Business Gateway

Business Gateway aims

Through promotion of four main strands, the BBG aim is to provide challenging career and employment enhancing opportunities for University of Bolton students with high levels of proactive business and enterprise support, creating a regional and international business and education engagement hub.

Enterprise

Training and mentoring of Entrepreneurs to help start up and incubate business through to successful expansion and improvement.

Employer Engagement

Intensive improvement of knowledge of the world of work, developing skills, abilities and awareness through Live Briefs, Work Experience and Internships

Innovation

Research and Development of Products providing better solutions to meet commercial requirements

International Links

Developing international business links and training for foreign educational institutions, organisations and companies, including teaching knowledge transfers and Summer School visits from China

Current activities

Bolton Business Gateway provides a focal point to ensure optimal university engagement with businesses and external organisations, benefiting local employers and at the same time, promoting and enhancing employment and enterprise opportunities for our students.

BBG is supports the University’s engagement with the Armed Forces Covenant, building on its current Silver Award, which opens up opportunities for service leavers and University students and staff.

BBG works closely the University’s Director of Jobs for Students, the Employer Engagement team and the University’s Careers Service, the Academic Faculties and Schools and ConnectED partners (Bolton College and Alliance Learning) to support and complement their existing initiatives including work placements, internships, live briefs, research projects and enterprise activities.

BBG helps foster graduate entrepreneurs and support their development and progression as they seek to commercialise their products and ideas, working alongside existing partner agencies and support networks.

Current initiatives BBG is supporting include:

GM Chamber of Commerce

  • Chamber Train  - a suite of high quality professional training courses, designed by business for business.
  • GM Business Community – all businesses who aren’t currently members are provided with free access to the GM Business Community
  • GM Business Monitor - a weekly report which captures the impact of Covid-19 on GM employers and the British Chamber of Commerce’s weekly tracker
  • Chamber Professional Development -online training platform.

GM Growth Company

  • The Apprenticeship Growth Service - a group of impartial specialist advisors, aligned to the 10 local GM authorities with all the latest knowledge around apprenticeships, training and upskilling.
  • Greater Connected- Engaging workshops with specific application to the businesses’ circumstances
  • The STEP INto Healthcare training programme - Delivered by NHS TRUSTECH - a series of workshops and one-to-one coaching sessions
  • Funding for Manufacturers – Innovation vouchers up to £5k
  • SWITCHED ON Workshops - fully-funded business development programme designed to support SMEs in the Green Technologies and Services sector to grow.

Bolton Council

  • Skills Support for Employment Scheme - free one to one support, training, qualifications, work experience and help finding the perfect job.
  • Adult and community learning - on-line training courses that have been purchased by the council -  through a working partnership with Bolton College
  • HMRC E-learning Courses - advice and guidance from the Inland Revenue.

International Business links can be developed and strengthened with continued foreign knowledge transfer initiatives and a structured student programme of Summer Schools for our Chinese Partners.

BBG is led by Martyn Shaw, Director of Business Development supported by Enterprise and Knowledge Transfer Coordinator, Jane Stuart-Puttnam, Henry Swarbrick – Business Development and Mark Wright – China Liaison.

 For further information, please contact:

myBolton

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Help Centre

We have the answers to your questions, find all the advice and support in one place.

Part of the University of Bolton Group

Bolton college
Alliance learning
Anderton centre2
QQA Scheme Participant