‘Knowledge Bank’ could hold the key for West Midlands businesses

A new knowledge bank is set to boost the fortunes of businesses in the West Midlands by providing simple access to reports, factsheets and over 5000 support schemes

[ClickPress, Mon Mar 26 2007] Companies in the West Midlands are being urged to make the most of a new information service being pioneered by Business Link West Midlands.

The ‘Knowledge Bank’, which is due to launch on the 2nd April, will provide a comprehensive database of library resources, free literature, factsheets and e-literature for individuals looking to start a business and more established firms.

It is also being developed to build a central directory of support organisations, schemes and funding opportunities available in the region.

Steve Taylor, Head of Information at Business Link West Midlands, explained:

“The new regional service has been developed to simplify the way companies can access business support and this latest breakthrough is an important part of the offer.

“When customers ring the contact centre (0845 113 1234), they will be initially assessed to discover their specific needs. At this stage, the adviser may directly access the knowledge bank and, depending on the support required by the customer, search a range of information electronically on a range of issues, for example regulation and industry reports.

“They can also signpost clients to specialist organisations or schemes, so they receive the support that is ideally matched to their needs.”

He continued: “The latter is a real milestone achievement. Currently, there are over 5000 schemes available in the West Midlands and we are aiming to make sure we have information on all of them within the year.”

The Knowledge Bank, which will also be used as an information tool for reporting on regional business trends, will continue to evolve overtime and a large part of its success will be dependent on the activities of Partnership Managers Carol Slater, David Ledbury and Christopher Briggs.

The managers will have an important role to play in generating up-to-date information for the system by further developing a network of contacts and promoting relationships with local authorities and other partners.

It will be their job to support these partnerships and, through regular communication, explore other ways of joint working and data sharing.

Steve added: “Initially, the Knowledge Bank is dedicated to identifying and capturing the numerous support organisations, schemes and funding available. However, we are already developing the second stage, which will concentrate on the provision of an on-line tool to enable data to be submitted directly by the support providers.”

Launching on April 2nd, Business Link West Midlands will, for the first time ever, provide a regional single point of access for all business and skills advice.

Companies will immediately benefit from high quality business support, information and advice tailored to specific requirements and access to 140 advisers, bringing together the widest cross-section of experience and expertise ever assembled.

There will also be a greater collaboration with the Manufacturing Advisory Service – West Midlands and the LSC’s Train to Gain initiative, not to mention the exciting prospect of the roll-out of the West Midlands Supplier Register, a 1000 strong-list of quality assured professional firms.

All of this means that by 2010, over 70,000 businesses every year will be helped with basic information, with a further 16,000 receiving intensive support.