Community Business Growth Hubs
About the Hubs
This community led business support pilot project, funded by WMCA and working with Business Growth West Midlands and the region’s Race Equalities Taskforce, seeks to overcome the barriers to success faced by ethnic minority businesses and entrepreneurs and provide targeted business support to unlock their full growth potential and help grow the region’s economy.
Our network of Community Business Growth Hubs is delivering a multi-sector business support offer to businesses in their local communities to help them to grow, including business information and advice, events and workshops and specialist support where required, supported by commercial partners.
All five hubs are run by organisations that have a strong track record of supporting diverse communities and connecting them with new opportunities. They are:
Access to Business (A2B) with Wolverhampton Black Business Network (WBBN) - Wolverhampton
A2B offers training, employment, self-employment, digital inclusion and enterprise/social enterprise support to local people and businesses. A2B’s enterprise support helps local start-ups and SMEs to develop, grow and contribute to the economic regeneration of the Black Country and the region. WBBN’s offer to businesses includes business hub resources, procurement advice, guidance on access to finance and regular network events.
Highlife Centre - Coventry
The Highlife Centre working from WAVA Hall in Barras Green, Coventry has an established business and entrepreneurial service including Community Business Growth & Development, Community Business Mentoring, Organisational Development, Community Business Networking and Community Business Start-Ups. 80% of the centre’s clients are from Black and Asian backgrounds.
https://www.thehighlife.org/business-and-enterprise-support/
Initiative for Social Entrepreneurs (iSE), Women’s Enterprise & Community Hub - East Birmingham
iSE is a social enterprise development organisation working with deprived communities in East Birmingham. The Women’s Enterprise & Community Hub (WECH) in Sparkbrook, Birmingham offers business units and training rooms and supports women-led businesses, working closely with entrepreneurs from the Pakistani, Bangladeshi and refugee communities. WECH is working with Tyseley Energy Park to help engage and connect East Birmingham businesses with new/emerging markets.
Legacy Centre of Excellence - North Birmingham
The Legacy Centre of Excellence in Newtown, Birmingham is the largest Black business and arts centre in Europe and boasting an established enterprise and skills programme, offering workspaces and workshops for businesses and events to promote Black businesses. The Centre’s business activities include “Black Pound Day” quarterly marketplace to showcase Black businesses and the annual Birmingham Black Business Conference.
Skills, Work and Enterprise Agency (SWEDA) - Sandwell
SWEDA has been providing business start-up, enterprise and social enterprise support for over 20 years and offers inclusive welfare, employment, digital skills and enterprise support across Sandwell. SWEDA’s business support offer includes 1 to 1 and group advice sessions, mentoring, training and specialist workshops. Support is accessible through SWEDA’s West Bromwich hub, which offers a range of training and meeting rooms, and SWEDA’s outreach activity.
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