Theme A | Theme B | Theme C | Theme D | Theme E | Theme F| Theme H 

Theme C - Partnership for Innovation & Enterprise / Equal Enterprise Scotland

Objectives
The DP Partnership for Innovation and Enterprise (PIE) - renamed Equal Enterpirse Scotland during Action 3 - aims to support widening access and entrepreneurship through advancing empowerment and citizenship within the DP associated networks by piloting and testing inclusive and innovative models and methodologies to assist the target group access business creation opportunities. A particular attenstion has been given to increaese the number of entrepreneurs emerging from the educational system.

Target Groups
Ethnic Minorities; Disabled People; Older People; Rural Exclusion; Ex-Offenders and Prison Leavers; Young People.

Mainstreaming Outcomes  

Kilmarnock College implemented the Student Employability Centre, a new holistic student service to encourage career progression and entrepreneurship. This initiative has been mainstreamed and is now funded through the College budget.
The College also piloted the Xcelurself project which is an Enterprise Club for students. The initiative sits alongside the Student Employability Centre and several elements have subsequently been developed through resources provided by the Centre.

The Glaisnock Trust promoted a Strategic Development & Networking – devising and developing sustainable processes, networks and practices to facilitate entrepreneurial mind sets in young people from disadvantaged backgrounds through the Centre for Enterprise and Creativity.  This project continues and has a cocktail of funding from a variety of sources including - Coalfields Regeneration Trust, The Lottery, Equal and the Community Planning Partnership.

Business Enterprise Scotland successfully led and mainstreamed three different pilots:
Ask the Experts is a facilitation of access to business experts and is now mainstreamed into core activity and is now funded by Scottish Enterprise;
Bank Referral Process is a process of bank advisers referring new business start up clients to Business Gateway. A paper on this project was requested and has recently been presented to the Business Gateway Advisory Group.
Professional Update Programme, a professional development for Business Advisers that has mainstreamed and is now funded by Scottish Enterprise.

Clackmannanshire Council developed a Centre for Social and Entrepreneurial Activity providing support and accommodation for a number of social enterprises. The support element of this project has been enhanced and is now funded through ERDF.  The strategic ‘think tank’ element of the project has been mainstreamed and is core funded through Clackmannanshire Council.

Falkirk College
The Origin8 pilot, implemented by the Falkirk College, aimed at developing and promoting enterprise education. The activity was supported by an Enterprise Awards Competition and a social enterprise company. Most aspects of this innovative project have been mainstreamed and are being core funded by the College.  The findings of the Origin8 evaluation have been used to assist with a current Objective 3 project, which tackles disadvantage and exclusion experienced by disabled people and assisting them in entering employment through Social Enterprise.

Scottish Business in the Community
Seeing is Believing is one of the two pilots led by Scottish Business in the Community. The project aimed at enabling senior business leaders to see at first hand how business can play a role in addressing some of the key challenges facing urban and rural communities.
This programme has been mainstreamed and is now self sustaining - funding mainly coming through a Lead Sponsor for each event, with the remainder from the additional participants.
The second pilot - Business Support Groups – aimed at enabling and enhancing the experiences and opportunities of these coalitions of companies working together in partnership to meet the needs of local communities.  Currently, fourteen groups continue to be supported throughout Scotland through a variety of funding including – Local Authorities, Scottish Enterprise and various Trusts and Funds

The Lauder College developed a package of initiatives - Working with offenders - designed to help develop entrepreneurship skills and raise awareness of self–employment. This pre-release programme has now been mainstreamed and is funded by the Scottish Executive.

For further information please contact: Brenda Walker
Tel: 01563 523501
e-mail:walkerb@kilmarncok.ac.uk
or visit: www.pieges.eu.com