The Creative Ideas Office worked with the universities Business Development Team in a successful bid to deliver a series of peer to peer networking events. The Peer Network will bring together businesses who, with the guidance of experienced facilitators from the University of Hertfordshire, industry experts and innovators will collaborate to develop their potential for future growth and productivity.
Hertfordshire Growth Hub are setting up a Peer Network as a new opportunity for small and medium business leaders to come together and address issues affecting the sector, get their industry performing again and drive the conception of new highly skilled creative jobs.
Each cohort of business will work with one of our industry facilitators to collaboratively work through common business issues. Through interactive action learning we will enable businesses to discuss their own challenges, gain and reflect on valuable feedback and implement practical solutions to overcome them.
The Creative Ideas team worked with Gilmar Queiros, Head of Skills & Apprenticeships in the
Enterprise & Business Development team to apply for the funding. Gilmar says that “2020 has been marked by many difficulties and challenges – to individuals, families, our business community and beyond. Through difficult times, we’ve seen many new supportive initiatives and opportunities arise. The collaboration between the University’s Business Development department and the Creative Ideas Office is a primary example of how different areas of the University can come together to exercise its civic commitment in alignment with the University’s strategic plan: offering opportunity, building community, and embracing flexibility.
It’s been extremely rewarding to work with the Creative Ideals Office considering in devising an exciting and pertinent package of support to businesses in the region through the development of the Recovery, Resilience and Accelerator package and the School’s Peer Network initiative, supported by the Hertfordshire LEP and BEIS.
These opportunities will be offered to businesses to hopefully aid their strategy and operations at a critical time, as well as establish and enhance well-sustained existing and new relationships between the University and employers, opening avenues for further discussion and collaboration for years to come. The Creative Ideas team’s prompt support, commitment and innovative thinking has been invaluable in this process and I look forward to future collaborations between our teams.”
The programme is open to any SME business that has:
- Operated for at least one year
- At least 2 employees (5 would be preferable)
- A turnover for at least £100,00 per year
- An aspiration to improve their business
If you have or know of any business who would be interested in joining this development programme please contact Tricia Bryan p.bryan@herts.ac.uk or for further information visit the Hertfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership