The role of business support
The West Midlands Economic Strategy – Connecting to Success - outlines how business support is central to delivering the strategy and improving the economic performance of the region. Advantage West Midlands has a key role in investing in a range of business support interventions to help create new businesses, grow and develop existing businesses, and to stimulate new market opportunities in strategic and growing sectors.
Evidence shows that businesses that access support are more likely to survive and grow than those that do not. As a result one of the primary roles of Advantage West Midlands is to invest in business support schemes that can help companies in different sectors to become more competitive and profitable.
Business Link West Midlands
Advantage West Midlands took over responsibility for the Business Link in the West Midlands in April 2005. Since then, we have developed a regional approach to the delivery of the Business Link service - Business Link West Midlands. At the same time we have ensured that the service is properly integrated with the Learning and Skills Council's funded Train to Gain service and the Manufacturing Advisory Service - West Midlands.
Business Link West Midlands is the first port of call for all businesses seeking support or wanting to access the range of Solutions for Business products - whether they are looking for advice, access to funding or training.
The Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) is developing two new products to add to the 29 products already agreed. One is to enable Business Mentoring with growth orientated businesses and the second, Supplier Development Service, is looking to support Supply Chain activity. More information will be shared on the new products when it is available.
West Midlands Business Link is a one-stop shop for all small and medium sized businesses seeking support. It seeks to understand the needs of a particular business and connect it to the appropriate solution or advisor.
Increasing the number of new businesses starting in our region is a major priority of Business Link West Midlands.
Visit www.businesslinkwm.co.uk or call 0845 113 1234.
Business Support Simplification
In 2006 the Government announced plans to simplify business support in England to make sure business support that is funded by all parts of government is simple for business to access, has a real impact on public policy goals and represents value for money.
Following lengthy consultation with businesses and business leaders, the Solutions for Business Product portfolio was launched in April 2009. This portfolio has reduced over 3,000 separate business support schemes down to 29 Solutions for Business products.
In future therefore, businesses will be able to see easily the product which best addresses their business needs. Advantage West Midlands is now working to provide a managed transition of all its current business support into the new portfolio. A full list of the 29 Solutions for Business products is available in pdf format by clicking on the appropriate link in the related documents section on the right hand side of the page.
If you need any further information on Solutions for Business please follow the link in the menu to the left of this page.