2.2 ENTERPRISE SUPPORT SERVICES
OBJECTIVE 1: Maximise Business Potential Deliver support services that equip entrepreneurs, owners and managers with the knowledge to plan, grow and sustain productivity, innovation and competitiveness, as well as encourage greater technology uptake.
2017 – 2020 IMPLEMENTATION
2021-2024 PLAN
Mentors were assigned to 1,554 clients who needed practical and sound one-to-one business advice and guidance. All Mentors were carefully selected, each with their own areas of expertise and all are highly skilled in assisting the small business owner/ managers.
Maximise Business Potential by providing a quality suite of support services that equip entrepreneurs, ownersand managers with the knowledge to plan, grow and sustain their businesses in particular through innovation and internationalisation and enhanced efficiency and competitiveness.
While it’s important to focus on helping people start businesses, a concerted effort has been put into helping businesses grow. Growth presents a whole new set of challenges for our clients,. and to assist, a series of export, productivity and digital innovation programmes were delivered to increase business competitiveness through Kildare LEOs enhanced partnerships with Maynooth University & IT Carlow. Key highlights included:-
During this plan we will develop programmes of support to improve the competitiveness and productivity of Small and Micro Enterprises to better enable them to export. We will ensure that supports like the Technical Assistance for Micro Exporters (TAME) and Trading Online Voucher Scheme (TOVS) are utilised to their fullest potential to support clients to achieve their export ambitions. Innovate Kildare, collaborations with Technology Gateways, promotion of Innovation Vouchers and New Frontiers programmes to support and nurture innovation within client companies will continue to be a key priority.
2019 Local Enterprise Office Kildare hosted the Boston Trade Mission with Kildare Chamber of Commerce, Maynooth University and 10 Kildare Local Enterprise Office clients (2019) and initiated a Memo of Understanding with the North-Eastern University Boston to assist with market research in the North-Eastern Seaboard of the USA on behalf of Kildare businesses
CarveOn Design Founded in 2011 by two brothers, Alan and Gary McCormack, CarveOn design and make premium personalised leather accessories. This LEO Kildare client is now exporting to 50 countries. Recognising the Challenge - 2020 was a challenging year with the sudden onset of Covid-19 and the ongoing concern of a no deal Brexit. Despite this, LEO Kildare approved 44 applications for M1 support in 2020. Associated with these approvals is the potential to create 72 new sustainable jobs. The capacity of LEO Kildare to adapt to the needs of the business community places it centrally with the regional enterprise support ecosystem.
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