Spring to Action Ltd

Regen Roundup

The Coalition government seem to be releasing news at a rate of knots we haven't seen for years.  To help you keep up, we've compiled a quick list of some of the most important items:

• The government has announced it's intention to start a Regional Growth Fund and seeks your views
• How would you like to see Skills policy in the future? BIS starts a consultation
• Local Enterprise Partnerships are moving forward - Mark Prisk met local government representatives and business leaders to hear their views
• Meanwhile, David Cameron begins to set out his vision for the Big Society, launching it in Liverpool

What do you think the Coalition government should so about it's growth fund, how should it focus limited resources yet improve skills for all and what do you think about the Big Society? Let us know.

Spring works with Award-Winning People 1st and Stonebow

Spring is excited to announce that it has recently completed the development of a new marketing workshop for businesses in the UK.  Working with People 1st, the sector skills council for Hospitality, Leisure, Travel and Tourism, Spring has desgined training materials for a seminar called 'Focus on Marketing' as part of People 1st's acclaimed series of workshops to assist a range of businesses to improve business performance.

This half-day workshop is designed to provide companies with the essential marketing tools they need to attract new customers, focus on their niche markets and benefits from low cost marketing techniques.

Booking for workshops has commenced, with Spring delivering its first workshop very shortly.  To find out more or to book your place contact Stonebow.  This  half day seminar is available across the UK and can be delivered in house.

Getting Project Management Right

Today I thought I'd talk a bit about project management... because it's what we do!  As well as working with individual businesses to help their business succeed, we also work at a more strategic level, running projects and influencing stakeholders.

Have you ever seen a project fall apart?  I have and it's not a pleasant sight.  Often, the early tell-tale signs are ignored - no one's heard of the project, there's no plan, and no idea of where the project is heading.  But these warning signs are just the beginning, because if you don't start off a project on the right foot (whether your project is large or small, regeneration-related or business focused) there's very little chance you will achieve your objectives. 

You can apply this to a business project too, perhaps if you're implementing a new marketing strategy or taking on a new client. 

I'm proposing some key questions to ask yourself:

• What is the aim of the project?
• Are all they key people involved at a strategic level and do they agree with your aims?
• Have you got all the resources you need? (people and budget especially)
• Have you written a clear and comprehensive plan?
• What are the major and minor risks to the project and what contingencies can you put in place?
• When will you know the project has been completed satisfactorily?

I hope this list isn't contraversial, I think these are project basics.  Good project management isn't something you learn overnight, but it's a process, an artform in itself.  All these lists can be a touch dry, but great project management is an awful lot of fun too!  There's nothing like a plan coming together.

Skills Accounts can support Employment and Business Growth

The East Midlands has been selected as a trial area for the government's new Skills Accounts, with the aim of assisting people to take control of their learning. Having worked on their previous incarnation, it's a welcome return for people struggling to afford to undertake learning otherwise.

The idea is simple: you choose where, when and what learning you want to undertake.  The government supplies the funding (up to £7,000) but its controlled by you.  This should help to support successful providers of learning and encourage people to get into the habit of learning. Its open to everyone, regardless of whether you have a job or not.

Last time around, the accounts were somewhat spoiled by bad management of the system.  Organisations who provided learning and training were able to exploit the system and we even heard stories of 'doorstep selling'  - where people were signed up to courses, and paying for learning via the accounts that they hadn't even attended.

Let's hope these flaws have been addressed, because it's an excellent opportunity for our most deprived communities to get on the learning ladder and increase their opportunities in life.  So go on, sign up for a Skills Account and try something new today.

Kate