Interview with = Stella Okeahialam, Croydon Enterprise, Enterprising Britain London = Winner 2007

Interview with Stella Okeahialam, Croydon Enterprise,=20 Enterprising Britain London Winner 2007

Date: 1 Oct 2007 - 18:00

By eGov monitor - A Policy Dialogue=20 Platform

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eGov monitor discusses this year's London Winner of = the=20 Enterprising Britain Competition with Stella Okeahialam, who provides = detailed=20 insight on how Croydon is regenerating itself through enterprise and by = creating=20 opportunities.

Q1 You have taken a very broad approach, could you explain = the=20 thinking behind this?

We've taken the broadest possible approach to meet the needs of our=20 communities and close Croydon's 'enterprise gap'. All the evidence that = backed=20 our original bid for LEGI funding showed that there was a gap between = the=20 booming town centre and its big business skyscrapers and some of the = outlying=20 districts. This is only the part of it some communities also have = low=20 levels of enterprise and experience of business. This is true of a = number of=20 ethnic communities, young people not in education, training or = employment, older=20 people and people with disabilities. These are indicators that demand a = broad=20 approach and that's why the programme, =C2=A320.3m over the first three = years, is=20 reaching the parts that traditional regeneration approaches do not = reach. We=20 believe that enterprise can help regenerate communities ... Croydon = people just=20 need the opportunities.

To illustrate the breadth of our approach it might be helpful if I = listed the=20 key services we offer:

Beauty and complementary therapy training=20
Building Enterprise - a trade skills and enterprise education = centre=20
Business Friendly Planner - a new approach that tackles planning = issues=20 from the small business perspective=20
Business premises advice - helping small businesses find = affordable=20 premises=20
Courses and workshops - a high variety for pre-start, = startups=20 and growth in a wide variety of e areas.=20
Crime and fear of crime - a scheme developed after a wide ranging = survey=20 to tackle crimes that businesses felt were damaging their = profitability...like=20 theft and graffiti.=20
District Centre Managers - our team is in the districts = championing local=20 businesses and developing a range of promotional activities to get the = shoppers in=20
Enterprise Learning - taking enterprise in the classrooms for 8-19 = year=20 olds=20
Events discretionary fund - we are supporting enterprise events = that help=20 develop trade=20
Finance support - we offer test trading grants, business = development=20 loans and a range of other financial packages up to equity = sharing. The=20 aim is to go where high street banks don't.=20
Franchise4Croydon - our programme aims to support people who see=20 franchising as a route to market and who want to use a franchise to = expand=20 their businesses, perhaps by licensing the idea or business model.=20
Information Portal - we give small businesses free = access to=20 the information they need to start and grow=20
Innovation - ideas into business - this is about encouraging new = ideas in=20 business through training , mentoring and more=20
International trade, new markets - we have already = helped one=20 local firm win a =C2=A31m export order and have more overseas = subsidised trade=20 missions planned. But we are also supporting local firms to look = beyond=20 their local area=20
Reaching out to key target groups - our outreach programme is = pivotal in=20 taking our services to people.=20
Services for business - we run a business support hotline and a = wide=20 programme of training and workshops, with backup and one to one = support. =20 It is all free.=20
Supporting social entrepreneurs - we have already = helped=20 several new social enterprises through training and support. = Courses are=20 popular and well-supported.=20
Start up training - Croydon Adult Learning and Training - has = developed a=20 basic skills course to get new businesses started.=20
Voluntary and community support - voluntary and = community=20 organisations backed our bid for funding and they have a vital role to = play in=20 supporting enterprise. Our approach aims to give voluntary and = community=20 organisations affordable premises, business skills and an = entrepreneurial=20 outlook so they can become self-supporting=20
Well being works - this project is training trainers to support = people=20 with mental health problems, so that they can return to work =

Q2 Croydon has a diverse community with pockets of = deprivation, what=20 approach have you taken to developing an enterprise culture in this=20 context?

I have outlined the driver for our approach = above; but=20 we realised early on that outreach work was essential to take the = opportunities=20 we are providing into the community. We have commissioned SLEMBA, = the=20 South London Ethnic Minority Business Association to lead on this = project and=20 they are specializing in face to face work to bring people in to the = programme=20 and the series on offer. They also have a role in inspiring and=20 confidence-building.

This work is backed up with a substantial investment in = communications - not=20 just mainstream advertising - to make the outreach work more effective. =

Q3 How have you worked with existing businesses in the = Borough to=20 help new and growing businesses?

We are proud that our programme is business-led. By this I mean that = it's not=20 just that we have businesses delivering services, creating opportunities = and=20 helping in many different ways: businesses also helped us build the = programme to=20 meet local needs.

Croydon Business Ltd, the private sector firm that was our partner in = the=20 LEGI bid, is now a partner in delivering the programme. We are = also proud=20 that so many businesses helped us develop the programme, once we had=20 successfully won the funding. They are now also supporting us in = training,=20 mentoring schemes and other initiatives.

This not only makes them programme more effective, it also gives us = business=20 credibility - important in promoting entrepreneurship and = enterprise.

Q4 What impact are you having on the development of = enterprise=20 culture in schools in the Borough?

We have already delivered a number of innovating schemes in schools - = including helping students set up virtual businesses,including a = publishing=20 company and market garden. These are run along proper business = lines as=20 far as possible and in close partnership with local firms. And, I = would=20 like to take this opportunity to thank all those local firms who have = helped us=20 develop these partnerships - they include travel agents and engineering=20 operations.

Many of these projects have been delivered by schools, with our = support,after=20 a competitive pitch for funding from our Young Peoples' Enterprise = Innovation=20 Fund. But we have also developed a sophisticated teachers' pack, = so that=20 schools can develop enterprise education themselves.

Our Enterprise Learning for 8-19 year olds project aims to help = Croydon=20 become the first borough to put enterprise on the curriculum of all its = schools=20 by 2016.

Since our launch, Croydon Enterprise has been pursuing a two-pronged = approach=20 - assisting and supporting adults to start up their own enterprises, = while at=20 the same time taking the idea of enterprise into the classroom, = inspiring=20 youngsters to consider it as a future career path.

The project is seeking to promote enterprise through innovative and = inclusive=20 learning activities both in schools and outside in the wider = community.

In schools and colleges we want to see enterprise learning as a = natural part=20 of all subject learning, across all ages with clear progression through = the=20 various key stages.

In order to raise awareness and embed enterprise, we need to find=20 opportunities to train those working with young people, e.g. community = workers,=20 youth workers and all learning providers on how to engage young people = in=20 exciting and innovative learning activities.

Q5 What key component of the project would you like those = involved in=20 similar projects nationally to be aware of?

I have tried to give a flavour of the depth and range of what we are = doing to=20 create a new climate of entrepreneurship in Croydon, but our unique = selling=20 proposition - which the Enterprising Britain judges recognised - is our = joined=20 up approach. We have one phone number and one website to give = access to=20 all our services. We track all our course participants and support = them=20 through their individual journeys into the world of business. We = pride=20 ourselves on giving people the right support at the right time and in a = way that=20 suits them.

Our all our delivery partners are fully briefed on the full range of = services=20 we offer and what is appropriate. So it doesn't matter if you are = learning=20 bricklaying in New Addington, or are looking at using innovation to = pursue your=20 high-tech business idea the people delivering this training, this = support, will=20 be able to open people's eyes to the full range of opportunities on = offer. =20 This is what we are most proud of and we are especially proud that it is = working.

You can read a case study on Croydon Enterprise here.

Published on eGov monitor - A Policy Dialogue = Platform (http://www.egovmonitor.com/) =

Source URL: http://www.egovmonitor.com= /node/14779=20