WORCESTERSHIRE'S TECH TALENT SHOWCASED AND NATIONALLY RECOGNISED

Seven early-stage businesses taking part in a Worcestershire technology accelerator, recently named best in the UK, showcased their innovations in front of an audience of development partners, customers and investors at a special event at Yamazaki Mazak UK.

The event, which is organised by the county’s technology accelerator BetaDen, is the culmination of nine months’ work for Cohort 5.0 on the programme and took place faceto-face for the first time since Covid-19 drove the popular accelerator online in early 2020.

Donston Powell, communications manager at BetaDen, said: “We were really excited for the return of the inperson showcase, which provided an invaluable opportunity for founders to demonstrate their work and secure the customers, investors and development partners they need to support the next phase of their development. The seven companies who took part in this evening’s showcase are developing game-changing technologies here in the heart of Worcestershire, with several already receiving regional and national award recognition since joining the programme.”

One of those who has received national recognition is BetaDen’s Cohort 5.0 founder, Paula Bedborough of Secure Socialising, who has won a Tech Entrepreneur Award at this year’s Women In Tech Awards.

Secure Socialising is a project that Paula took to BetaDen, to elevate her route to market and gain professional support and funding. The project looks at how technology can be used to promote safe socialising and support outstanding customer experiences. They have developed a keyless smart locker system made for spaces where people meet or socialise and are currently working on a new app for smartphones to make the Secure Socialising experience even more intuitive.

Their smart lockers will help to reduce crime and vulnerability and help people to have a stress-free experience.

Paula said: “I am absolutely delighted to have won the Tech Entrepreneur Award. What an amazing event… A huge thanks to the BetaDen team and all the mentors for all of your invaluable advice and support. It’s been an absolutely incredible few months since I was lucky enough to join you”.

Find out more about BetaDen www.beta-den.com

The Worcestershire Apprenticeships hub celebrated their 8th annual awards in November 2022 to recognise the exemplar efforts of all those involved in delivering and supporting apprenticeships in the county with over 300 attending the awards gala dinner.

11 winners were crowned, with the highly coveted Worcestershire Apprentice of the year named as Georgina Davies from Worcestershire Acute NHS Trust, sponsored by Platform Housing Group, and Worcestershire Apprenticeship Employer of the Year announced as Redspeed International, sponsored by Heart of Worcestershire College.

Gary Woodman, Chief Executive of the Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “It was a real privilege to be a part of the Worcestershire Apprenticeships Awards, and I would like to congratulate all the winners and finalists.

“Each year we see more and more great examples of how the community across Worcestershire is embracing apprenticeships as a viable career path and I look forward to continuing this work into 2023 and beyond.”

Building on the success of the Worcestershire Apprenticeships Awards, the Worcestershire Apprenticeships hub is also preparing for National Apprenticeship Week. During the week the hub will be sharing a series of case studies, best practice advice as well as sharing news on new incentives available.

To stay up to date with Worcestershire Apprenticeships during National Apprenticeship Week, visit the website www.worcsapprenticeships.org.uk or follow the hashtag #WorcsApprentice