Microsoft looks to collaborate with West Midlands to accelerate growth
SOFTWARE giant Microsoft is throwing its considerable weight behind a new project aimed at accelerating business growth within Birmingham and The Black Country.
The company is looking to actively engage with businesses and stakeholders in the West Midlands to address key obstacles to business growth and how technology might be utilised to help overcome the challenges.
Similar schemes are set to run in the North West and North East of England – all with the aim of advancing business growth.
Clare Barclay, Microsoft’s General Manager – Small, Mid-Market Solutions & Partners is the lead on the project and she has already sounded out stakeholders within Birmingham and The Black Country for their views.
The software firm is looking to grow strong partnerships with key business organisations and academic bodies, together with the various local authorities. The shared experiences will hopefully lead to new best practice benchmarking.
Microsoft will lend its support by promoting connectivity solutions and developing new collaborations which encourage productivity and help SMEs develop stronger export policies so they can utilise the latest technology to take advantage of emerging international opportunities.
It has already sounded out both the Greater Birmingham and Solihull, and The Black Country Local Enterprise Partnerships for their views on the project, and has received strong support. Various further education colleges are also being courted with the aim of promoting the skills agenda through new apprenticeship schemes and training programmes.
Birmingham City Council, attracted by the inward investment opportunities such collaboration could produce, has also thrown its support behind the project.
The local authority is keen to promote the growth agenda and encouraging new start-ups is a key aspect of its business strategy.
Microsoft said its reward would be to see the productivity of the regions grow and the project was aimed at any SME that wanted to extend its productivity.
The software company will be supporting the project through a programme of ongoing investment and it plans a series of events to engage as much of the region’s business community and support infrastructure as possible.
