News & Information

South West Higher Education Institutions are supporting enterprise in the region by providing easy access to their expertise, facilities and services. The fourteen Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in the South West have come together to provide a comprehensive web-based resource for business in the region - Knowledge 4 Business - www.k4b.co.uk  
 
The Knowledge 4 Business site provides:  
A searchable database of Centres of Higher Education Expertise within the region;  
Information about problem solving, training, recruitment and research & development;  
Contact details for each Institutions Business Gateways;  
Case studies showing businesses that have benefited from interacting with the regions HEIs.  
Sean Mackney, Head of Secretariat for HERDA-SW, said:  
'Higher Education Institutions produce economically useful information and knowledge - they develop new ideas, which are often commercially useful, and also have skills and experience which can help businesses become more competitive.' 
 
Examples of work between the region's HEIs and business are given on the Knowledge 4 Business web site (www.k4b.co.uk), and include: 
 
For a busy South West print company like Peninsular Services, it was hard to assess how to develop the sales support and account management element of their rapidly expanding business. 
 
Having the opportunity to work with Emma Ellis, a young graduate with fresh ideas, enabled the company to quantify the value of the role and the process. The sales support role was subsequently developed to provide greater customer liaison throughout the project lifecycle. 
 
This development resulted in increased customer confidence, focussed quality projects, cost effective project completion and increased customer loyalty. 
 
'I'm an advocate of Graduate schemes, it was a challenge for us to fill the void that we had, but now we have been very successful.' Ron Ward, Managing Director of Peninsular Services. 
 
As part of its commitment to the training of students in the region, Jumping Jack Marketing took on a 3rd year university undergraduate to assist with a wide variety of day-to-day tasks. Jumping Jack Marketing is a sales promotions company based in Bristol. Their clients include Laboratoires Garnier, Mitsubishi, L'Oreal, Chewits, Chupa Chups, The Soil Association & Weetabix to name but a few. 
 
Simon Dix, who was on a business placement year as part of his four-year BA Marketing course, was involved with a range of exciting promotions including an on-pack offer for Chewits. The promotion offers children the chance to collect tokens in exchange for beany toys, or to enter a competition to win either an annual zoo pass or the chance to become a zoo keeper for the day. Simon oversaw the promotion in its entirety. 
 
A marketing agency such as Jumping Jack Marketing needs to be up to date with activity not only within the marketing industry, but within the consumer marketplace generally. Simon has been an invaluable resource, researching new products and ideas mainly via the internet. Student placement schemes benefit both parties. Regular contact with higher education institutions enables companies to tap into a potential supply of recruits to join their workforce, with outstanding students being offered a job on graduation. 
 
 
Notes to News Editors: 
 
For further information contact Deborah Watson on 01392 229585 (Office), email deborah.watson@southwestrda.org.uk 
 
HERDA-SW, the Higher Education Regional Development Association - South West, is the association of HE institutions in the South West. It has the joint aims of extending higher education's contribution to sustainable regional development and competitiveness and influencing and shaping the social and economic agenda in the South West by appropriate joint action. 
 
The fourteen members of HERDA-SW are: Arts Institute at Bournemouth; Bath Spa University College; Bournemouth University; College of St Mark & St John; Dartington College of Arts; Falmouth College of Arts; Open University; Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester; University of Bath; University of Bristol; University of Exeter; University of Gloucestershire; University of Plymouth; University of the West of England, Bristol. 
 
For further information please contact herda-sw

Contact
Sean Mackney
T: 01392 229579
E: herda-sw@southwestrda.org.uk