Thousands of job opportunities will be created in Plymouth this year as innovative and forward-thinking marine projects come into existence.
Building on a 200 year legacy as a global centre of marine innovation, this year will see the Plymouth and South Devon Freeport become operational and the continued development of Smart Sound Plymouth, the Ocean Futures innovation support programme and the Plymouth Sound National Marine Park, creating new jobs and cementing the city’s position as a world leader in the marine industries.
Tickets are on sale for the most exciting racing on-water as SailGP returns to Plymouth, Britain’s Ocean City for the Great Britain Sail Grand Prix on 30 to 31 July.
On the southwest coast of England, in an area famed for its rich maritime history and the natural amphitheater of Plymouth Sound, ten competing nations will race it out in identical fast foiling F50 catamarans reaching speeds exceeding 60mph.
This is the third event in the global championship’s calendar, following opening events in Bermuda and Chicago. After an extremely successful Season 2 event, the Grand Prix will once again be held in partnership with Plymouth City Council. Last year the event drew an estimated 27,500 spectators and brought in a $9.5 million boost to the local economy. The event also won the gold award in the Devon Tourism Awards, for Tourism Event/Festival of the Year.
In addition to having two action-filled race days, SailGP’s Inspire program aims to give area residents and its youth an exciting agenda to use the power of sport for good while developing sailing as a sustainable sport.
If you want to get excited about SailGP here in Plymouth, don't miss the United States Sail Grand Prix which will be taking place this weekend (18 and 19 June), and you can watch all the action here.
The Minister for Employment, Mims Davies MP visited Plymouth earlier this week to find out more about the work a city-wide partnership is doing to support residents into work, training and education through Skills Launchpad Plymouth.
Led by Plymouth City Council, in collaboration with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), Skills Launchpad Plymouth is a city wide partnership supporting those who are facing redundancy, job seeking or changing careers through the Adult Hub and offering targeted support for young people aged 16 to 24 years through the Youth Hub.
As part of a visit to the region the Minister requested to visit the Youth Hub to see how young people are being supported with skills, training, education, careers and jobs.
Since opening, between February 2021 and February 2022, Youth Hub Plymouth has supported 299 young people, with 239 transitions into employment, education and/ or training. A number of young people have also taken steps towards these key transitions by engaging in various employability, mental health and claimant support interventions.
Since March 2022, a further 87 young people have been supported with individual skills action plans and continue to receive ongoing help from the Youth Hub team.
Preparation work needed to change the entrance to the city’s new Brunel Plaza is due to get underway this year.
Station Approach is going to be radically altered to allow vehicles to get in and out of the new multi-storey car park as well as the station itself.
The entire area around the station is undergoing a complete transformation.
The University of Plymouth is currently converting InterCity Place into a brand new space to train and develop the next generation of nurses, paramedics and allied health professionals. Significant improvements are ongoing in and around the station concourse.
Now the project team is turning its attention to the entrance from North Road East.
From vegan bakeries and a fledging sustainable gifts business to a tool company looking to cut its carbon footprint, hundreds of businesses received a helping hand through a package of support made possible by the Additional Restrictions Grant.
Plymouth City Council put in place a series of free business support contracts to help firms get back on their feet after the pandemic and to give entrepreneurs the support they need. A total of 234 businesses benefited from these business support contracts, including 33 newly created businesses and 21 new social enterprises.
These ranged from helping people into self-employment or guiding them as they set up new businesses as well as supporting existing businesses looking to relaunch.
Two of the contracts – traditional Business Start-up Support and the Inspirational Entrepreneurship Programme (Community Entrepreneurship), both run by YTKO, targeted people who were thinking about setting up a business, sole traders, businesses that were less than two years or businesses re-starting/re-launching.
Plymouth Science Park’s new modular clean room offers space for vital research and testing in the South West.
The new facility is part of the Health Tech Innovation Hub, which opened at the Park this year. This regional hub for the incubation and development of health technology businesses, funded through the Heart of the South West LEP, provides access to integrated health technology, research and innovation, and the ability to design and create complex and innovative products for the health sector.
Plymouth has been awarded the prestigious Purple Flag accreditation for the way the city’s evening and night-time economy is managed.
Similar to the Blue Flag for beaches – The ‘Purple Flag’ accreditation is given to cities and towns that meet or surpass the standards of excellence in managing its evening and night-time economy.
Areas awarded the Purple Flag are recognised for providing a vibrant and diverse mix of dining, entertainment and culture while promoting the safety and wellbeing of visitors and local residents.
Plymouth was assessed on elements which considered the safety of customers and staff, the appeal of the city, the movement of people around the city and its cultural diversity and vibrancy. This was all assessed against a foundation of positive partnership working.
A large number of organisations work together to make Plymouth a welcoming and successful destination including: the City Council, Devon and Cornwall Police, pubs, restaurants, sports and entertainment venues, retail and transport operators, dedicated street pastors and taxi marshals.
Grants are on offer to help small or medium-sized enterprises in Devon access valuable consultancy support and business owners are encouraged to apply soon, before the support programme ends later this year.
The Plymouth-based ‘Meet the Expert’ programme, now in its final year of operation, offers businesses across the county the chance to learn from experts in a range of fields such as strategy, sales, marketing, finance and legal advice. It aims to give support and advice to help overcome barriers, setting businesses on a more productive growth path.
More than 230 businesses have been supported by the programme since it launched in 2020.
Fixed sum grants of £1,000 in match funding are available and businesses are asked to contribute just £515 themselves in order to receive bespoke business consultancy support. Applications for the next tranche of funding must be made by the end of July.
Make sure you don't miss their next workshop Meet the Professional Video Expert on 6 July.
The initiative, which is being funded through the Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership’s (HotSWLEP) Growth Deal, aims to improve the quality of mobile phone calls and connectivity. It’s targeting small businesses and households in rural communities who currently have inadequate coverage, or have access to only one provider and are currently struggling with connectivity.
Businesses and households can apply for a voucher of up to £1,200 towards the cost of a mobile signal booster from a registered supplier. The value of the voucher will be dependent on the type of technology most suitable for the premises.
IGNITE Festival of Creativity
IGNITE | Various locations | Until 15 July
This summer the award-winning IGNITE Festival of Creativity returns to the city of Plymouth for its fourth year, celebrating the work of hundreds of creative graduates from over 30 degree programmes, and a schedule of recruitment and employability content, in a series of exhibitions and events across multiple city-wide venues, including galleries, studios and event spaces.
Introduction to starting your own Business - Foundation series
Outset | Online | 21 June, 29 June
3 part workshop running from 10 -2 on Weds 15, 21 and 29 June. Each session will cover a different topic to support your journey into being a successful entrepreneur - overall considerations, marketing and finance.
Knowledge Transfer Partnerships business information sessions
University of Plymouth | Online | 22 June
The University of Plymouth's Innovation Funding Team together with Enterprise Solutions are hosting a series of free, business-information sessions.
These online events will show how different businesses can benefit from a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) project and explore other services for business that are available from the University.
Sustainable Earth @ Research Festival 2022
Low Carbon Devon | Various | 24 June to 1 July
A systems-thinking approach to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals
Learn how your business could achieve greater impact by taking a whole-system, collaborative approach from world-leading academics who are tackling the most pressing 21st-century global challenges.
Meet the Professional Video Expert
Oceansgate / Meet the Expert | Oceansgate | 6 July
This workshop will offer practical advice on how storytelling is a great way of engaging with people and getting key messages across about you and your business.
Design of schools in relation to Indoor Environmental Quality
Low Carbon Devon | Online | 7 July
Dr Sepideh Korsavi presents her findings on how the design of schools can optimise indoor environmental quality whilst lowering the carbon footprint and energy bill for schools. This event will be a useful insight for anyone involved in the design or management of schools and how we can optimise school buildings to help pupils be productive and engaged.
Meet the Business Strategy Expert
Oceansgate / Meet the Expert | Oceansgate | 10 August
The ‘Practical Strategies and Tools to Accelerate Your Growth in 2022’ workshop will be delivered by Richard Miller, Strategic Services Partner at Dafferns LLP, in partnership with the ‘Meet the Expert’ Business Support Programme and will offer practical advice on how to survive today’s environment of constant change, volatility and competitive pressures and how it demands a robust and ever-evolving strategic plan focused on delivering successful outcomes.
VocTech Seed Fund Reopens for Applications
The VocTech Seed Fund is currently accepting applications from organisations across all sectors, including charities, trade bodies, existing learning providers and employers.
Grants of between £15,000 and £50,000 are available to support the exploration of new approaches to using technology to enable adult skills development. The funding is specifically aimed at supporting experimentation and scoping of early-stage ideas, including pilots, prototyping and planning for long-term success. The grants can support projects lasting between three and 12 months.
Applications will be accepted until 13 July 2022.
Innovate UK Announces Young Innovators Awards 2022-23
The aim of the Young Innovators Awards is to find young people with viable business ideas who have the potential to become future leaders in innovation and successful entrepreneurs. The Awards will support over 300 young people by 2023 through annual competitions.
Applicants can apply for a share of up to £1.4 million. Each successful Young Innovators Award winner can claim a grant that includes £5,000 for project costs and a living allowance based on two days (15 hours) of work.
The deadline to apply is 27 July 2022.
Innovate UK Announces New £30m Fast Start Boost for Cutting Edge Start-Ups
Innovate UK is launching a new series of Fast Start grants worth £30 million to support UK start-ups and entrepreneurs to develop new innovative products, processes and services, building the UK’s future economy in key sectors from healthcare to climate technology.
Applications open on 11 July 2022 with a deadline of 27 July 2022.
Launch of Industrial Energy Transformation Fund - Phase 2 Summer 2022
The Industrial Energy Transformation Fund (IETF) supports industrial sites with high energy use to transition to a low carbon future.
The IETF Phase 2: Summer 2022 round provides up to £70 million of grant funding for the following project types:
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Studies - feasibility and engineering studies to enable companies to investigate identified energy efficiency and decarbonisation projects prior to making an investment decision.
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Energy efficiency - deployment of technologies to reduce industrial energy consumption.
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Deep decarbonisation - deployment of technologies to achieve industrial emissions savings.
The deadline for applications to be submitted is Friday 9 September 2022
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