News: Recruitment for Growth Hub

Recruitment is underway for the "core team" at the Growth Hub - the clear model for coordinating and simplifying business support so that it joins up national, local, public and private business provisions across the Sheffield city region.

"The most ambitious, business-led Growth Hub in the country" is seen as central to the business-facing elements of the Local Enteprise Partnership's (LEP's) Strategic Economic Plan, which set an ambitious target of creating 70,000 new jobs in the Sheffield City Region by 2023.

£4.5m of existing Local Growth Fund allocation will be used to set up the hub which is then expected to be backed by £83.5m of European funding. £500,000 has been secured to pilot the project in the next financial year with initial work undertaken to assess what support is already available.

The head of Growth Hub will be responsible for driving the vision outlined in the strategic plan and "operationalising" the Growth Hub in order to grow the region's businesses. With a salary of £54,100 - £58,437, it is described as a strategically significant role and will entail working with senior officials in national and local government and the private sector.

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Designed by business leaders for business leaders, the Growth Hub aims to remove internal boundaries within the city region, so that every growing business gets the support it needs to thrive.

Growth Accelerator, the Manufacturing Advisory Service and other national services will be aligned with local business support through the hub, so that businesses get a joined up service which meets their needs. With one website and one phone number, this will include co-location, referrals, marketing, diagnostics, evaluation, customer acquisition and the simplification of local and national business support.

Other vacancies for the Growth Hub include policy and business intelligence officer and gateway and communications officers. A head of performance on a salary of £48,583 - £52,816 is also being recruited to focus on ensuring that the LEPs and combined authority's investments are developed, delivered and implemented in line with the approved Strategic Economic Plan.

The long term aim is for the Growth Hub to have a "core" of first line support and a pool of business advisors, allocated to a "patch" but managed centrally. The actual delivery of services to businesses is still set to be carried out by the different agencies focusing on aspects such as access to finance, export, innovation, and skills - the "spokes" to the Growth Hub model - but all brought together as one central "Growth Deal" for the individual businesses.

The Growth Hub is also set to commission products that are accessible to any business regardless of location, ending the postcode lottery of support in the city region.

£2m of LEP funding is set to be used to fund the small "core" of the Growth Hub up to 2020/21 and £2m is set to be made available to the "spokes" of the Growth Hub to fund activity.

Sheffield City Region LEP website

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News: Exploring Growth Accelerator with Moorhead Savage

Rotherham insolvency practice, Moorhead Savage is hosting a special master class on the Growth Accelerator project.

Growth Accelerator, part funded by the EU, is a unique service led by some of the country's most successful growth specialists, encouraging companies to discover new connections, new routes to investment and the new ideas and strategy needed for businesses to achieve their full potential.

Based in RiDO's Moorgate Crofts business centre, Moorhead Savage is headed by Paul Moorhead who leads a team offering high quality, professional, impartial and ethical help and debt advice to both companies and individuals.

The December 4 master class at the Aston Hotel in Rotherham, close to Junction 33 of the M1, runs from 8.30am to 11.30am and is being aimed specifically at accountants, solicitors and professional service businesses.

Paul Moorhead, managing director at Moorhead Savage, said: "In my experience, as a professional adviser you will be very good at delivering sound business advice to your clients on how to run a business but that doesn't mean you don't need support for yourself too.

"As a company we have seen for ourselves at Moorhead Savage how signing up to the Growth Accelerator programme can deliver results and this master class by the Growth Accelerator team will demonstrate how to properly prepare for growth and develop the skills and resources needed to achieve your full potential."

To find out more about the Growth Accelerator master class visit www.moorheadsavage.co.uk/growthaccelerator, email: nicola@moorheadsavage.co.uk or call 01709 331300.

Paul Moorhead, Britain's only insolvency practitioner with a PhD in Insolvency Law was recently named the Corporate Insolvency Practitioner of the Year in the Small Firms category of the prestigious 2013 Insolvency and Rescue Awards.

Moorhead Savage website
Growth Accelerator website

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News: GrowthAccelerator event at Magna

Ambitious enterprises can learn about a new £200m government initiative that aims to achieve rapid, high and sustainable growth for England's brightest businesses at an event later in Rotherham this month.

GrowthAccelerator is a new partnership between the private sector and government that sees proven business experts working with eligible companies to identify their barriers to growth and ways to overcome them.

In the Sheffield city region, specialist provider, Winning Pitch is leading on the initiative.

On October 18 at the Magna Science Adventure Centre in Rotherham, GrowthAccelerator is hosting an event that will provide a unique opportunity to hear Ellis Watson talk about his personal experiences as Chief Executive of DC Thomson, one of the world's largest family-owned media groups, and as former head of Syco Entertainment, the joint venture between Simon Cowell and Sony, where he ran the global format and commercial strategies for X Factor and Britain's Got Talent.

Ellis is one of the most inspiring and instinctive speakers in Britain, arguing that a significant external shock like recession can actually be a springboard for positive internal change and an opportunity for growth. He shows how to inspire passion especially when under pressure, and how to progress from mission statements to true company culture.

Ellis will then be joined by a specialist panel of experts, including regional companies, local business professionals and Growth Coaches, who will share first-hand how they have successfully grown their own business and how GrowthAccelerator can help growing businesses overcome challenges in areas such as commercialising innovation, access to finance, developing leadership skills and business development.

The event will be hosted by writer, broadcaster and journalist, Michael Taylor, the founder of Think More, chairman of Downtown Manchester and former editorial director of publishing group Insider.

Taylor said: "Everyone involved in GrowthAccelerator knows that business can be a lonely pursuit at times. And taking the bold decision to expand the business and to go for growth requires courage.

"This won't be a business talking shop - a few debates about policy and some moans about red tape – this is an event for the busy, impatient, hungry business owner to get some quick answers about this new service and how it can work."

GrowthAccelerator website

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News: £200m GrowthAccelerator launch

Ambitious Rotherham SME's are being sought for a new £200m government initiative that aims to achieve rapid, high and sustainable growth for England's brightest businesses.

GrowthAccelerator is a new partnership between the private sector and government will see proven business experts working with enterprises to identify their barriers to growth and ways to overcome them.

In the Sheffield city region, specialist provider, Winning Pitch is launching the initiative on July 17.

GrowthAccelerator's network of world-class growth experts work side by side with leaders of high-growth potential SMEs to provide them with the know-how and ability to achieve sustainable growth.

GrowthAccelerator will also work with trusted providers such as the Technology Strategy Board, as UK Trade and Investment (UKTI), Catapult Centres and relevant networks such as angel investors.

Issues covered include securing finance, commercialising innovation or developing leadership and management capability.

The launch event at The Source at Meadowhall will be one of several opportunities for high growth potential companiesin and around Yorkshire to hear first-hand about this groundbreaking new initiative.

A number of guests will be speaking at the launch including growth coach, Geoff Balfour who is regarded by those he has coached as "always being on target with his insight and understanding on business issues". He has worked with more than 30 companies to grow their business, turning sound advice into hard results.

Jonathan Morley, an ambitious entrepreneur has already signed up his Rotherham-based company, Secure Power Limited to GrowthAccelerator and will be at the event.

From starting up in RiDO's Moorgate Crofts business centre, Secure Power, which supplies, installs and maintains UPS systems and generators, now employs three people and is looking to expand its business into France and Germany. Secure Power already services a handful of high-powered clients from the financial services sector, local government and large IT companies.

Steve Linley, growth manager at Winning Pitch, said: "Many companies have the ambition and opportunity to grow quickly but for whatever reason they are held back. The GrowthAccelerator service helps companies to overcome the barriers to growth."

The event is free to attend but registration is required. A buffet breakfast and refreshments will be provided.

To register visit http://growthacceleratorlaunchsheffield.eventbrite.com

GrowthAccelerator website

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