Late 2019 saw the launch of our partnership with the National Enterprise Network (NEN) providing a streamlined application path for NEN Members when applying to become an IOEE Academy.
We spoke to three organisations who have taken up the opportunity as NEN members and found out a little more about their organisation and why becoming an IOEE Academy was important to them.
First up was the Enterprise Support Alliance (ESA), a not for profit organisation set up to promote enterprise and entrepreneurship across the UK & internationally in partnership with other like-minded organisations & individuals. ESA provide services for pre & post start-up enterprises, focusing on the East of England, London and neighbouring regions. When looking at becoming an IOEE Academy the Enterprise Support Alliance saw this as a key strategic development opportunity.
We asked ESA CEO Pat Smith how he saw working with the IOEE as an Approved Academy of value to their organisation “Our association with the IOEE is very important to ESA as it will provide the level of professional recognition we seek not only for the ESA, but especially for our delegates – through the receipt of Certificates of Achievement and access to the IOEE’s on-line campus.”
ESA have experience of successfully delivering 2 day, high quality, interactive training workshops on a range of business and enterprise topics and are in the process of rolling out a programme of modular workshops on business start-up, business resilience, trading internationally, and pitching for investment
Next up we spoke to NEN Member and new IOEE Academy DNAsix, a digital skills and business communications platform designed to help both individuals and organisations become more agile and better communicators. Based around six key factors – Strategy, Culture, Content, Community, Advertising and Data – all of which underpin how well businesses communicate. DNAsix offer two programmes – both of which use a rich array of resources including videos, gamified tools, easy-to-use modules and handy planners.
When asked why DNAsix wanted to work closely with the team here at the IOEE as an IOEE Academy, DNAsix said: “The IOEE holds exactly the same values and goals as DNAsix plus both organisations are passionate about helping entrepreneurs and innovators to succeed in today’s interconnected, increasingly complex marketplace. Therefore, it makes absolute sense to become an IOEE Academy.”
“It brings an instant kitemark of excellence to the DNAsix brand and we are delighted that the IOEE recognises our Communicator and Bootcamp programmes. It means that not only can we enrich the knowledge reservoir of our clients and their businesses but we can also now offer a range of IOEE qualifications and learning programmes.”
Finally we spoke to Colbea, a not-for-profit enterprise agency based in Colchester, Essex. Colbea support pre-start, start-up, developing and establish businesses through fully-funded business advice and training to help guide businesses towards success. Also providing great value incubation and virtual offices as well as on-demand meeting/training room hire.
We asked Craig Baston, Operations and Partnership Manager at Colbea on why they have chosen to work with us here at the IOEE, Craig said: “Colbea have always been committed to provided business training and becoming an IOEE Academy reinforces this. It also provides even further credibility of the high quality standards that our clients have come to expect from Colbea.”
Looking forward Colbea are extremely excited to strenghen their offer with IOEE Academy Status saying: “It can often be hard for entrepreneurs to find the right support at the right time. We are confident that Colbea’s partnership with the IOEE will enable us to make our services more accessible than ever so that we can help more businesses flourish.”
Sarah Trouten, CEO of the IOEE said: “We were delighted to announce in November a strategic partnership with the National Enterprise Network (NEN), with shared values and objectives this new partnership was a natural step for us in ensuring quality and trusted support for small businesses in the UK. ”
Nic Preston, Head of Quality for the IOEE said: “Certificates of Achievement provide a great way for organisations of all types and sizes to gain recognition of their self-developed training and development programmes and demonstrate to all that they deliver a quality service supporting enterprise skills development. This new partnership with the NEN has opened this opportunity to yet more organisations who now join the many existing ones who have already gained recognition and certification for their learning and development programmes.”
NEN Chief Executive Alex Till spoke regarding the new partnership between the NEN and the IOEE: “NEN is committed to building strong relationships with like-minded organisations across the enterprise sector. It’s fundamental to our mission of representing, uniting and supporting all organisations who are passionate about inspiring and encouraging enterprise. It was clear that the IOEE shared our ethos and vision, so we were delighted to formalise this partnership and create an offer which gives our members real value.
The stamp of credibility that IOEE Academy status provides is hugely important because it strengthens the enterprise services offered by our members. In turn, this filters down to their clients – the pre-start or established small businesses whose existence is crucial for the future of the high street and our economy.”
For more details on this new partnership or on how you can take advantage of the great opportunities IOEE Academy status and Certificates of Achievement can bring to your organisation, speak with a member of the IOEE team on 0845 467 4928 or get in vouch via email at [email protected] and a member of our team will get back to you as soon as possible.