Providing a pipeline to talent, skills, support and opportunity
BDC prides itself as a college that fosters an entrepreneurial climate that encourages innovation and creativity. As an award-winning College, it is passionate about success and geared towards paving the way to economic independence and prosperity in a post-COVID business climate.
In addressing critical issues facing businesses, individuals, and start-ups due to the COVID 19 global pandemic, Barking and Dagenham College has identified gaps in urgent business, individual, and start-up support needs.
As Yvonne Kelly, Principal and CEO of Barking & Dagenham College, explains: “The idea is really an extension of our College’s ethos of fostering an entrepreneurial climate to help gain financial independence and prosperity. These are unprecedented times and we have given considerable thought to what we could do to help our local community not only survive but thrive. Our new scheme is our answer to this.”
The Scheme will offer businesses individuals and start-up’s the chance to take advantage of a dedicated suite of recovery opportunities. This will include activities such as digital skills development webinar sessions run by career and industry representatives, as well as help with financial health checks, strategy building, apprenticeship training, and building an online presence. It will also be offering qualifications in topics such as IT, finance, business, and digital marketing. In addition to this, the College will also be hiring out space, offering ‘clean desking’ opportunities – the chance to use professional office space while still maintaining a safe clean, secure working environment in keeping with COVID-19 regulations. There will also be the opportunity to use the College’s commercial business units at the front of the College, which could provide potential, temporary retail spaces that may be used to promote and sell products.
Working collaboratively with experts, employers, and sector representatives, the scheme aims to support the closing of gaps with the following offer:
- BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY PROVIDING FLEXIBLE OR IRREGULAR “WORKSPACE FOR HIRE”
BROADWAY THEATRE
A Performance venue and creative hub with an auditorium that’s seats 341. Managed by BDC, it aims to support the arts and improve access to arts facilities in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham and the surrounding areas of east London. In compliance with government COVID, the Broadway Theatre provides a creative and dynamic space offer.
COMMERCIAL BUSINESS UNITS
BDC front-of-house commercial business units provide potential, temporary retail spaces that can be used to promote and sell products. Business opportunities include
- Cost savings
- Less risk, a chance to test the market for your product
- Short-term leases make commercial business units a viable option, affordable and less risky
- Test the location - see how well your products sell in different locations.
- Raise brand awareness - a chance to raise awareness of your product and build brand loyalty.
PITCH-ON-DEMAND (POD)
A 10 seat frequency meeting space set up for safe distancing and effective post-COVID working
Businesses have the opportunity now to collaborate with their teams in a safe, secure, and private setting. Our POD meeting rooms have been set up with individual and team well-being in mind.
iCREATE
Built for students and tech start-ups, iCreate is home to 70+ PC and Mac workstations, a print/production facility, a live TV studio, and a digital learning area. A place to share skills and ideas. a great hub for developing digital skills and improving career prospects. Businesses can benefit from mentoring sessions, insightful talks, and masterclasses with industry experts.
If you’re starting out in the tech industry and need a base for your work, contact us to understand how the facilities at iCreate can help support your business, individual, or start-up needs.
to Level 3 for jobs of the future – Fit-for-purpose and future-geared
The opportunity for businesses, individuals, or start-ups to access “Big Business Mindset” platforms and “Own the Change” engagement initiatives such as our “ASK THE EXPERTS” initiative.
BDC students provide a bank of skills to meet a wide spectrum of business and individual needs, by so doing, contribute to positive change in a post-COVID climate. This could be anything from students providing bricklaying, carpentry, joinery, web design, digital transformation or using their accounting skills to help businesses calculate VAT or draw up invoices or use their graphic skills to help with new business logos and branding. The BDC Student Talent+ Bank will prove invaluable to businesses in this time
tailored to meet business and support needs through Webinars, Workshops, BUS Meets and networking forums
With incentives for both the business and individuals, Traineeships provide the opportunity for young people to develop skills and gain work experience as stepping stones to apprenticeship and employment. Most importantly, they provide a pipeline to talent for businesses.
to support BDC’s “Thrive don’t Strive” imitative aligned with its ethos of prosperity and economic independence.
BDC has a long-standing tradition of being highly responsive to individual, business, and market trends. The COVID+ Business Support Recovery Scheme is a response to the needs of the community at an unprecedented time.
For further information, advice and guidance on how the recovery plan can support and meet your business, individual or start-up needs:
Contact: Tim Carey, tim.carey@bdc.ac.uk
Business Enterprise & Skill Development Lead
