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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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

If you’re a business owner with premises separate from your residential address, you’ll most likely have to factor business rates into your monthly outgoings. Business rates are the business version of council tax and, across the UK, around 1.8 million commercial properties are eligible for the property tax. The amount a business pays is calculated […]

As we welcome in a new year, like thousands of others across the UK, you may be considering self-employment as a fresh route to explore. However, simply wanting to work for yourself isn’t always enough to achieve success. To help you out, we’ve created the online IOEE Campus, which is home to new learning content […]

For several years, New College Durham has been working towards putting enterprise learning firmly at the heart of its educational offer. Steven Bell, Head of School for Sport Business Public Services and IT at the college, talked to us about this process and about the organisation’s developing relationship with the IOEE. New College Durham, located […]

The SFEDI Awards Passport to Enterprise and Employment is a fantastic new Level 1 qualification designed to offer individuals real flexibility as they improve their social development, self-employment and employability skills. We spoke to Nic Preston, SFEDI Awards’s Head of Quality, about the carefully designed, comprehensive qualification. Over the past few months, enterprise educators have […]

Is it possible to help start-ups and other small business clients boost the resilience of their fledgling enterprises? The IOEE certainly believes it is and we’ve created a qualification specifically to help enterprise support professionals do just that. Healthy cash flow, good planning, intelligent marketing and fantastic customer services – these are all the factors […]

Apprenticemakers is SFEDI’s support project for businesses interested in apprenticeships. The project has recently launched a ‘Developing Mentoring Skills To Support Apprentices’ course for apprentice employers of all sizes. Here Apprenticemakers talks about how mentoring can support an apprentice in a small business and the areas to consider if you’re interested in doing so. Recruiting […]

Richard and Clare Talbot-Jones, who run Talbot Jones Risk Solutions, are based in Felling, Gateshead. In this, the first blog of 2017, Clare explains why moving from employment to self-employment has seen the couple’s happiness rocket! For years, my husband would often wrap his arms around my sagging shoulders at the end of my long […]

The IOEE’s member base is incredibly diverse, with people from all walks of life signed-up to enjoy the privilege, services and benefits associated with it. To let you know just how broad a spectrum of people we work with, we’ve created Spotlight On… which, every month introduces you to an IOEE member with an interesting […]

Robert Lundgren Jones is a second year student at Northumbria University in Newcastle. In November he attended the IOEE’s Celebrating Enterprise Awards in the House of Lords as a nominee in the category of Enterprising Learner of the Year. Although the ambitious student didn’t win the title this year, he’s certainly enjoying impressive success as […]

At the Celebrating Enterprise Awards, held in the House of Lords, the Institute of Supply Chain Management (IOSCM) was named IOEE Innovative Partner of the Year. This is an award given to an organisation that has forged a strong, productive and, above all, innovative relationship with SFEDI and the IOEE. Kevin Rumfitt, CEO of IOSCM, […]

Each month we will be showcasing case studies on enterprise in education. This month we spoke to third year undergraduate, Rodrigo de Carvalho, who is studying product design at London South Bank University while he establishes a social enterprise dedicated to helping protect children at risk of abduction. Rodrigo de Carvalho, 33-year-old Brazilian student moved […]

IOEE Centre of Excellence London South Bank University (LSBU) is a leading light when it comes to pioneering initiatives that inspire and enable entrepreneurial endeavour across all disciplines. We caught up with three LSBU drama students who are complementing every performance with a side-serving of business thinking. Forward-thinking colleges and universities are increasingly acknowledging that […]

The IAB UK and International Business and Skills Awards took place on 8th December in a prestigious House of Commons setting. In addition to being a primary sponsor of the event, SFEDI has extra reason to celebrate as Carl Beardon, one of our dedicated business mentors, was named Small Business Mentor of the Year. The […]