Worcestershire: a home for everyone
Businesses across the region joined TheBusinessDesk.com to discuss the ambitious vision for the future of Worcestershire at Worcester Cricket Club.
Sponsored by the Worcestershire LEP and GJS Dillon, attendees heard from Gary Woodman CEO of the LEP, Andrew Lewis, commercial director for GJS Dillon alongside managing consultant of EntecSi, Julie Smith.
Home to more than 31,000 businesses – a 40% increase from 2010, Woodman presented the support the LEP has made available. Programmes such as the Professional Business Advisor are underway, where companies are able to access 1-1 support to recover and grow.
Woodman also highlighted key projects that are making a positive impact to the people of Worcestershire. Projects such as the Worcestershire Parkway Station are keeping residents connected to the rest of the UK and providing key links for the county.
Digital skills are a vital part of the county’s success, building off of BetaDen a commercial technology accelerator, the LEP aims to ensure its residents can easily access technology and have the skills to gain employment in the sector.
The LEP is also working with GJS Dillon to make Worcestershire a home for everyone.
Andrew Lewis, commercial agency director for GJS Dillon discussed the firm’s Worcestershire Commercial Property Market Report and presented how it has found that the demand for office space in the county is very strong – especially for space for SMEs.
The number of transactions in the sub 5,000 sq ft category has been its lowest since 2012. Lewis said without this, the county is missing out on enticing SMEs to the area as there isn’t enough offering for businesses to base themselves here.
In addition, Lewis says more city centre schemes need to be created to draw more businesses into the city – especially as it already provides excellent transport links for those wanting to come in. A better offering of city centre schemes will also give existing businesses the chance to put workers back into an office environment, following the switch to working from home during the pandemic.
A business that has been drawn into the region is Entec Si, who were commissioned to work with the Worcester Hospital Trust. Managing consultant Julie Smith revealed how Entec Si worked on an oncological robot that will enable life-saving treatment for conditions such as prostate cancer through less invasive surgery techniques.
Smith said she was proud to hand over the programme to the Trust for the final stabilisation phase in a healthy position and looks forward to working in the region in the future.
West Midlands Assistant Editor Anna Cooper said: “It was fantastic to see so many Worcestershire businesses at the event, who are so passionate about the county.
“Seeing the work that the LEP and GJS Dillon are doing, it’s clear that Worcestershire is a real hub of innovation and many more exciting things are to come.
“We are really looking forward to doing more events here and connecting with more fantastic businesses”.
