Supporting our business community through turbulent times
Over the past 12 months, we have continued to listen, adapt and deliver support programmes for our business community that has helped them to remain resilient, productive and even diversify their delivery.
With a tight labour market, rise in the cost of goods and energy prices inflated, we have worked hard to support Oxfordshire companies at such a testing time.
Our various business support programmes and interventions have absolutely helped many organisations from across the county find a way through the toughest of times, but they have also helped to send many on an upward trajectory too,
From our ever-changing and responsive growth hub offer, through to our European Regional Fund Development programmes of eScalate and Innovation Support for Business, we have a business support programme that understands the conundrums faced.
Meanwhile our Skills Hub – working alongside partners such as the Careers and Enterprise Company – can, through strong relationships with almost all secondary schools in Oxfordshire, ensure our business community have access to a pipeline of talent, as well as aligning requirements of key sectors with our education providers.
The past year has been a challenge for all, but we have embraced that challenge.
"Our business support tool is our ‘shop window’ into all of our business support opportunities and we would encourage interested companies to complete this short task to ensure that we can best direct them to the appropriate support for which they are eligible. We want to ensure that SMEs from all sectors are aware of the considerable opportunities that are potentially available to them."
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Collaboration of course continues to be key – by bringing together business leaders, stakeholders and partners to talk and find common areas where future development is possible, is absolutely vital.
The past year has continued to present challenges for everyone, however, our Markeplace event in November 2021 represented an opportunity for us all to get together, network and discuss challenges, which – of course – there will be many due to the cost of living and energy price difficulties making a big impact on as all, as well as hopefully more and more opportunities too.
Meeting new businesses yet to engage with OxLEP has been a critical mission of ours and – despite the obvious difficulties brought about by the pandemic – we have taken this challenge head-on.
As this film demonstrates, as we emerged from the pandemic, we listened to our business community and created such opportunities for discussion and collaboration.