Entrepreneurs now have the opportunity to turn their ideas into successful businesses with training and office space under one roof.
Bath MP Don Foster officially opened the UK’s first Adult Enterprise Centre in a bid to unleash the city’s entrepreneurial potential.
The pioneering partnership between City of Bath College and the Curo Group has bought back to life a derelict office at Rosewell Court in Kingsmead Square.
The Centre will be used to deliver start-up business training and act as a networking hub for new and existing entrepreneurs. There are also a number of ‘enterprise stations’ and meeting rooms available to rent out to individuals.
Steve Rollings, a Curo tenant from Snow Hill, is already making plans to rent space at the Adult Enterprise Centre to start up his own computer training business. He is to offer one-to-one beginner sessions to people who don’t know how to access the internet.
He has recently completed the Adult Enterprise course and says he hopes what he has learned will be “a launch pad to future success.”
Steve, who is unemployed having previously worked at Microsoft for 10 years, said: “The course was very relevant and very useful; each session left my brain buzzing with ideas.
“I am now ready to go and excited about setting up my business. I had a background in computing but needed the know how to set up on my own.
“Rosewell Court is a great venue for me; I hope to make myself an income while supporting the local community.”
Dignitaries attended the Adult Enterprise Centre’s ribbon cutting ceremony and toured the facility on Friday afternoon.
Liberal Democrat MP Mr. Foster said it was “absolutely fantastic” for the Centre to open in Bath as the city had such a history of innovation.
He said: “Two fantastically innovative organisations have come together in an innovative way to help real people discover their real potential.”
Matt Atkinson, City of Bath College Principal and chairman of Adult Enterprise, said the new venture would provide people with the skills to go it alone in business.
He said: “The College is dedicated to helping business start-ups and to making a contribution to the future of our community.”
Donna Baddeley, Executive Director for Transformation & Business Improvement at Curo, said: “This is about a great idea that has been put into practice. It’s all about inspiring and helping people to excel in life.
“People have the chance to do something different and learn to make a living out of it.”
Mayor of Bath Councillor Andrew Furse welcomed the opening of the Adult Enterprise Centre in his ward, saying it would meet the needs of the community.
He said: “Being able to get good advice about turning ideas into jobs can really improve a person’s worth and their family’s worth. I am looking forward to seeing some real outputs from this partnership.”
Learners will be able to work towards an Open College Network accredited Level 2 First Steps to Enterprise qualification or ‘pick and mix’ from ten modules aimed at different stages of setting up, running and growing businesses.
The flexible learning course is run in conjunction with Adult Enterprise, which is a national partnership of learning and skills providers providing entrepreneurship training.
Christina Conroy, Chief Executive at Adult Enterprise, said the curriculum was offered in 34 colleges across the country, but Rosewell Court was the first centre to include rentable office space.
She said: “It’s really pleasing to see how Adult Enterprise can be used to help communities, it’s very innovative.”
The College is keen to hear from new entrepreneurs who may be interested in becoming members of the Centre and benefitting from business start-up space.
