connectmetWhere Education and Industry Meet

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Enhancing the technical skills of local SMEs

Speed Creating Creativity and innovation at Belfast Met

Generate New business support programme launched

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Autumn2014

Engage with an Award Winning Team

Justin Edwards, Director of Curriculum at Belfast Met, receiving the Outstanding Service to Business Award

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In this Issue:

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Since January, Belfast Met has been fortunate to have three Swiss students working in the Business Development and Computing Departments. As part of their course with the Centre Professionnel du Nor d Vaudois, based in the Vaud Region of Switzerland, the students completed a five month work placement where they came to Belfast Met to increase their english speaking skills and gain employment experience. The students are from a variety of courses and have been completing work in engineering, ICT and graphic design.

International Partnerships

Over 350 guests attended the British Airways sponsored gala event in the Culloden Hotel. The award categories received a record number of entries and the standard was said to be exceptional. The judging panel was chaired by economist John Simpson and included senior executives from Invest NI, Deloitte, Crescent Capital, NI Chamber of Commerce and CBI.

The quality of the College’s employer engagements has helped us to develop award winning approaches to enhance the competiveness of our business partners and the employability of our learners. Growing numbers of students now benefit from learning and placements that help them to prepare for employment post-graduation.

The College has a dedicated team which works out of the e3 building in our Springvale Campus to support business development with a number of specialist technical advisers working across key growth sectors including ICT, Renewables, Engineering, Tourism and Hospitality. This team works on a number of business programmes to support SMEs, including the InnovateUS Programme, DEL Assured Skills, Invest NI Innovation Vouchers, and ApprenticeshipsNI. The number of company engagements, individual training and capacity building assignments increased to close to 500 businesses.

Our award submission highlighted the unique strength of Belfast Met’s employer engagement and in doing so also demonstrated the effectiveness of the close collaboration between the College’s Business Development and Curriculum teams.

Belfast Met’s staff, CPNV’s International Team and the Swiss students working at e3

Justin Edwards, Director of Curriculum at Belfast Met, receiving the award

Working at e3 was the best way to have an overview of the business activities in Northern Ireland and I feel very proud to have had the opportunity to work with such a professional team!Joao Rodrigues Swiss graphic design student“

Belfast Met wins Outstanding Service to Business Award

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Training Opportunities at Windsor Park Stadium

Improving Communication in Health Care

On 2 May the first sod was cut for the redevelopment programme at Windsor Park Stadium. The upgrade will see the stadium become state-of-the-art and increase capacity from 14,000 to 18,000.

Belfast Met is working in partnership with O’Hare & McGovern, main contractors for the development, and the IFA to address social and economic issues. This innovative social clause will develop training opportunities, creation of social enterprise hubs, employability programmes, placements and apprenticeships.

The Sports Minister Carál Ní Chuilín said that this commitment will have significant community benefits during the construction period and beyond.

I welcome the fact that 32 long term unemployed workers and 19 new apprentices will gain direct employment as a result of this contract. In addition, two student placements will be offered the opportunity to gain valuable on-site experience, and any contractor or sub-contractor working on the build who employs more than 20 people must ensure that at least 5% of their workforce are in recognised apprenticeships.

Carál Ní Chuilín Sports Minister

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In social care, essential skills provision is identified as a high risk, with major impact for employers and the workforce of Northern Ireland in the future, if adequate measures are not taken to address the challenges posed by poor literacy, reading and communication skills.

Belfast Met, in partnership with NISCC, has developed vocationally contextualised materials to support the delivery of essential skills communication for social care workers. The materials are designed to help learners achieve a literacy qualification while at the same time developing their knowledge and understanding of the sector and their own responsibilities.

Congratulations to ten domiciliary care workers from South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust who recently achieved success on the completion

South Eastern Health & Social Care domiciliary workers successfully complete their course

Windsor Park Stadium development partners

of the programme, with Orla Patterson, Belfast Met tutor. Further roll out is planned within South Eastern Health & Social Care Trust and Belfast Health & Social Care Trust.

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Through the InnovateUs mentoring programme, companies have been able to utilise 30 hours fully funded technical mentoring. Take Ten, a stress management software company, benefited from media mentoring over a three month period. This covered live broadcast skill enhancement in television and radio. The company was able to utilise this when Fintan Connolly, proprietor of Take Ten, was invited to be a guest on a popular TV programme to provide parents, teachers and students with advice on managing stress in this season of coursework deadlines and exams.

Alanna Interiors, a home furnishing and fashion company, required skill enhancement in broadcast media and cloud computing. Through the InnovateUs programme the company could tailor their requirements to develop a bespoke solution to meet their skill needs. Alanna Interiors enhanced their staff’s techniques in radio and TV, with students also participating in the project to help prepare Amy and Carol for their interviews. The bespoke tailored nature of the programme greatly helped Amy and Carol to prepare their business for further growth. In addition to media mentoring, Alanna Interiors received skill enhancement in how to use data from the website to improve customer return, implement search engine optimisation and utilise cloud technology to produce cost savings of up to 25% as their business expands and seeks to reach new markets both at home and abroad.

Amy Bond and Carol Little, Alanna Interiors with Aidan Browne at e3

Fintan Connelly rehearsing in e3’s TV studio

Enhancing the technical skills of local SMEs

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Through an Invest NI Innovation Voucher, Belfast Metropolitan College worked with Marissa Murphy, founder of CrystAl Rain Mac Ltd to develop a new innovative rain mac, especially designed for brides.

Working with Jeremy McMahon and Lorna Reid-Mullan from the College’s textiles and fashion department, the company was able to design a high tailored bridal rain mac made from specialised crystal PVC which is transparent and fully waterproof. A unique aspect of the design was a hidden, adjustable pocket at the back which carries the wedding dress train keeping it clean, dry and completely off the floor.

An innovation voucher provides eligible companies with £4,000 to utilise knowledge from a local college or university to develop a new product, process or service. The innovation voucher enabled CrystAl Rain Mac to turn a design idea into reality through materials research and guidance into manufacturing processes leading to garment pattern design and a finished prototype.

I am grateful for the support that Belfast Metropolitan College has given me as a knowledge provider. Within less than two months, I had a paper pattern, CAD design and a prototype signed and sealed ready for production by a UK manufacturer. Their help and support has been amazing.Marissa Murphy Founder and designer of CrystAl Rain Mac Ltd.

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Model posing in the new bridal wedding mac

More information on the innovative CrystAl Rain

Mac can be found at www.crystalrainmac.co.uk.

Innovation Voucher turns bridal mac concept into reality for CrystAl Rain Mac

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Belfast Met is delighted to be delivering Generate and has extensive experience in developing relationships with stakeholders from the renewable energy sector. We work closely with industry leaders, have an experienced team on board and have a thorough understanding of the renewable sector. We are excited about the Generate programme and are ready to share information and research with companies across a wide range of sectors.Siobhan Lyons Head of Business Development at Belfast Met

“The Generate Programme is part-funded by Lisburn City Council, Belfast City Council, Castlereagh Borough Council, Invest Northern Ireland and the European Regional Development Fund under the Sustainable Competitiveness Programme for Northern Ireland. Generate is being delivered by Belfast Metropolitan College.

GENERATE new business opportunities

For further information on Generate check out www.generateni.comTel: 028 9026 5069 or email: info@generateni.com

A key part of the programme is helping your business make the right connections with the main players in the market. The type of support your will receive includes:

• Specialist one-to-one mentoring to help your business identify or develop existing projects in the renewable industry

• Participation on best practive and market development visits

• Developing contacts with potential customers

• Taking part in key networking opportunities to showcase your business to local and international renewable energy companies

Mary Young, Invest NI, Alderman Allan Ewart, Lisburn City Council, Siobhan Lyons, Belfast Met

Partners of the Generate Programme at the launch event

Does your company have the potential to become a supplier in the renewable energy market?

If the answer is ‘Yes’ and you are a small to medium size business from either the Lisburn City Council, Belfast City Council or Castlereagh Borough Council area a new and exciting business support programme called ‘Generate’ is now looking for companies to register.

Invest Northern Ireland Client Executive, Mary Young said, “The programme will provide businesses with access to specialist one-to-one mentoring to help position them within the supply chains of emerging markets for wind, marine, bio-energy, smart-grid and energy storage. The scale of the opportunities that exist is extremely exciting and is continually growing.”

Generate will help your business become fully equipped to supply the fastest growing energy sector.

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As part of creativity month, Belfast Met welcomed local businesses to make new connections and avail of an interactive, engaging, taster session on processing creativity in the workplace. Product Manager, Ben Ramhofer from App Haus SAP Ireland, delivered an innovative talk on how design space can kick start the innovation process and support business growth.

This unique training opportunity helped participants learn about various challenges and question the design thinking process, develop innovative solutions to a sequence of briefs, actively transferring new ideas from different perspectives into providing practical and helpful products and services for the future.

Throughout this taster session, the participants worked in teams and were guided through five phases – inspiring, conceptualising, refining, planning and presenting. The participants followed the process, defining problems, creating solutions and modifying and enhancing their ideas to present innovative solutions.

Participants thoroughly enjoyed the session and commented on how the continuous change in group dynamics helped increase energy. Company participants commented on how the model will help them apply design thinking to their business planning processes.

This event was supported by Creative Cultural Skills and Northern Ireland Design Alliance

Ben Ramhofer from App Haus SAP Ireland and Nuala Kilmartin, Belfast Met

at Belfast Met

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About the facilities

The Life and Health Science sector has been identified, by the government sponsored MATRIX Report, as strategically important to the NI economy; an area that has the potential to grow new markets.

The scope of Life and Health Sciences includes Bio Technology, Pharma, Connected Health and Care, Medical Devices, Cosmetics/Dermatology and Chemical/Microbiological Analytics. The sector is represented locally by large companies such as Almac, Norbrook and Randox, and innovative SMEs such as CaraDerm, Torq and Beechwood laboratories.

The College is continuing to build on the strategic relationships that it has forged with the sector. These relationships started with the Bioscience Skills Academy, and continued with the Employer Support Programme (ESP), where Belfast Met led the FE sector in Life and Health Science tailored support for industry.

A notable ESP project working with CaraDerm Skincare, resulted in the College winning the prestigious Cogent Life Science Award. Another project, with Beechwood Laboratories, involved a key member of the School of Applied Science working closely with the laboratory manager on the development of an innovative analytical method for fatty acid determination.

The college has significantly invested in the Life and Health Science sector. The facilities in the Titanic Quarter Campus are State of the Art. The facilities include 10 dedicated laboratories and a specialised Instrument Room housing both Infra-Red and Ultra-Violet Spectrometers alongside Gas Liquid Chromatogram Apparatus.

Belfast H&SC Trust employees celebrating their achievement, with Marguerite Harmon-Walsh, Belfast Met.

Belfast Met is pleased to partner with Belfast Health & Social Care Trust in the delivery of QCF Level 2 Diploma in Health and Social Care. Recently 48 domiciliary workers completed their training with Belfast Met and received certificates at the Trust’s Celebration of Achievement Event in Belfast Castle. Ms Catherine McNicholl, Director of Adult Social and Primary Care, paid tribute to the staff who combined heavy work schedules with the demands of the programme. Recognition was given to the Belfast Met tutors who supported the staff in meeting the increasing demands of their job role and in the achievement of their qualification.

Belfast Met partners with Health and Social Care Trusts

Recently, new collaborations have been forged with key stakeholders such as the European Connected Health Alliance (ECHAlliance). This culminated in a major Connected Health Conference in the e3 campus, with over 200 attendees. The diversity of the Life and Health Science Sector was represented at this event, from Clinicians to Care Providers to Technology Entrepreneurs. Contact Karen McCann, Business Development on tel: 028 9026 5069 for more information.

Industry Focus: Life and Health Science

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Delivering Composites Training to Industry

Through the Connected Programme, an introduction to composites was held at the College. This course was designed to provide an insight into materials used and typical manufacturing processes. Importantly, our syllabus contains a significant practical element where attendees can gain some practical hands-on experience of laminating with composites; an area often overlooked in composites training. The course was attended by learners from local industry and higher education, all coming from various backgrounds. Such courses have proved useful for delegates in technical areas, materials purchasers, HR, finance and management.

Belfast Met was proud to host a Social Innovation Event in May featuring Jonathan Robinson, founder of The Hub. The Hub houses a mix of entrepreneurs through business incubation, creative space to work and meet and acts as an innovation agent to these businesses. The success of The Hub has lead it to being established all over the world, in places as diverse as London, Amsterdam, Johannesburg, Sao Paulo, Soweto and Mumbai.

Jonathan Robinson spoke to guests about his experience in founding The Hub, where the idea came from, the challenges that he had in both creating the idea and establishing it and how Belfast can use this example to begin creating an innovative and diverse hub to spark creativity and entrepreneurship within the local economy.

Glen McMahon and Marie-Therese McGivern, Belfast Met with Jonthan Robinson, The Hub

Doing business at The Hub

Spirit Aerosystems Engineers

Course attendees in the Composites Workshop,

Belfast Met has completed delivery of a number of composite materials and manufacturing courses for Spirit Aerosystems of Prestwick. The courses, delivered to engineering staff, have been designed to provide staff with detailed knowledge and understanding of composites. Our experience in providing consultancy services to the industry means real world examples based on the underlying theory form a key part of the delivery. This ensures maximum benefits can be gained by delegates. The courses are accredited through the Composites Skills Alliance which has strived to develop and deliver a high standard of composites tuition throughout the UK and Northern Ireland.

The Connected Program provides for the transfer of knowledge between HE, FE and Industry

Industry Focus: Life and Health Science

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Business Incubation at e3 BeckettHanlon

UK-India SME Growth Programme

The BeckettHanlon Team

BeckettHanlon is an international ‘lifestyle’ property franchise. Its founder, Drew Beckett has a formidable record of business success through his 30+ years in the financial services sector and international property sales. Drew was President of Sales for Zurich UK and was the owner of Locations4U, the highly successful property business. BeckettHanlon is the evolution of Locations4U due to its success. BeckettHanlon’s main focus is the client, ensuring that they match them with the right property, through careful understanding of the client’s true needs and desires.

The facilities are superb, providing the perfect space to network with other young businesses and college staff alike. It offers the right space to train our franchise partners and team members and to present our business in the best light to new clients. We have also been able to avail of the expertise available through the hub

Barry Kelly BeckettHanlon Business Development Director

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Belfast Metropolitan College, partnered with the Bombay Chamber of Commerce, has secured funding for a two year project through the UKIERI (UK India Education and Research Initiative) Skills Development strand.

The project will draw on international best practice and collaborative engagement with the SME sectors in the UK and India through a series of workshops and masterclasses to improve organisational processes which will enhance overall business performance.

It is anticipated that within the two year project over 200 businesses in India and UK will benefit from becoming part of this highly lucrative SME ‘Partnership for Growth’ programme, developing international best practice models and improving their use of ICT technology to improve supply chain management. For more information on how your business can become involved contact Glen McMahon on tel: 028 9026 5025.

The incubation suite at e3 is a unique, modern hub promoting innovation and start-up. As a creative and collaborative environment, it is strategically placed to facilitate business incuabtion and add real value by providing the right amount and type of trusted support at the right time. In 2013, BeckettHanlon moved into the incubation suite.

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In April, five members of Belfast Met Business Development team delivered a presentation to senior management at Michelin highlighting areas for potential improvement, from cost and quality to health and safety. This presentation marked the end of a five month training programme, funded by the Department for Employment and Learning, where staff from Belfast Met and SERC used business improvement techniques to delve into Michelin’s internal processes in both the manufacturing and office areas.

Improving Business Processes at Michelin

Meet at the Met: Titanic QuarterLocated in the heart of the historic Titanic Quarter, the new £44 million state-of-the-art Belfast Met campus offers organisers a number of meetings, conferences and event facilities.

The central hall and adjoining conference room are flat-floored flexible environments which operate as one large space or two independent facilities, overlooking Queens Road with panoramic views of the River Lagan.

The lecture theatre is a modern, spacious and bright venue boasting comfortable tiered seating and equipped with writing pallets for delegates’ convenience. The boardroom offers a first-class facility which allows for flexible alternative layouts to suit any meeting requirements. An extensive range of modern and dedicated seminar and training rooms are located throughout the building.

Delegates can avail of two modern catering venues, Café Met and the Linen Lounge fine-dining restaurant and bar. In addition, a number of production and demonstration kitchens, one of which includes a viewing gallery, are available to hire; a perfect setting for a corporate event with a difference.

The Titanic Quarter Campus is an ideal solution for organisations looking for an inspirational venue. All rooms offer natural daylight, balanced air-conditioning and are fully equipped with built-in audio-visual equipment to suit all your business needs. To complement the wide range of facilities, wi-fi internet connectivity is available throughout the building.

Contact our friendly professional team for assistance with the event planning process

tel: 028 9026 5046 or email: meet@belfastmet.ac.uk

Belfast Met, SERC and Michelin Team

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@e3_belfastmet 028 9026 5058 www.belfastmet.ac.uk businessdevelopment@belfastmet.ac.uk

Business Development Helping your business to transform, perform and achieve

Innovation

Students

Knowledge

Training

We provide the following range of funded programmes and services to SMEs

Interest in finding out more about our SME services and programmes?Contact Business Development, tel: 028 9026 5069 or email: businessdevelopment@belfastmet.ac.uk

Access up to £3,000 worth of FREE training and technical mentoring for your business.

Access £4,000 worth of innovation expertise to develop innovative projects for your business.

InnovateUs Innovation Vouchers

Provide project briefs to develop your business and help students gain industry experience.

Provide vital work experience for students and help develop your future workforce.

Projects Placements

Embark on a strategic part-funded graduate programme to improve your business growth, productivity and competitiveness.

Access a part-funded cross border programme to develop business products, process or services in science, engineering or technology.

Knowledge Transfer Partnerships Fusion Projects

We can create a tailored training programme to meet the objectives of your business.

Access an employer grant to help grow your business by employing an apprentice.

Customised Training Apprenticeships