NEW FUNDING TO PROMOTE BROADBAND USE AMONG SMALL BUSINESSES
Gloucestershire First has secured £700,000 of funding from the South West Regional Development Agency to help small businesses make better business use of broadband technology.
And to promote it, Gloucestershire First, in partnership with Busines Link Gloucestershire, has appointed Charlie Bray (pictured) as its first broadband promotion manager.
Mr Bray (37) has taken up the post after serving in a similar capacity with Business Link in Bristol, where he was a member of a team created to stimulate greater use of broadband technology throughout the west of England.
A former project manager with the Learning & Skills Council, he has served as an adviser to central and local government and, in three years with Bristol City Council, worked in the field of e procurement supply issues.
The aim of the project is to encourage smaller companies to realise that broadband can help business efficiency, growth and prosperity.
Gloucestershire firms applying for cash can use it to buy or upgrade hardware or software or to invest in training or consultancy advice.
“We are looking for companies in the county that really want to expand and, hopefully, create new employment opportunities,” says Mr Bray.
The scheme will be promoted on the County Council, Business Link and Gloucestershire First websites and information will be circulated to local business groups including the Federation of Small Businesses and the Gloucestershire Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Though use of broadband in larger enterprises is now widespread, in smaller companies it still hovers around 50 per cent, says Gloucestershire First.
“With training and advice, we can all make more use of broadband. Rural businesses, especially, can be just as competitive as urban ones,” said Mr Bray.
“Voice over internet protocol is revolutionising the telephone industry by offering up to 80 per cent off calls to any number in the UK or overseas and free calls to anyone on a company network.
“And teleconferencing, which cuts out the time, stress and cost of travelling to meetings, will make any business more efficient. Developments such as these are essential if Britain is to achieve a 12.5 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2012 as agreed under the Kyoto protocol.”
The £700,000 raised by Gloucestershire First has been matched at a ratio of 2:1 in cash or kind by other organisations in the county keen to encourage the intelligent use of broadband.
One is Gloscat, which will provide over 100 free training places in 2005/2006. Gloscat is one of only two colleges in the south west whose IT services have a Centre of Vocational Excellence award.
Other supporters include the county and district councils, BT, the Learning & Skills Council and Business Link, which is providing specialist trainers and advisers.
With access to broadband in the county now nearing 100 per cent, companies applying for financial support will receive up to 50 per cent of the cost of buying new or upgraded technology, training or consultancy services up to a maximum £2,000.
The project is due to start in November.
Ends
Issued on behalf of Gloucestershire First by Tony Haynes Eastwood Public Relations tel 01242 253707. 20/10/05.