12 March 2008

NWDA welcomes the support for enterprise in the Northwest announced alongside the Budget

The Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) welcomes the Government’s new measures to support enterprise which are outlined in the new Enterprise Strategy – ‘Unlocking the UK’s talent’, launched alongside the Budget on 12th March 2008. 

Steven Broomhead, Chief Executive of the NWDA, said: “We welcome the Government’s strategy framework on enterprise. Our own Enterprise Strategy for the Northwest will now follow in just a few weeks time. The Northwest strategy has been developed in parallel with the national framework and aims to stimulate a culture of enterprise and a strong and growing source of entrepreneurs, and maximise the competitiveness of existing businesses and start-ups in the Northwest.”

The measures announced in the national strategy complement the work of the NWDA and endorses a number of Northwest streams, including:

• The Northwest is being considered for a regional hub to work with the proposed National Enterprise Academy (NEA), which is being supported by Entrepreneur Peter Jones. The NEA will be a catalyst for change, unlocking the UK’s entrepreneurial talent through the delivery of higher level enterprise skills and playing an important role in encouraging innovation, by equipping people in the region with the skills and talents to develop new ideas and see them through to realisation. Two initial locations are being considered in the South East and Northwest with an ambition to build a wider specialist network for enterprise education. The NWDA will work closely with the Government to bring this initiative to the Northwest.

• The Government and the NWDA also recognise the important role that women can play in driving up enterprise activity in the region. The National Strategy proposes a number of measures that will support women entrepreneurs and provide them with the confidence, knowledge and skills that will allow them to see enterprise and business ownership as a real choice for them. The Northwest will pilot one of the first women’s business centres, which recognises and builds on the work we have done in the Northwest with the creation of the Northwest Women’s Enterprise Forum.

• The Government and the RDA’s will work with the Premier League to encourage more young people to explore enterprise building on the successful enterprise promotion work started in the Northwest by Blackburn Rovers. A programme to include all Premier League football clubs, with support from the RDA’s will roll out initially with two more clubs including Manchester City. The initiative works with the clubs’ community programmes delivering enterprise education to 13-14 year olds.

• To encourage graduates to think innovatively the Government is providing the National Council for Graduate Entrepreneurship (NCGE) with additional funding to establish university enterprise networks. The NWDA has, and remains, very supportive of the development of a network of entrepreneurial universities and will be working with its regional universities to help drive forward this initiative.

• The NWDA also welcomes the emphasis on mentoring and we are currently developing further opportunities in the region to link in with our other priorities for improving leadership and management skills within Northwest businesses.

Steven continued: “Enterprise is identified as one of the key drivers for growth in the Northwest Regional Economic Strategy and the measures outlined in the national strategy will complement our regional strategy.”