The IEA is a recently re-organised training advice and consultancy body formed out of the merger of Islington Business Development Agency and the Islington Enterprise Centre. Its aims are to provide training advice and assistance to local entrepreneurs and residents, advance local businesses' competitiveness, and enhance the effectiveness of other local training and regeneration agencies. It has a charity/trading arm structure to enable it to position itself in different enterprise and training markets. It has a small 'lean' team of 5 professional project managers, each with a major area of responsibility.
A) ACTIVITIES
There are a number of strands to IEA's work and these are described below.
1 Vocational Training
The IEA runs twice yearly courses in Business Administration (accredited NVQ to level 4) for unemployed people (over 25) wanting to set up in business. Each course lasts 15 - 20 weeks, with 15 trainees per course. It is soon to provide a more flexible delivery, and to offer it to people working or hoping to work in a paid or voluntary basis in community projects and groups.
2 Access Programme for Refugees
IEA runs access programmes for refugees providing numeracy, literacy and enterprise awareness skills and a progression route onto its own business Administration programme or onto FE/HE programmes.
3 Industry Education
Through its STEP programme (Shell Technology & Enterprise Programme) sponsored by Shell UK and Focus Central TEC, the IEA acts as a broker placing graduates with local companies to undertake 8 week paid project-based work in industry.
4 Training Management Consultancy
IEA undertakes Training Needs Analysis and Business Needs Analysis for local businesses covering the areas of marketing, financial planning, personnel, technology and management.
IEA is expanding its consultancy services into Community Enterprise Development using outreach and management support in developing community projects. This expansion into the voluntary sector will adopt the same approach and experience used to develop enterprise within small businesses.
5 Multimedia and New Technologies
In association with Islington Chamber of Commerce and ARTEC, IEA's multimedia partners, it has developed a NUMEDIA programme to achieve better local business awareness and use of New technologies, especially the Internet. NUMEDIA activities include multimedia seminars, survey research of target companies, workshops, website development and multimedia training to local business.
6 Seminar Organising and Local Labour Market Information
IEA organises regular meetings of the Islington Economic Forum, a lively forum for local business and local professionals involved in local economic development to meet and mix together and acts as a way of disseminating and increasing local labour market knowledge and awareness, and providing networking opportunities.
7 Project Management
IEA manages a number of local projects including the Fonthill Road Traders Association (clothing industry), a training Grants programme for co-operative businesses.
B) FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
IEA is implementing an expansion strategy into Community Economic Development, and is in the process of repositioning itself from working directly with individual local businesses and residents to becoming a training and management consultancy working with other providers, in partnership. It plans to promote its services and expertise to key local economic regeneration areas that are cross-borough including Kings Cross partnership (Islington and Camden boroughs), City Fringe Partnership (Islington, Hackney and the City boroughs) and the Lee Valley Corridor (six North East London boroughs).