Nathan

As part of our ongoing series of introducing key members of the IOEE team, we sat down and had a coffee (well, Nat had a couple of his signature, strong espressos) to find out what’s been going on with SFEDI Group’s Digital Director. So Nathan, how about a bit of backstory and how you ended […]

My final week of my USA experience saw me travel to Raleigh / Durham in North Carolina. Fortunately Hurricane Florence had passed by and everyone that I saw had escaped any effects. My first stop was to meet up with Inmates to Entrepreneurs (I2E). Jaclyn Parker is the Vice President of Programs and was an […]

As a first part of an upcoming series this month we’ve sat down over coffee with Leigh Sear to find out what’s going on at SFEDI Solutions. So lets get to know about more about Leigh and what his role is within SFEDI is. “I am Chief Executive of SFEDI Solutions which is part of […]

Keith and Sue Mentoring From running 1980s record labels to events for business start-ups and SMEs, Keith Willett has a wealth of knowledge and experience behind him that makes him an exceptional mentor to those taking the plunge with a new business venture. In 2017 Keith began mentoring Sue Poole, who spotted a gap in […]

We would like to extend a huge congratulations to London South Bank University’s Business School. This month IOEE CEO Sarah Trouten and Ruth Lowbridge of SFEDI visited LSBU and after a comprehensive re-accreditation visit we are delighted to announce they have been re-approved as a Centre of Excellence for a further three years. Centre of […]

In a newfound world of portfolio careers, Keith Crombie is one of a decreasing number of people who have been with one employer all of their working life, with a longstanding banking career at the Royal Bank of Scotland. This month we chatted to Keith about undertaking the IOEE-accredited Business Growth Enabler (BGE) programme and […]

October sees the launch of SFEDI Awards’ digital badging trial. From 1st October those who hold or achieve a qualification from our Business and Enterprise Support suite will be issued a digital badge. These are issued in addition to standard certificates and can be displayed by learners on websites and social media. What are digital […]

Social Business Alliance (SBA) CIC is an innovative and inspiring IOEE Academy that works with various partnerships to showcase the life-changing value and benefits of social enterprise as a way to do business. One of SBA’s recent partnerships has been with the charity MK Snap, where it has been delivering SFEDI Awards qualifications to adults […]

Sam Everard is the CEO of SAMEE, a Disability Confident Leader charity based in Dorset, which achieved its IOEE Academy status last year. SAMEE believes in a world where people of all abilities can proudly and independently provide an income for themselves and their families. Sam has always had an entrepreneurial streak and her first […]

Robert Turnbull has a longstanding relationship with SFEDI Awards and the IOEE and has a wealth of inspirational work in the field of enterprise and entrepreneurship under his belt. He is a SFEDI Awards Programme Leader for the Suffolk Chamber of Commerce, joining its Growth Hub in 2014 as a Business Growth Advisor, as well […]

Greetings from the United States. The story so far… I am at the half way point of my travels across the USA exploring Entrepreneurship and how it can support formerly incarcerated men and women to have productive and brighter futures. I have travelled from New York to San Francisco and Omaha in Nebraska and already […]

Business of all types and sizes are increasingly expected (and becoming) more ‘social’ and ‘ethical’ for a variety of reasons: • Changing legislation (various Acts from the Environment Agency, Companies House, and in relation to Public Services) • Consumer preferences for ‘#BuyLocal’ and ‘#BuySocial’ (national campaigns around both of these have emerged over the last […]

Article written by Dr Jun Li from the University of Essex. Dr Jun Li is the Senior Lecturer in Management Science and Entrepreneurship. Highly educated graduate entrepreneurs can be ‘high quality entrepreneurs’ with substantial growth potential. Education contributes to the development of human capital, and provides students a set of opportunities and resources unavailable to […]

David Morgan our IOEE Member of the Year gives us an insight into his upcoming Winston Churchill Memorial Trust travels. Wow! How time has flown. Where has the year gone so far? Back in February this year I was given the amazing news that I was to become a Fellow of the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust. […]

This month we have been catching up with Haleh Moravej who was previously nominated for Intrapreneur of the Year at the Celebrating Enterprise Awards 2018. Haleh has been able to create a social enterprise, MetMUnch based at Manchester Metropolitan University who are a IOEE Centre of Excellence. Haleh has won a vast array of awards […]

Alex Kostyakov is a recent graduate from Manchester Metropolitan University, throughout his time at MMU Alex was enrolled within the ICE Programme. The programme is accredited by the IOEE and gives students the knowledge to become a confident entrepreneur and potential business owner. Alex whilst at University started his own business called Flyr Artists and […]

The IOEE’s roots may lie in the UK, but we spread our enterprising message far and wide. This month we are delighted to shine a spotlight on our very first Rwandan IOEE Member, the inspirational Ephaste Niyigena. As the ‘man on the ground’ for UK-based charity The Goboka Rwanda Trust, Ephaste manages multiple projects, from […]

Prime Cymru an IOEE Academy held their annual awards event earlier this month in Wales, to which our very own Ruth Lowbridge MBE and trustee of Prime attended and provided the closing speech. His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, Founder of PRIME Cymru, met with people aged over 50 who have set up their […]

Sam Margrave recently joined the IOEE as an Academic Fellow. He is a Lecturer and Researcher at the University of Worcester Business School, an IOEE Centre of Excellence, and was a Local Government Councillor until recently standing down in May this year. He is also a Non-Executive Director at a large Housing Association, as well […]

Sunil Sharma joined the IOEE’s Mentoring Programme in 2014 and has recently celebrated completing his 10th mentoring case – though reaching this milestone doesn’t mean slowing down for Sunil, and he has taken on another three mentees since the beginning of 2018. Sunil works for Lloyds Banking Group (LBG) and is united with his mentees […]

In 1985, Peter Drucker noted that ‘Today businesses, especially the large ones, simply will not survive in this period of rapid change and innovation unless they acquire entrepreneurial competence (Drucker, 1985, p. 132).  Thirty years on, many commentators would agree that this quote is still highly relevant today – the only thing that has changed […]

Clarion Housing Group is the country’s largest housing association, with over 125,000 properties nationwide. Through its partnership with the IOEE’s Apprenticemakers programme, Clarion helps people to access employment and training opportunities through its charitable foundation, Clarion Futures. Alex Dean is Clarion’s National Apprenticeship Manager, and this month we caught up with him to talk about […]

Marine apprenticeships have historically played a major role in developing the skills and expertise of the marine workforce. According to British Marine’s Labour Market Survey (September 2016), the UK marine industry employs 470 apprentices across 100 businesses. Almost three quarters of these apprenticeships are in manufacturing and engineering (43% boat manufacturing, 21% repairs and servicing, […]

We’ve had the opportunity this month to speak to Jo Bradford, Group Apprenticeship Manager at Marston’s and find out exactly how they have been able to utilise the current apprenticeship levy. When asked on Marston’s stance on Apprenticeships & their use of the Levy Jo said “Apprentices are a key part of our People Strategy, […]