Global Entrepreneurship Week, which took place between 15-21st November, is the world’s largest movement celebrating enterprise. During this year’s awareness week, YTKO’s regional Outset start-up programmes were busy supporting local entrepreneurs ...

News from Bristol

Outset Bristol kicked-off its free programme of training, mentoring and support to coincide with Global Entrepreneurship Week after running a series of information workshops raising awareness about the programme across Bristol. The inaugural training session took place on Wednesday 17^th November at the Greenway Community Centre in Southmead.

“It’s fantastic to have kicked off our first business start-up course in Southmead,” says Andy Dean, Programme Director for Outset Bristol.

“Southmead is in the 10% most deprived areas of the UK – there are high levels of unemployment and families on low incomes – and so it was the right place to commence our programme of free training, which is targeted at groups ordinarily under-represented in business and self-employment. The fact that it’s Global Entrepreneurship Week, which celebrates business and innovation, is an added bonus!”

Outset Bristol is a new £1 million business start-up support programme, which is supported by funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the South West Regional Development Agency (RDA) and Bristol City Council. The project is offering Enterprise Coaching and Intensive Start-up Support, which are part of the new Solutions for Business government portfolio. It will help more than 900 individuals and businesses to help create 120 new enterprises in Bristol and inject at least £3.5 million into the local economy.

From left to right: Ricardo Demarchi (Enterprise Project Officer, UWE), Justin Ricks, (OB), Latif Ismail (OB), Alex Lovell (Presenter, BBC Points West), Levi Roots, Nikki Maloney and Lydia Samuel (OB)

As part of Enterprise Week, the Outset Bristol team also had a significant presence at the Be Inspired! Student Enterprise Conference, which took place at St George’s Bristol. The event was supported by South West RDA and hosted by BBC Points West presenter Alex Lovell. The Outset Bristol team enjoyed meeting guest speaker Levi Roots, of Dragons’ Den fame, who is a musician and founder of the sensationally successful ‘Reggae, Reggae Sauce’ range.

News from Cornwall

The Outset Cornwall team have used this year’s Global Entrepreneurship week as an opportunity to hold their 12-month celebration event, which featured presentations from funders, clients, staff and local agencies, as well as showcasing the first of Outset Cornwall’s video case studies (shortly to be available on the Outset Cornwall website). A number of clients were invited to exhibit their new businesses, feature in a short film about the event and get involved with press activities around the event. A special brochure marking the occasion was produced and featured the headline statistics from the programme’s first year, illustrating the fact that Outset Cornwall is currently ahead of targets.

Aside from the media attention from the event, the team also took to the local University campus and exhibited at the annual graduate fair, signing up a number of new clients to a new evening class being delivered on site. I2E has just been completed in partnership with the University and BSU started on Wednesday 24th November. Feedback from the University trial has been excellent so far, and may continue to create a neat pipeline into the programme moving forwards.

News from Torbay

Outset Torbay kicked-off its first ever business start-up foundation programme to coincide with Global Entrepreneurship Week.  Outset Torbay, which officially launched this month has already attracted huge interest from budding entrepreneurs across the bay, and has signed up over 30 individuals to its free support programme.

Outset Torbay were involved with a number of initiatives to celebrate the awareness weel, including presenting to students and members of the community at the local college, exhibiting at a business-support event at the South West Innovation Centre, and even taking part in a unique speed networking event organised by the Chamber of Commerce.

Helen Harman, Programme Director said, “It’s fantastic to be kicking-off our first business start-up course in Global Entrepreneurship Week, which celebrates business and innovation.

“We’ve had the opportunity to really get involved with local initiatives to promote enterprise and it’s fantastic to see the enthusiasm for enterprise and self-employment here in Torbay.

“We’re looking forward to supporting individuals through our free start-up support and enterprise coaching to realise their enterprise ambitions and help create successful and sustainable businesses in Torbay.”