Theme C7.2 Pillar 2 - Entrepreneurship Theme C: Opening up business creation to all by providing the tools to set up in business and to identify and exploit new ways of creating employment in urban and rural areas. Strategic objectives - To test approaches to make sure that mainstream business support is developed to meet the needs of excluded groups.
Policy rationale Promoting enterprise, innovation and productivity is a central objective for both the UK Government and the devolved administrations in Scotland and Wales. The Department for Trade and Industry’s Small Business Service (SBS) provides a strong voice at the heart of Government for small businesses and is working to improve how policies and support for small businesses is provided. UK enterprise policy recognises the importance of self-employment, both for those in work and those moving out of unemployment; it forms an important option in New Deal.
Self-employment is also a flexible way to widen the world of work to groups facing barriers to access. Women, for example, now set up 30% of new small businesses. The Social Exclusion Unit Policy Action Team 3 looked at the role of ‘Enterprise and Social Exclusion’ and found that promoting enterprise can make a major contribution to social inclusion. The report stated that – as part of its wider remit to promote small businesses – the SBS should encourage enterprise and business growth in disadvantaged communities. Studies show that self-employment can be an effective route out of unemployment and exclusion. As part of the Government’s policy to encourage self-employment, the Department for Work and Pensions has a specific remit to encourage self-employment as a route out of benefits. While self-employment will not be the right option for everyone, it can provide good opportunities for many people in deprived areas - particularly where mainstream businesses have moved out. Women and men may find self-employment an attractive option to achieve a desirable balance between work and family life. Disabled people can also benefit from its flexibility. Businesses set up by older workers tend to survive longer. The SBS has recently published an action plan for small businesses , which unites the whole of Government behind the small-business agenda and defines the Government’s programme of work in this area. The Action Plan is based around seven themes: 1 building an enterprise culture;
2 encouraging a more dynamic start-up market;
3 building the capability for small business growth;
4 improving access to finance for small businesses;
5 encouraging more enterprise in disadvantaged communities and under-represented groups;
6 improving small businesses’ experience of government services; and
7 developing better regulation and policy. The planned actions around the themes of ‘Building an enterprise culture’, ‘Encouraging a more dynamic start-up market’, and ‘Encouraging more enterprise in disadvantaged communities and under-represented groups’ will be particularly relevant to theme C. For mor einformation about activities undertaken under this theme, visit Ist Round Approved DPs and 2nd Round Approved DPs under Theme C
|