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Venturefest
is back! – Invest, Innovate and Grow
GREATER Manchester and the wider North
West continues to prove a fertile environment for start ups, entrepreneurs and
established businesses, Venturefest will return this autumn for the 2nd time
to bring together the region's most exciting innovators, entrepreneurs and
investors.
Venturefest is the North West's biggest annual innovation event providing a
platform for entrepreneurs to meet, network and ultimately collaborate. The
event, which is being led by the Business Growth Hub, with support from Innovate
UK and the Knowledge Transfer Network, will give Manchester's community of
innovators the all important boost they need to strengthen their business
offering and generate economic wealth.
Taking place at:- 'The Point,' on 22 September 2015, the event will bring together high
growth business leaders from key leading sectors such as advanced manufacturing,
low carbon and the digital and creative media sector. It will be an opportunity to
hear from individuals who have a wealth of expertise of growing businesses from startup right up to large cale corporates.
The event will include a competition to find the Venturefest's 'Innovation
Business of the Year' and will see 8 businesses pitch for the 2015 crown
and a range of 'money can't buy' prizes, provided by the partners of the
Business Growth Hub.
Attendees will also have the opportunity to listen to last
year's winner Abdul Alim of Offers Moments talk about his company's growth since
taking the crown.
Also in session at Venturefest 2015 will be the 'Three Tribes' panel, consisting
of investors, innovators and entrepreneurs from across Greater Manchester and
beyond. This will be an opportunity for businesses to hear what investors are
looking for as the panel sheds light on how to commercialise and bring
innovative new concepts to market.
This session will be complemented by a guest presentation by James Akrigg, Head
of Technology for Partners at Microsoft UK. A member of the IT industry for
almost 30 years, Akrigg has spent the last 14 years with Microsoft and will
outline how tech companies can overcome today's challenging business environment
and carve a niche in the market.
Richard Jeffery, director of Business Growth Hub, said:- "After the
success of Venturefest last year, we're proud to be leading on this event for
the second year running. It is a fantastic opportunity for businesses in the
North West to tap into the support networks available to them in the region in
order to help them reach their next stage of growth.
With the likes of Microsoft and Cisco offering companies their expertise, this
is a unique opportunity to learn from some of the best in their respective
fields."
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Mentoring from local firms gets GCSE students
off to a flying start
ENTERPRISE South Liverpool Academy has invited a national
recruitment and training firm into their school to help mentor GCSE students.
The year 11 pupils enjoy weekly visits from the Liverpool City Centre outfit New
Directions Education. The team were invited into the school to help offer
support, to listen to the pupils concerns and to offer advice with their chosen
career paths.
The partnership came about after the recruitment firm met with Assistant
Principal at ELSA, Nicola Runcie. New Directions spoke with Nicola about how
they might assist signposting students for future career paths. Emma Joyce,
Branch Manager for the business was introduced to Barry Wheller, Director of
Process for ELSA who linked the team up with 12 students.
Barry explained the purpose of the programme was to introduce the students to
assertive mentoring. The school hopes that by bringing in mentors from the wider
community, students may open up about their hopes and fears for life beyond
their GCSEs.
Speaking about their involvement with the project, Emma Joyce, Branch Manager
for New Directions says:- "We have really enjoyed working with the
students at ELSA. They are very mature in their approach to achieving their GCSE
goals. They have all been very open with our team, and it is a pleasure to see
them each week."
Assistant Principal Nicola Runcie said of the mentoring scheme:- "This year
we have implemented an extensive assertive mentoring programme. Staff from New
Directions, Liverpool John Lennon Airport, and our own staff have been meeting
with students from Year 11 on a weekly basis. Student feedback has been
overwhelmingly positive, stating that they feel more able to plan and prepare
for their exams, that they have had the chance to discuss their future career
plans with adults working in that sector and that some have gained valuable work
experience through the initiative."
Students from the mentoring programme receive a visit from the team every week,
and the programme ran for a total of nine weeks. Here is what some of the
students had to say about their mentors:- "I have enjoyed the assertive
mentoring programme. My mentor is helping me not to worry about my controlled
assessments and has given me time management strategies to help complete it on
time. I have enjoyed a mentor because she has given me some useful support in the
subjects I am struggling with. Furthermore she has helped my self confidence and
helped me to learn about the career I would like to choose."
Linking in with local business to support student learning is a trend Emma from
New Directions hopes to see continue. "We offer some real experience to
students facing their GCSE journey. If we can help even a handful like the guys
from ESLA, we know we have helped the future of young people in the region." |
