projects are still likely to go ahead, bringing new jobs and closing the skills gap in the North East. The truth is that we just don’t know yet if or when we will see changes.

“EU funding has hugely benefitted the North East over the last few decades and we are lobbying Government for clarity and seeking assurances that any potential future funding gap will be filled. We urge the Government to provide this guidance quickly to ensure opportunities to create jobs and growth are not lost.”

There is no formal Government guidance available currently following the EU Referendum result on the amount of European funding that will be available in the future for North East businesses and organisations beyond the projects already approved.

A new pilot Manufacturing Growth Programme has been announced by the North East Local Enterprise Partnership ( North East LEP), aimed at manufacturing SMEs in Durham, Tyne and Wear and Northumberland. The scheme will help senior managers within manufacturing companies assess and identify barriers to growth, and work with them to improve business performance and increase sales.

John Barnett (pictured), member of the North East LEP’s Business Growth Board and Operations Director and European Head of Manufacturing at Calsonic Kansei explains that the programme is designed to stimulate the growth of aspiring manufacturing businesses across the North East through in-depth one-to-one support from manufacturing growth experts.

“This initiative, designed as a sister project to the North East Growth Hub, will be an important and tangible part of our support to businesses in the region. As a member of the North East LEP’s Business Growth Board I would like to see as many small and mid-sized manufacturing companies with growth ambitions get involved and work with our expert consultants to unlock their potential and drive their continued success. Manufacturing capability lies at the heart of this region’s future economic prosperity and I am particularly pleased the LEP is investing in its development.”

This new programme will run for an initial 12 month period. Working with over 80 growing businesses, the pilot programme is set to create 160 new manufacturing jobs. It forms part of the North East LEP’s strategic economic plan to foster growth within key sectors of the economy in order to create more and better jobs. The programme could be extended if this pilot phase proves successful.

The programme will be delivered by the BE Group – a North East based business services provider, and Improvement Architecture, a specialist business improvement consultancy.

Alastair MacColl, BE Group’s Chief Executive, says the programme will link to other government-led support for manufacturing and engineering businesses:

“We are really pleased to be delivering the North East LEP’s Manufacturing Growth Programme. In recent years we have seen great results from the ‘Let’s Grow’ Regional Growth Fund grant scheme, and we are sure that SME companies will also benefit significantly from the strategic level insight and advice delivered through this new programme. We are looking forward to linking this exciting programme with the fantastic advice and support already available through our regional sector clusters and the wider North East Growth Hub community of business support and finance organisations.”

Graham Sleep, Founder and MD of Improvement Architecture, commented:

“Having worked with small and medium sized manufacturing businesses over many years our team has developed a good understanding of the common challenges they face, which can prevent them from reaching their true potential revenues and profit levels. We will be using a unique model to highlight relative strengths of the companies we’re supporting, so they can become more competitive, productive and profitable.”

If you are a small manufacturing business with big growth ambitions, please contact Tracey Watson for more details on how to apply.

Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 0191 389 8434.
Or see www.ne-mgp.co.uk for programme details and to check eligibility.

Richard Baker, Head of Strategy and Policy at the North East LEP, Invites comments on the refresh of the North East Strategic Economic Plan (SEP) through the publication of an engagement paper and opportunity to comment online.

Today marks an exciting moment in our ongoing refresh of the North East Local Enterprise Partnership’s Strategic Economic Plan (SEP).

We are seeking comments on the work we are coordinating with the North East Combined Authority to refresh our SEP.

We have already published our economic analysis paper, which reviews the current position of the North East economy, and a progress review, that details the delivery of the SEP priorities between March 2014 and March 2016.

We can now share with you with our engagement paper, which summarises the economic analysis and progress review, and also poses key questions for discussion and feedback, including your thoughts on the potential impact of the UK’s decision to leave the European Union and the prospect of a devolution deal.

To make it easier for people to contribute, we have published our questions via Survey Monkey so responses can be made online. Your feedback is key to shaping the refreshed SEP and I hope colleagues across the North East LEP region will contribute their thoughts and ideas.

You can access the survey here. THIS SURVEY IS NOW CLOSED

Your feedback will help shape our refreshed vision for the North East. This is your opportunity to help us reach the ambitious target of creating an extra 100,000 more and better jobs by 2024.

Thank you in advance.

Richard Baker
Head of Strategy and Policy
North East Local Enterprise Partnership
[email protected]

Rural businesses and key rural representatives gathered for the first NEFRAN Rural Business Conference on the 24th June at Kirkley Hall Campus.

The event was designed to promote the work of the North East Farming and Rural Affairs Network (NEFRAN) and provide information to support the growth of rural businesses.

Around 150 delegates attended to take part in a full day that offered delegates the opportunity to meet business support and funding providers, attend workshops and listen to key note speakers highlighting key issues facing the rural economy, the north east devolution deal and what had been achieved through the Pilot Rural Growth Network Programme.

Key note speaker Lord Donald Curry of Kirkharle CBE, said rural businesses had a huge part to play in supporting the regional economy and in creating more and better jobs for all. Rural businesses needed to be well supported. He referred to the opportunities of the rural economy – the strength of its diversity and the potential growth that tourism, culture and heritage businesses could generate.

Antony Braithwaite, Chair of NEFRAN who chaired the conference said, ”It came over very strongly that a rural voice is needed to take part in the devolution and Brexit revolution that is about to occur. NEFRAN is ideally placed to undertake this role and influence the relevant decision makers.”

The conference reflected on the Pilot North East Rural Growth Network Programme and what had been achieved and learnt. This has been used to inform new support programmes going forward. Businesses were directed to sign up to the North East Growth Hub for information on grant funding, business support, what’s happening in the business community and up and coming events: www.northeastgrowthhub.co.uk

The Rural Growth Network Programme Team who currently manages the Rural Growth Network capital grant offered to be the first point of contact. For help and advice on rural business support contact one of the Rural Growth Network Implementation Officers based at Arch:-

Julie Bullen
01670 528476
[email protected]

Katy McIntosh
01670 528489
[email protected]

Or visit www.archnorthumberland.co.uk/arch-business/rural-growth-network-2-1

The conference was funded and supported by the North East Rural Growth Network with support from Arch and Kirkley Hall.

Recent findings show automatic enrolment doesn’t have to be costly for small and micro employers and that it pays not to put your head in the sand. Starting plans early leaves employers with time to research and shop around and also helps them avoid the risk of a £400 fine.

Employers should first head to the Pensions Regulator website – www.thepensionsregulator.gov.uk – and follow the step-by-step Duties Checker which gives advice on what to and by when.

The Duties Checker is designed for small employers without pensions experience and makes automatic enrolment as easy as possible. It’s also recommend that employers look at information detailing the set up costs employers might incur which will help people avoid any unnecessary expense.

Employers who have already reached their staging date – the date the law applied to them – should ensure they complete their declaration of compliance and submit it to the Pensions Regulator. This must be done within five months of the staging date. Employers are at risk of being fined if, despite putting staff into a pension, they fail to submit their Declaration of Compliance.

Key considerations to bear in mind:

− Employers must make sure they know what needs to be done and by when – even if you only employ one member of staff. The Pensions Regulator online Duties Checker will help with this – it takes five minutes to complete.

− Work out the costs which may be involved in terms of time and money – it may be less than people think. The Pensions Regulator website has information to help employers understand the one-off costs to set up automatic enrolment, as well as the ongoing cost of paying money into the scheme and managing the process.

− Decide who will complete the tasks. While you can carry out the automatic enrolment tasks yourself, employers may choose to ask a business adviser for extra support. It’s important employers understand and agree which tasks they are doing so that nothing is missed.

Popular questions

The business only has directors – do I still have duties?

You may be exempt from the automatic enrolment duties, but it’s important to check. If you are exempt but receiving letters from the Pensions Regulator, then you will need to tell them you are exempt. Take five minutes to complete the online Duties Checker, which will confirm what you need to do.

I need to find a pension scheme, but don’t know where to start.

Not all schemes offer the same level of services and some will charge more than others, so you should look at different schemes before you decide which is suitable for you and your staff. There is information on the Pensions Regulator website at www.tpr.gov.uk/scheme that can help employers choose a pension scheme, with a list of providers who can offer pensions to small employers.

I only have one staff member and their earnings fall under the threshold – do I have to do anything?

Yes, you still have legal duties to meet. For example, you will need to tell your staff about automatic enrolment, and complete and submit a declaration of compliance to let the Pensions Regulator know what you have done to meet your duties. Having a look at the online Duties Checker will confirm what the duties are and when they need to be met. It can be found at www.tpr.gov.uk/autoenrol

What will happen if I don’t complete the declaration of compliance on time?

Don’t leave your preparations to the last minute – if employers don’t submit a declaration of compliance on time, then they risk a fine. The date this needs to be submitted will be on all letters and emails sent to you. You can also find it out by completing the online Duties Checker.

Useful links

Duties Checker: www.tpr.gov. uk/autoenrol
Step by step guide: www.tpr. gov.uk/employers
News by email: www.tpr.co.uk/subscribe

Category: News

The North East Growth Hub provides support and access to over 300 business finance providers

Projects shortlisted for Local Growth Fund support

Free event: Go Digital to boost your international sales

Training Company expands to the BIC

North East LEP seeking Government assurances on EU structural funding

North East LEP to provide consultancy support to boost the region’s manufacturing sector

Your views on the North East’s next step forward

First NEFRAN Rural Business Conference

An update from the Pensions Regulator on the workplace pension