Shakeeb Niazi FBCS CITP FIoEE FIET

🌟 Empowering SMEs with Skills for Growth 🌟 I speak to  small and medium-sized enterprises (#SMEs) almost every week, we are the backbone of the economy, driving innovation and creating jobs. I wanted to share a summary of the latest report from Skills England, “Driving Growth and Widening Opportunities,” which provides some valuable insights on developing skills and  building  a more skilled workforce. Here are 5 takeaways  for SMEs: 🔹 Invest in Skills to Drive Growth: The report highlights that investing in skills not only boosts productivity but also fosters innovation and competitiveness. SMEs can benefit immensely by upskilling their workforce to meet current and future demands. 🔹 Address Skills Gaps: Significant skills shortages exist in various sectors, including digital technologies, green industries, and construction. By identifying and addressing these gaps, SMEs can stay ahead of the curve and tap into new markets. 🔹 Collaborate with Local Authorities: Engage with Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs) to ensure that training programs align with the needs of your business. Collaboration with training providers, colleges and universities to collaborate and co- create internship programs or apprenticeships that help bridge the skills gap. 🔹 Future-Proof Your Workforce: With the rise of AI, digital transformation, and the green economy, it’s essential to equip your team with the skills needed for the future. Invest in digital skills training, green technologies, and advanced technical training. 🔹 Increase Employer Investment in Training: Despite the challenges, investing in employee training is more important than ever. The report shows that businesses that prioritize skills development see higher productivity and growth. Five actionable Steps for SMEs: ✔ Conduct a Skills Audit: Identify areas where your team may need additional training or upskilling. ✔ Leverage Government Initiatives: Take advantage of government programs and funding opportunities aimed at supporting skills development in SMEs. ✔ Foster a Learning Culture: Encourage continuous learning within your organization and support employees in pursuing further education. ✔ Implement Mentorship Programs: Experienced employees can share their knowledge and skills with newer team members. ✔ Track Training ROI: Measure the return on investment of your training programs to demonstrate their value and impact on business performance. If you are interested in getting any support feel free to reach out.    #SMEs #SkillsDevelopment #EconomicGrowth #FutureOfWork #Innovation #Training #SkillsEngland Department for Education Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) IfATE (Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education) techUK

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Great opening by Russ Shaw CBE to the TLA Future Frontiers event at HereEast launching Londons Tech Manifesto covers skills, talent, sustainability and much more. #FutureFrontiers #LDNTechManifesto Be Safe Pay it Forward Shakeeb #entrepreneurs #entrepreneurship #funding #startup #scaleups #grants #innovation #internationalisation #business #businessgrowth #businessgrowthstrategy ##investmentopportunity #investmentstrategy #investments

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➡️ AI4C (AI for Charities) Community ➡️ Royal Academy of Engineering Enterprise Hub #AI #Innovation #SME #GrowthFunding The government has launched two AI innovation competitions, offering UK SMEs the chance to draw funding from a £7m pot. Announced on Friday, the competition encourages SMEs to develop AI solutions in areas such as agriculture, construction, transportation, logistics and the creative industries. The first competition, backed by £5m, is a feasibility study for the use of AI to address business challenges. The second contest will see 100 projects able to apply for a share in a £2m funding pot. The funds will be delivered by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)’s Technology Missions Fund, in addition to Innovate UK’s Bridge AI programme. https://lnkd.in/eruUF5gQ

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It was interesting speaking on a #TechUK panel yesterday for SMEs looking at government grant funding. Key messages: 1. It's a good option given how hard it is to raise from VCs in the UK at the moment 2. It's incredibly competitive, time consuming, 70% reimbursement only so think hard about going down this road 3. The process forces you to think in detail about your product so, at the least, you are future proofing your business Good luck to all the #founders out there. As Ed Bevan says, it's the journey not the arrival Research Innovate and Emerge (RIEm) at Brunel, techUK, Michael Joseph PhD, Geoff Rodgers

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whatimpact.com #socialvalue marketplace for local supplier-#VCSE matching and for councils to share their community funds on the same platform is presented in Open Access. Our data from Charity Commission for England and Wales and Scotland, Companies House and 360Giving create a baseline of information and due diligence. VCSE projects are matched with GOV social value/TOMs and SPF criteria, and the impact reporting empowers the VCSEs themselves. Read more below how harnessing tech can revolutionise your processes and impact! 💥

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Absolutely 💯 what organisations should be doing in every sector. 

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techUK & FutureDotNow rightly are raising alarm over workforce readiness for AI. The future of work will be AI-enabled. Whilst discussions around the impact of AI on work often focus on machines replacing humans, the reality is that humans will increasingly work alongside machines and AI in the future workplace. #BridgeDigitalDivide #WorkforceReadiness

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Mutuality is a core pillar of Venture.Community. Most accelerators get their value from the relationship and comradery of cohort. At Venture.Community, you're in with a great crowd of members, but the value goes far beyond that, you're ability to massively increase your valuation and the size of your raise within our framework and approach; and with the support of our Fellows. Our approach is not about what you pay, but what you share with each other. Everyone buys-in and everyone is a beneficiary. Thus, it's very, very, very good value.

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Check out Alcea's latest blog on how #SMEs can overcome the seven typical challenges faced when looking to adopt #AItools into their businesses. The opportunities are enormous and the challenges are all surmountable! #AI #SMEs

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𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁-𝗨𝗽𝘀 🚀 Start-up business grants are a brilliant form of funding because you don't have to pay them back! There are loads of grants available in the UK from various organisations and the government, aimed at supporting businesses. But, remember, since everyone wants a piece of this FREE support, it's vital to make sure you're actually eligible before you apply. Also, patience is key while waiting for a response. #StartupLife #BusinessSupport #UKGrants #500more #Funding

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Is your workforce ready? 🇬🇧 The digital skills gap persists in the UK public sector, yet upskilling budgets may be tightening. Our latest article dives into: 💭 The digital skills imperative: Why data analysis, AI, and cloud skills are crucial. 💭 Macro factors shaping UK skills: Geopolitics, economic trends, and critical technologies impacting training needs. 💭 Predictions for future learning investment: Upskilling strategies for navigating uncertainty. Want to learn how to build a resilient upskilling strategy for your public sector workforce? Head to the full article ➡️ https://ow.ly/rYqy30sCGen #digitalskills #ukgovernment #upskilling #futureofwork #learninganddevelopment

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Help bridging the funding gap for under-represented founders is massively needed. I thought Innovate UK had started this last year with a tender released to support 300 under-represented founders in a year (with the aim of getting 100 funded). The tender deadlines came and went, and then a bunch of us got invited to a 2 day workshop in London to help narrow the specification (September 23). More tender deadlines subsequently moved. No explanations given, no further info. "The money has been earmarked and has to be spent". Lots of good people dedicated time, effort and good will into the process without even a message to tell us what's happening for nearly a year. Our own consortium (involving Diversity-X and Magic Sauce Online but looking to spread the tender money around other communities and providers) spent weeks preparing an innovative solution. I'd like Clive Lewis as my local MP and Peter Kyle and Rt Hon Rachel Reeves to hopefully shed light on what happened to this program as part of a new government that has said it's prioritising innovation and helping under-represented people in the startup ecosystem.

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Calling fellow startup founders based in or around London... this is a great event that we (adeus) have attended a few times. It's not your typical start up pitch event. It's the opportunity to intro your business to a really friendly room of business people who are open to sharing ideas and providing advice to founders early in their journeys. ___ Join VOCASOs next MIC NIGHT event in London, near London Bridge on Tuesday 5th November from 6pm. Up to 15 founders each do a 1-minute elevator pitch to our member community of seasoned executives, sharing their company's tale and toughest business hurdle ahead. It's not a pitch for money but an opportunity to gain the insights desired for that next stage of growth. A great chance to connect with potential perfect match mentors or advisors within the community who have the expertise or connections you relish. Spaces are limited. Learn more about the event and RSVP or add your name to wait list here: https://lnkd.in/e3iRy9Uf     VOCASO, a fee-free community of founders and advisors. An ecosystem that brings its members, all senior executives aspiring to become Mentors, Advisors and NEDs together with growth companies seeking wisdom and door opening connections to drive growth. VOCASO kick-starts board careers today to impact the economy of tomorrow.

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📊 Did you know there are 191,000 tech SMEs in the UK, employing 700,000 people? These businesses are the backbone of our economy, driving innovation and growth. Join us at the techUK event as we explore how we can support these vital enterprises. #techUK #SMEs #TechInnovation #EconomicImpact

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Start up investment schemes have been extended by 10 years 👏 This includes: ➤ The Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS)  ➤ The Venture Capital Trust Scheme (VCT) Both of which will now be in place until 5 April 2035. So what does that mean in reality? Here are my key take outs for UK challenger brands: ➜ Life is tough right now for challenger brands, but the UK economy NEEDs consumer brands to succeed in order to grow. This change in legislation recognises and supports that growth. ➜ The schemes are designed to encourage investment in new start up or scale up companies, which will enable a greater number of investors to invest within early stage companies. ➜ As more eyes turn towards the challenger brand community, ensure you have your brand strategy nailed down, your investor pitch decks ready and that you’re 100% clear on your place and the growth potential you can unlock within your category. Thanks for sharing Simon Devonshire OBE --------- If you need some support with insights and data to back up your investor presentations, drop me a DM 📩 

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Great learning opportunity this week at the London Tech Week: ..Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, on the policies and future plans to make London even more attractive for tech businesses ..Alex Mahon - CEO at Channel 4 - on how Channel 4 is dealing with viewers always changing habits ..Jimmy Wales - founder of Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - on how to spend wisely our time instead of scrolling down addictive social media: remove the app from the phone: period! Staggering stat: 2billion devices every month connect to Wikipedia …for free ! ..Jody Ford - CEO at Trainline - on their starting point out of VirginTrains and then how to scale the business both in the UK and internationally - with a couple of tough Covid years in between - leveraging talents and tech ..Vishal Marria - Founder and CEO at Quantexa - the data analytics firm specialised in context-based data intelligence  …and many more interesting speakers Additionally, it was insightful to visit some stands and learn how companies like Barclays, GSK, Tesco, Unilever and many more are leveraging Tech. Finally, it was great meet, both planned and by chance, old and new friends: Vineet Augustine, Jonathan Kriegel, Oliver Nichol, Andy Parker…and many more

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Is your organisation seeking to deploy #AI to boost #productivity, improve #marketing, or explore a new business opportunity?  Realising that UK business is falling behind in embracing AI, Innovate UK are offering a #grant to help organisations to partner with expertise that can assist them in adopting AI-led solutions. See the Feasibility studies for AI solutions funding call (see link in comments).   Our research group at NTU (CIA-Computational Intelligence and Applications Research -link in comments) has a strong track record in exploiting AI and #NLP (Natural Language Processing) to automate data #analytics and decision support systems. Our expertise can be utilised, for instance, to help companies to exploit AI in developing conversational agents (#chatbots) that deliver highly interactive automated customer services or engaging conversational marketing. Beyond traditional AI solutions, we have the expertise to design #innovative solutions that exploit the awesome power of #Generative AI in common language understanding and augment it with knowledge of the business domain knowledge to deliver improved customer interaction, more accurate advice, and richer recommendations. If your organisation is interested, we can schedule a meeting to further discuss this timely opportunity for collaboration. Innovate UK #ai #artificialintelligence #datascience #automation #chatbot #chatbots #conversationalagents #computationalintelligence #knowledgetransfer #grantfunding Taha Osman Jordan Bird Isibor Kennedy Ihianle PhD, MBCS, FHEA

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