Nathan

In a speech to the CBI on the 26th June  Small Business Minister Andrew Griffiths unveiled a new £8m fund to boost the productivity and performance of small businesses in England. Boosting national productivity and increasing workers’ earning power forms a key part of the Government’s modern Industrial Strategy and the Business Basics Fund, run […]

Pete Ezard is the Programmes Manager for the Aston Villa Foundation; a charitable trust and new IOEE Academy. The Birmingham-based foundation supports young people through the delivery of learning and employability opportunities and SFEDI-accredited qualifications, using the status of Aston Villa Football Club to attract and inspire pupils. This month we chatted to Pete about […]

Growth Lancashire Limited offers support and business expertise to aid economic development across the county. Zoe Eglin works as the company’s Principal Business Support Advisor, and is currently completing her SFEDI-accredited Level 7 Diploma in Professional Business and Enterprise Support Services, through Boost Business Lancashire’s Growth Hub. This month we chatted to Zoe about how […]

On Tuesday 15th May an Employability Symposium was hosted at Advance HE in York and provided an opportunity to profile an enterprise and entrepreneurship education framework developed last year by a range partners including IOEE and SFEDI.  The symposium offered a space within which to share experiences and discuss contemporary practice in enterprise education and […]

Novus is joining forces with Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) to celebrate National Employability Event on June 29 at a ground-breaking North West Conference. As part of the unique event, we are bringing together employers, prisons and those that support us to highlight how working with ex-offenders can help organisations grow their business […]

IOEE Enterprise Academy Rocketeer have taken their programme to Europe and this month we find out how entrepreneurial students in Sicily have benefited from IOEE accreditation and membership.  Rocketeer have recently completed a ‘European Further Education (FE) Social Enterprise’ project with a Sicilian FE College, Leonardo Da Vinci College in Piazza Armerina in Sicily – http://www.iisdavinciarmerina.gov.it/. as well as […]

Hayley Anderson-Richardson is the owner and Managing Director of Families In Sync; an original and inspiring independent company that offers a full range of support services across all elements of family life. At the end of 2016 Hayley was matched up with mentor Andrew Barrett, an Independent Assurance Lead at Lloyds Banking Group. This month […]

With the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) effective date pinned at 25/05/18, the UK is gearing up for tougher fines and stricter regulations, across all industries. GDPR regulation for small businesses is a hot topic, but are you prepared for the changes? It’s a wide-ranging regulation designed to protect the privacy of individuals in […]

John Tasker is the Strategy Director of Massive; an events agency that specialises in helping brands and charities to attract, engage and inspire people through mass participation. Last Autumn, John was matched up with a mentor, Anastasia Georgiou, a Manager with Lloyds Banking Group. In a only six months, Massive has sky-rocketed to a point […]

Karen Brown has a busy career as both the Office Manager and PA to the Director at Growth Lancashire Limited; a company owned by several Lancashire local authorities to aid business and economic development across the county. Through Boost Business Lancashire’s Growth Hub, Karen has recently completed her Level 7 Diploma in Professional Business and […]

In recent years one of the central ‘big ideas’ emerging from policy development has been the employer ownership of the skills agenda – i.e. moving from the traditional supply led model to one where power is shifted to employers by devolvement of funding in order for vocational education and training to become demand led.  In […]

Gordon Merrylees is the Managing Director, Entrepreneurship for NatWest. Within his role, Gordon leads the bank’s Entrepreneurship Strategy and Entrepreneurial Development Academy; designed to harness the entrepreneurial potential of businesses and colleagues through its unique academy which is grounded using the principles of having a growth mindset or growth culture. This customer-led Academy has recently been […]

Gary Rockcliffe has always had the desire and hunger that an entrepreneur needs to power them to success. He’s had a rich and varied work life, setting up various business ideas and projects over the years, but one bad decision resulted in Gary having to serve a 16.5 month-long prison sentence, being released in 2017. […]

Written by Leigh Sear, Chief Executive, SFEDI Solutions. The Greek philosopher, Heraclitus, reflected that change is only the constant. The level of change and dynamism that we are currently experiencing in the economy and society can lead to differences between perception and reality. A good example here is immigration to the UK.  With the impact of […]

‘Enterprisingly Me’ is a monthly feature where you can follow my entrepreneurial adventures. Names have been changed to protect the innocent but everything you read really happened. I hope my story inspires you to take your first steps, or if you already have, then it lets you know you’re not on your own. Starting and […]

The IOEE last met Richard and Angela Barker, founders of Grasmere Chocolate Cottage, back in 2015, when they’d only just reached the end of their first year of trading, supported through the IOEE’s mentoring programme. Fast forward to today and the business has skyrocketed; still staying true to its idyllic rural charm whilst also becoming suppliers […]

Nic Corrigan, pictured above, is a talented knitwear designer who founded her own company in 2014. After feeling conflicted about elements of her previous career in the fashion industry, Nic wanted to pursue something more fulfilling and ethically and environmentally conscious, creating Whitehall Studio in West Yorkshire. The IOEE paired Nic up with mentor Lisa […]

Enterprise Educators UK and conference host and sponsor, Leeds Beckett University, are delighted to invite you to join them and contribute to the leading global three day forum for enterprise and entrepreneurship educators and practitioners – the International Entrepreneurship Educators Conference (IEEC) #IEEC2018. The ‘I’ in IEEC will be elevated this year – there are already three […]

International Women’s Day (IWD) celebrates the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. Run annually on March 8, the day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. IWD provides an important moment to showcase commitment to women’s equality, launch new initiatives and action, celebrate women’s achievements, raise awareness, highlight gender parity gains […]

On Monday 26th February, skills bodies SFEDI Group and IOEE celebrated the national milestone of 10,000 custodial learners to benefit from access to their entrepreneurship education programmes and launch a new national research project, in partnership with Manchester Metropolitan University, to explore the impact of entrepreneurship and enterprise education on ex-offenders. Small Business Minister Andrew […]

Andy Penaluna is the Director of the International Institute for Creative Entrepreneurial Development at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David. Andy sits on the Advisory Board for SFEDI and IOEE, and is the Chair of the QAA (Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education) Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Review. The QAA released its first Enterprise and […]

The IOEE continues to develop skills within the apprenticeship sector through its Apprenticemakers project. Apprenticemakers provides a range of support to businesses involved in apprenticeships, including mentor training for individuals who are supporting apprentices. Apprenticemakers has worked with a variety of organisations to build and strengthen apprenticeship programmes, and this month we caught up with […]

Paul Uppal has many years’ experience of running his own business, as well as being a Member of Parliament, and in 2017 the Government announced that he was to be appointed the first Small Business Commissioner (SBC). This month we spoke to Paul to find out how his new role unites his business and political […]