Mentoring programme marks launch

Oct 6 2009 by Neil Warwick, The Journal

THE Biscuit Factory hosted the launch of the Mentoring for High Growth Companies Initiative known as the BUILD Programme last week.

The programme was created and funded by One North East and will be delivered by Entrust during the next 12 months.

The market place for events, consultations and discussion groups regarding economic recovery has become very busy, just as we lead into institutional dinner season.

Attending a clear and concise launch event delivered by the team who will actually deliver the programme was a refreshing change, as it is always better to hear how a programme will actually be delivered rather than discuss high level strategy aspirations.

The aim of the programme is to attract businesses with a high growth potential and match them with an appropriate mentor to assist with their growth. The mentors will be drawn from a panel which has been procured through a rigorous process run by One North East.

The programme will fund up to 50% of the cost of the mentor and is open to all sectors and also new businesses. The aim is to assist the best SMEs in the region to grow as quickly as possible which will help stimulate economic recovery.

In some ways there will be the inevitable cynicism that this is yet another publicly funded initiative, difficult to distinguish from many that have gone before. However, Entrust and One North East have a successful track record of running a similar programme, Money with Management, over a number of years. Entrust has also been soft testing the programme throughout the summer months. Therefore, there is already a history of delivering success.

More importantly, the underlying rationale for this programme is extremely sound and very timely. History shows that recovery from recession stimulates innovation. Statistics show that 90% of innovation comes from SMEs which make up 60% of the economy and employ 70% of the workforce.

Our own region has also demonstrated that very successful large companies come out of SMEs created in recessions, with examples such as The Go-Ahead Group, Arriva and Sage. There is a compelling level of evidence to show that a programme like BUILD can assist in stimulating one of the most important parts of the economy, which in turn drives recovery.

Notwithstanding the huge efforts made by One North East during the worst parts of the credit crunch at the end of 2008, the agency believes it is now a vital time to increase assistance wherever possible. It is not possible to predict if recovery has yet started properly, however, it is possible to predict that without these initiatives our region runs the risk, as it has in previous recessions, of not recovering as quickly as others. If the region is to remain internationally competitive, this is an unacceptable risk.

:: For information about how Dickinson Dees can help SMEs, contact Neil Warwick on 0191 279 9375 or at neil.warwick@dickinson-dees.com