FOREWORD
A personal message from the Chair
We have much to be proud of in the ten years since Buckinghamshire Local Enterprise Partnership (Bucks LEP) was established. Over the past decade we have built strong foundations to help our business community grow and worked tirelessly with stakeholders, political, education, business and community leaders to make our county a highly attractive place for business, which is why we are one of the top performing areas in the country.
We now have a clear endorsement to build on the foundations we have put in place on projects such as our Buckinghamshire Enterprise Zone sites, which have delivered 55% of all new commercial and industrial employment space in Buckinghamshire since their inception. In doing so they have transformed the business environment at Silverstone and Westcott and have already started to bring new investment into the Aylesbury Woodlands site.
We have delivered over £100m of Local Growth Investment into critical business infrastructure and supported networks supporting 30 projects providing educational facilities, innovation clusters, transport and critical digital infrastructure. For example, the support from Bucks LEP was instrumental for the growth of Pinewood Studios helping the UK film industry to grow by 18% in the last 5 years.
Bucks LEP have invested wisely, and our capital programme funds have been recycled, investment loans have been repaid and Enterprise Zone income secured to enable Bucks LEP to operate more independently.
Our collaboration in Buckinghamshire between private, public, and education sectors locally and regionally has never been stronger. Indeed, we provided the impetus for the biggest single shake up in Local Government Structures in Buckinghamshire for half a century, enabling the formation of the new Buckinghamshire Council in 2021.
With 14,000 active members our Buckinghamshire Business First Growth Hub continues to deliver a unified business voice for the county. From the start of the Covid crisis it provided 65,000 essential business assists and is also the only Growth Hub in England to be Route to Net Zero accredited. Our Bucks Skills Hub is ensuring our workforce has the right skills and competencies to allow both individuals and organisations to flourish, which is why it is ranked number one in the country by the Careers and Enterprise Company and is the first area in the country to have Enterprise Advisors active in every state school in the county.
The conclusion of the LEP review gives us the platform to build on these impressive achievements and confirms the future value and role LEP’s will have in the devolution agenda and the contribution they will make to levelling up outcomes.
Finally, I would like to thank the Executive team, and those who deliver our programmes, they have all demonstrated the utmost professionalism and commitment in what has been a challenging period. In the year ahead I look forward to working with them, the LEP Board, our partners, our local communities, and our businesses, to help Buckinghamshire build a strong future.
We have much to be proud of in the ten years since Buckinghamshire Local Enterprise Partnership (Bucks LEP) was established. Over the past decade we have built strong foundations to help our business community grow and worked tirelessly with stakeholders, political, education, business and community leaders to make our county a highly attractive place for business, which is why we are one of the top performing areas in the country.
We now have a clear endorsement to build on the foundations we have put in place on projects such as our Buckinghamshire Enterprise Zone sites, which have delivered 55% of all new commercial and industrial employment space in Buckinghamshire since their inception. In doing so they have transformed the business environment at Silverstone and Westcott and have already started to bring new investment into the Aylesbury Woodlands site.
We have delivered over £100m of Local Growth Investment into critical business infrastructure and supported networks supporting 30 projects providing educational facilities, innovation clusters, transport and critical digital infrastructure. For example, the support from Bucks LEP was instrumental for the growth of Pinewood Studios helping the UK film industry to grow by 18% in the last 5 years.
Bucks LEP have invested wisely, and our capital programme funds have been recycled, investment loans have been repaid and Enterprise Zone income secured to enable Bucks LEP to operate more independently.
Our collaboration in Buckinghamshire between private, public, and education sectors locally and regionally has never been stronger. Indeed, we provided the impetus for the biggest single shake up in Local Government Structures in Buckinghamshire for half a century, enabling the formation of the new Buckinghamshire Council in 2021.
With 14,000 active members our Buckinghamshire Business First Growth Hub continues to deliver a unified business voice for the county. From the start of the Covid crisis it provided 65,000 essential business assists and is also the only Growth Hub in England to be Route to Net Zero accredited. Our Bucks Skills Hub is ensuring our workforce has the right skills and competencies to allow both individuals and organisations to flourish, which is why it is ranked number one in the country by the Careers and Enterprise Company and is the first area in the country to have Enterprise Advisors active in every state school in the county.
The conclusion of the LEP review gives us the platform to build on these impressive achievements and confirms the future value and role LEP’s will have in the devolution agenda and the contribution they will make to levelling up outcomes.
Finally, I would like to thank the Executive team, and those who deliver our programmes, they have all demonstrated the utmost professionalism and commitment in what has been a challenging period. In the year ahead I look forward to working with them, the LEP Board, our partners, our local communities, and our businesses, to help Buckinghamshire build a strong future.
Andrew M. Smith DL
Chair, Buckinghamshire Local Enterprise Partnership
FOREWORD
CHIEF EXECUTIVE UPDATE
This year we have been focusing on delivering changes to transform our economy and improve the quality of life for Buckinghamshire businesses and residents. We have extended our business support and skills initiatives and invested in innovative, job-boosting projects to help companies and individuals through uncertain times. Infrastructure improvements have also been prioritised, with investments in transport networks, and enhancing digital connectivity to support sustainable economic growth in Buckinghamshire”
Richard Harrington CEO
Buckinghamshire Local Enterprise Partnership
We have a strong governance structure which has enabled us to develop a robust, long-term strategy and deliver our programmes on time and on budget. One of the key achievements this year is the Getting Building Fund programme with the 10 projects we are delivering across the county. These projects have been selected to support jobs, skills and infrastructure in our key sectors of upstream space, creative and digital, advanced engineering and manufacturing and medical technology and health. Significantly, the Getting Building Fund leveraged over £14.5m of private match funding, which resulted in a total capital investment of £22.5m.
A host of projects came to fruition across Buckinghamshire over the past 12 months. Local Growth Fund and Getting Building Fund investments have helped support the development of the Silverstone Sports Engineering Hub; the Satellite Applications Catapult’s In-Orbit Services and Manufacturing facility at Westcott; the Bucks Life Science & Innovation Centre at Stoke Mandeville Hospital; the University of Buckingham’s Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Innovation; and delivery of new broadband connections for many rural businesses.
We have become one of the first LEP’s in England to establish an open-access data observatory collating and sharing all of the latest economic data on the Bucks Economy, including latest statistics, reports and analysis.
We have seen how Local Enterprise Partnerships continue to play a vital role in supporting business, creating the strategic direction for local economies, and implementing effective, timely and results driven programmes, which has been reflected by the positive outcome of the Government’s LEP review.
We look forward to continuing to work closely with all of our stakeholders to deliver ongoing and meaningful results for our economy and maximising efforts to create jobs, long-term growth, and investment across the county.
We have a strong governance structure which has enabled us to develop a robust, long-term strategy and deliver our programmes on time and on budget. One of the key achievements this year is the Getting Building Fund programme with the 10 projects we are delivering across the county. These projects have been selected to support jobs, skills and infrastructure in our key sectors of upstream space, creative and digital, advanced engineering and manufacturing and medical technology and health. Significantly, the Getting Building Fund leveraged over £14.5m of private match funding, which resulted in a total capital investment of £22.5m.
A host of projects came to fruition across Buckinghamshire over the past 12 months. Local Growth Fund and Getting Building Fund investments have helped support the development of the Silverstone Sports Engineering Hub; the Satellite Applications Catapult’s In-Orbit Services and Manufacturing facility at Westcott; the Bucks Life Science & Innovation Centre at Stoke Mandeville Hospital; the University of Buckingham’s Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Innovation; and delivery of new broadband connections for many rural businesses.
We have become one of the first LEP’s in England to establish an open-access data observatory collating and sharing all of the latest economic data on the Bucks Economy, including latest statistics, reports and analysis.
We have seen how Local Enterprise Partnerships continue to play a vital role in supporting business, creating the strategic direction for local economies, and implementing effective, timely and results driven programmes, which has been reflected by the positive outcome of the Government’s LEP review.
We look forward to continuing to work closely with all of our stakeholders to deliver ongoing and meaningful results for our economy and maximising efforts to create jobs, long-term growth, and investment across the county.
WHO ARE WE?
Buckinghamshire Local Enterprise Partnership (Bucks LEP) is one of 38 Local Enterprise Partnerships operating across England, but the only one lucky enough to be responsible for driving the economic growth and sustainable success of this vibrant and exceptionally well-connected county.
We are here to provide strategic leadership, connect business with support and act as a catalyst for transformational change. As an ambitious and professional business led collaboration between the private, public and education sectors we work in partnership to deliver a successful strategy for economic growth.
We are considered by Government to be amongst the most successful in terms of our strategic outlook, operational delivery and exceptional reach and insight into the business community.
Building Back A Strong And Successful Economy
This year is the Bucks LEP’s tenth anniversary and we have been reflecting on some of the major projects, key programmes and significant benefits which we have helped deliver for Buckinghamshire. To find out more about all our projects, programmes and investments, both past and present, visit:
This annual report highlights Bucks LEP’s role in re-setting the economy as we emerge from the pandemic and other economic, political and social challenges and includes the area’s objectives and reset principles, approach and delivery plan. The report also outlines Bucks LEP’s strategic pillars and priorities to build on the area’s strengths but also identifies the vulnerabilities and barriers which need to be addressed to successfully deliver the organisation’s ambitions for everyone in Buckinghamshire.
This year is the Bucks LEP’s tenth anniversary and we have been reflecting on some of the major projects, key programmes and significant benefits which we have helped deliver for Buckinghamshire. To find out more about all our projects, programmes and investments, both past and present, visit:
This annual report highlights Bucks LEP’s role in re-setting the economy as we emerge from the pandemic and other economic, political and social challenges and includes the area’s objectives and reset principles, approach and delivery plan. The report also outlines Bucks LEP’s strategic pillars and priorities to build on the area’s strengths but also identifies the vulnerabilities and barriers which need to be addressed to successfully deliver the organisation’s ambitions for everyone in Buckinghamshire.
Successful allocation of Getting Building Fund boosting growth
Bucks LEP was delighted to announce that full funding had been allocated on schedule, by 31 March 2022, to ten key projects from the Government’s £7.7m Getting Building Fund, helping to boost economic growth in Bucks. This investment into ‘shovel-ready’ projects in Bucks is creating hundreds of new jobs and opportunities for training and providing facilities for education and space for new businesses to develop.
Over the past 12 months Bucks LEP’s investment, through its Local Growth Fund and Getting Building Fund, have helped support the development of the Satellite Applications Catapult’s In-Orbit Services and Manufacturing facility at Westcott; the Silverstone Sports Engineering Hub; the Agri Living Lab at Westcott Enterprise Zone; the Bucks Life-science & Innovation Centre at Stoke Mandeville Hospital; the University of Buckingham’s Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Innovation; and deliver new broadband connections for many rural businesses; along with investment in infrastructure projects such as the newly opened A355 relief road.
But we are not complacent, we continue to support our high potential businesses and key growth sectors to flourish and grow further and access new national and international markets.
Home to some of the UK’s most iconic business and cultural assets, Silverstone, Pinewood Studios, Stoke Mandeville and Westcott (home to the National Space Propulsion Test Facility), Buckinghamshire is the location of choice for many internationally focused businesses, including Bosch, Martin Baker, Instron and ESRI. Buckinghamshire has traditionally been known as a county of entrepreneurs with more businesses starting, surviving and thriving here than many other areas.
Buckinghamshire has a highly qualified resident population, and the county’s grammar schools are amongst the best performing in the country. In addition, Buckinghamshire is an attractive area in which to live, with a third of the county designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
The area has some fantastic locational advantages for business, adjacent to London and Heathrow Airport, skirted by the M25, M1 and M40 and operating as the natural bridge between the Thames Valley and the Oxford to Cambridge Arc. New rail connections including the Crossrail and East West Rail links will further enhance Buckinghamshire’s position as a great location for businesses to operate and grow.
However, our area is not without its challenges. With plenty of competition, retaining talent is a perennial quest, our digital infrastructure needs further development, we have experienced slow productivity growth in recent years, and our innovative businesses need further support to grow and reach their full potential.
Over the past 12 months Bucks LEP’s investment, through its Local Growth Fund and Getting Building Fund, have helped support the development of the Satellite Applications Catapult’s In-Orbit Services and Manufacturing facility at Westcott; the Silverstone Sports Engineering Hub; the Agri Living Lab at Westcott Enterprise Zone; the Bucks Life-science & Innovation Centre at Stoke Mandeville Hospital; the University of Buckingham’s Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Innovation; and deliver new broadband connections for many rural businesses; along with investment in infrastructure projects such as the newly opened A355 relief road.
But we are not complacent, we continue to support our high potential businesses and key growth sectors to flourish and grow further and access new national and international markets.
Home to some of the UK’s most iconic business and cultural assets, Silverstone, Pinewood Studios, Stoke Mandeville and Westcott (home to the National Space Propulsion Test Facility), Buckinghamshire is the location of choice for many internationally focused businesses, including Bosch, Martin Baker, Instron and ESRI. Buckinghamshire has traditionally been known as a county of entrepreneurs with more businesses starting, surviving and thriving here than many other areas.
Buckinghamshire has a highly qualified resident population, and the county’s grammar schools are amongst the best performing in the country. In addition, Buckinghamshire is an attractive area in which to live, with a third of the county designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
The area has some fantastic locational advantages for business, adjacent to London and Heathrow Airport, skirted by the M25, M1 and M40 and operating as the natural bridge between the Thames Valley and the Oxford to Cambridge Arc. New rail connections including the Crossrail and East West Rail links will further enhance Buckinghamshire’s position as a great location for businesses to operate and grow.
However, our area is not without its challenges. With plenty of competition, retaining talent is a perennial quest, our digital infrastructure needs further development, we have experienced slow productivity growth in recent years, and our innovative businesses need further support to grow and reach their full potential.
The Bigger Picture
Our Vision
Buckinghamshire Local Enterprise Partnership’s vision is to…
“CREATE A VIBRANT, BALANCED, COMPETITIVE BUCKINGHAMSHIRE ECONOMY. OUR MISSION IS TO CREATE THE CONDITIONS THAT SUPPORT BUSINESS TO INVEST, GROW, AND THRIVE”
Our Strategic Objectives
Our Economy
Sector Specialisms Include:
Creative Industries / Life Sciences / High Performance Engineering / Space / Wholesale / Digital Technologies.
Our LEP is Blessed With:
WE ARE THE ENTREPRENEURIAL HEART OF BRITAIN.
Securing Investment
Our primary objective is to mobilise each of Buckinghamshire’s internationally significant economic assets – upstream space, creative and digital, advanced engineering and manufacturing and medical technology and health – enabling the growth of clusters of businesses that are pioneers in their fields and raising productivity nationally, regionally and in Buckinghamshire.
Our business Growth Hub, Buckinghamshire Business First, is a major strength representing a membership of over 14,000 businesses including almost 70% of the local private sector workforce. Buckinghamshire Business First is making Bucks one of the best places to start, run and grow a business.
We are vital in delivering the national growth agenda. All the evidence suggests that Buckinghamshire, like many other county economies, although rural remains a critically important investment channel in underpinning economic growth and national industrial strategy.
OVER THE PAST TEN YEARS WE HAVE SECURED OVER £100M WORTH OF DIRECT INVESTMENT INTO BUCKINGHAMSHIRE, UNLOCKING A TOTAL INVESTMENT OF OVER £300M
FUNDING ALLOCATION
Projected targets over the life of the Local Growth Fund and Getting Building Fund Programmes.
7.5km of new road links enabling over 10,000 new homes and reducing flood risk to 1,400 homes
Creating over 5,000 jobs and apprenticeships
Over 238,000 sq metres of new business, commercial and innovation space
18km of new cycleways
Providing over 76,000 premises access to superfast broadband
Over 238,000 sq metres of new business, commercial and innovation space
UK SPACE INNOVATION GETS SIGNIFICANT BOOST AT WESTCOTT
Bucks LEP is proud to support Satellite Applications Catapult’s new In-Orbit Services and Manufacturing (IOSM) facility with a £2m Getting Building Fund award for this exciting new open access 2,387sqm centre. ‘Building 4000’ at Westcott Enterprise Zone will house the IOSM facility alongside the expansion of the Healthy and Agri Living Labs. These exciting initiatives will help the UK secure a 10% share of the global space market and are a significant development towards growing the critical core of the UK Space Industry and helping develop skills and talent as part of a world class innovation campus in the heart of Buckinghamshire.
Increasing prosperity and growth – Local Growth Fund
Bucks is a significant wealth generator for the UK economy, and the commitment of over £73m in Local Growth Funds by the LEP has unleashed ambition and creativity in the county. This funding is enabling the delivery of new road infrastructure, employment, education and business opportunities and enhancing digital connectivity to support sustainable economic growth in the county.
The Local Growth Fund grant has leveraged over £129 million match funding generating a capital programme value of over £200 million.
Our performance in supporting investment and in setting an ambitious strategic economic direction together with sound and transparent governance principles, have meant that we have always been respected and seen as an essential partner by business, our local community and government.
Bucks is a significant wealth generator for the UK economy, and the commitment of over £73m in Local Growth Funds by the LEP has unleashed ambition and creativity in the county. This funding is enabling the delivery of new road infrastructure, employment, education and business opportunities and enhancing digital connectivity to support sustainable economic growth in the county.
The Local Growth Fund grant has leveraged over £129 million match funding generating a capital programme value of over £200 million.
Our performance in supporting investment and in setting an ambitious strategic economic direction together with sound and transparent governance principles, have meant that we have always been respected and seen as an essential partner by business, our local community and government.
Bucks is a significant wealth generator for the UK economy, and the commitment of over £73m in Local Growth Funds by the LEP has unleashed ambition and creativity in the county. This funding is enabling the delivery of new road infrastructure, employment, education and business opportunities and enhancing digital connectivity to support sustainable economic growth in the county.
The Local Growth Fund grant has leveraged over £129 million match funding generating a capital programme value of over £200 million.
Our performance in supporting investment and in setting an ambitious strategic economic direction together with sound and transparent governance principles, have meant that we have always been respected and seen as an essential partner by business, our local community and government.
LAUNCH OF SCHOOL OF COMPUTING’S CENTRE FOR AI AND INNOVATION
Bucks LEP invested £1.6m of Local Growth Funds into the University of Buckingham’s centre for Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Innovation. This investment aims to address the gap in academic application and ethical research into the use of AI. The opportunities provided by the application of AI is of growing importance to Bucks businesses and the LEP are supporting the University to work collaboratively in this field with entrepreneurial businesses, and particularly with those businesses located at the rapidly growing Enterprise Zone sites at Silverstone Park and Wescott Venture Park.
Pioneering Research & Innovation Centre at the home of the Paralympic movement
£1.3million Local Growth Fund investment by Bucks LEP, supported the new Research and Innovation Centre at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, home of the Paralympic movement. The new facility will support a business incubation hub linking business to clinical research and healthcare services. It brings together the best of the clinical healthcare and the innovators in the med-tech industry to develop pioneering treatments and care for patients, creating investment opportunities and jobs in specialist healthcare sectors, including spinal injury and upper limb prosthetic technologies and rehabilitation.
Bucks gets building – Getting Building Fund
“European Astrotech are proud to be recipients of Getting Building Funding, which is supporting the establishment of the Centre of Excellence for Rocket Engine and Flow Tests Facility at Westcott. This investment by Bucks LEP will strengthen our competitive advantage and opens up the next stage in the evolution of the Westcott site to attract new business and investment to this world-class centre of excellence in space propulsion”
Sam Green, Operations Director at European Astrotech Limited
Getting Building Fund investment is creating hundreds of new jobs and opportunities for training and providing facilities for education and space for new businesses to develop their ideas. Bucks LEP are delighted that funding has been successfully allocated to all the projects to the deadline of 31 March 2022, and these are now proceeding with many already completed and fully operational.
THE 10 PROJECTS TO BENEFIT FROM FUNDING, ARE:
Bucks Lep Funding Charges Growth For Specialist Electric Vehicle Firm
Our investment programme always aims to support rapid growth. Nowhere can this be seen more clearly than in the support we provided for the Lunaz Group. We invested £250k through the Getting Building Fund in 2021, enabling the company to develop its electrification and recycling operations for HGV’s and commercial investment. As a result of this investment the company have been able to grow from 60 to 150 employees over the past 12 months, with further growth planned over the next few years as they expand their operations at our Silverstone Enterprise Zone.
Getting Building Fund Impact – expected outputs from our investment:
New Jobs Created
Jobs Safeguarded
SQM of New Commercial Space
SQM of Research & Development Space
SQM of Learning Space
Learners Assisted
Businesses Supported
Broadband Connections
New Investment Flows From Bucks LEP Funding
Bucks LEP was delighted with the announcement by Skyports to select Westcott Venture Park as its new home for research & development, training and flight operations. This announcement followed the LEP’s Getting Building Fund investment of £2.6m into the Innovation Ecosystem at Westcott including new drone port testing facilities. Bucks LEP’s successful delivery of its Getting Building Fund programme shows this investment is having an immediate return through Skyports decision to choose Westcott as their research & development base, creating hundreds of new jobs and opportunities for training and providing facilities for education and space for new businesses to develop their ideas.
Bucks LEP was delighted with the announcement by Skyports to select Westcott Venture Park as its new home for research & development, training and flight operations. This announcement followed the LEP’s Getting Building Fund investment of £2.6m into the Innovation Ecosystem at Westcott including new drone port testing facilities. Bucks LEP’s successful delivery of its Getting Building Fund programme shows this investment is having an immediate return through Skyports decision to choose Westcott as their research & development base, creating hundreds of new jobs and opportunities for training and providing facilities for education and space for new businesses to develop their ideas.
Firing Up Major Investment
European funding continues to secure jobs and growth in Bucks.
Businesses and communities across Buckinghamshire have benefited from £10.9m of European funding, secured by Bucks LEP, to support key growth priorities of innovation, research and development, support for small and medium sized enterprises, low carbon, skills, employment, and social inclusion.
Projects supported by this funding include:
Skills Brokerage Service
Identifying training opportunities to increase the productivity of over 1,000 Buckinghamshire based businesses.
Rural Funding
Awards to support the development and diversification in our rural and tourism businesses.
Halo Growth Programme
Businesses can access either tailored business growth advice or £1,000 Growth Grants.
Low Carbon Workspaces
Awards grants between £1,000 and £5,000 to help small to medium sized business enterprises (SME) in Buckinghamshire install energy saving projects.
Business Incubation Space
Our European programme funding has enabled business incubation and support services to be established in High Wycombe, Stoke Mandeville and at Westcott, providing invaluable support for start-ups and growing businesses in the health, social care and space and rocket propulsion sectors.
The School of Computing at Buckingham received a £1.6m Local Growth Fund Grant from the Buckinghamshire LEP to establish a Centre for Artificial Intelligence and an Innovation Hub.
Bridging the skills gap in data science
(By Professor Harin Sellahewa, Dean of Faculty of Computing, Law and Psychology, The University of Buckingham)
“The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) is fuelled by data – the new oil. Modern information age produces petabytes of data – Big Data – on a daily basis. Billions of messages posted on social media platforms, use of sensor networks to monitor large-scale physical infrastructures, machinery and farms, consumer spending behaviour, online shopping, Massive Open Online Course (MOOCs), and Internet of Things (IoT) are some examples that generate Big Data. Such data implicitly contain a rich insight that can be harnessed to create huge benefits as they enable smarter decision making”
Data Science has become a new and important discipline of science that has a wide range of applications. It includes solutions that handle big data from capturing, storing, processing, analysing data to visualising insights.
Multinational corporations, businesses small and large, charities and government departments are using big data and digital technologies to transform the products and services they offer as well as their internal business processes. However, there is a massive skills gap, both nationally and globally, for highly skilled data scientists who can design and implement technological solutions to achieve strategic business objectives.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and data science are crucial to ensuring the UK is at the forefront of technological revolution. At University of Buckingham we are at the heart of cutting-edge research in AI and data science. The School of Computing at Buckingham received a £1.6m Local Growth Fund Grant from the Buckinghamshire LEP to establish a Centre for Artificial Intelligence and an Innovation Hub. A key objective of the grant is to train the next generation of highly skilled graduates in AI, cyber security and immersive application development.
Over the past two years, we have successfully trained nearly fifty high-skilled data science apprentices to help combat the nation’s advanced digital skills shortage. Nearly forty more learners are currently being trained on the 18-month master’s level (Level 7) integrated degree apprenticeship programme, developed and offered by the School of Computing at Buckingham in partnership with Avado, the UK’s leading online learning and development provider.
The master’s programme is aligned to the Level 7 Digital and Technology Solutions Specialist – Data Analytics Specialist (Integrated Degree). Successful learners receive the MSc Applied Data Science (Degree Apprenticeship) from Buckingham as well as the Level 7 Digital and Technology Solutions Specialist (Data Analytics Specialist) degree apprenticeship certificate from ESFA.
Buckingham’s MSc programme has eights modules including business and entrepreneurship, scripting using Python, machine learning, data visualisation, and leadership, all of which play a central role in data science. Learners gain an understanding of how to design and implement machine learning solutions to solve complex business challenges. The programme incorporates practical workshops with leading global businesses including IBM, Tableau, TigerGraph and Zizo. In the first cohort, 90% of learners achieved distinction on their MSc.
Integrated degree apprenticeships are an excellent route to upskills or reskills employees for businesses to transform. I would recommend Bucks businesses to find out more about how apprenticeships could benefit them.
Data Science has become a new and important discipline of science that has a wide range of applications. It includes solutions that handle big data from capturing, storing, processing, analysing data to visualising insights.
Multinational corporations, businesses small and large, charities and government departments are using big data and digital technologies to transform the products and services they offer as well as their internal business processes. However, there is a massive skills gap, both nationally and globally, for highly skilled data scientists who can design and implement technological solutions to achieve strategic business objectives.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and data science are crucial to ensuring the UK is at the forefront of technological revolution. At University of Buckingham we are at the heart of cutting-edge research in AI and data science. The School of Computing at Buckingham received a £1.6m Local Growth Fund Grant from the Buckinghamshire LEP to establish a Centre for Artificial Intelligence and an Innovation Hub. A key objective of the grant is to train the next generation of highly skilled graduates in AI, cyber security and immersive application development.
Over the past two years, we have successfully trained nearly fifty high-skilled data science apprentices to help combat the nation’s advanced digital skills shortage. Nearly forty more learners are currently being trained on the 18-month master’s level (Level 7) integrated degree apprenticeship programme, developed and offered by the School of Computing at Buckingham in partnership with Avado, the UK’s leading online learning and development provider.
The master’s programme is aligned to the Level 7 Digital and Technology Solutions Specialist – Data Analytics Specialist (Integrated Degree). Successful learners receive the MSc Applied Data Science (Degree Apprenticeship) from Buckingham as well as the Level 7 Digital and Technology Solutions Specialist (Data Analytics Specialist) degree apprenticeship certificate from ESFA.
Buckingham’s MSc programme has eights modules including business and entrepreneurship, scripting using Python, machine learning, data visualisation, and leadership, all of which play a central role in data science. Learners gain an understanding of how to design and implement machine learning solutions to solve complex business challenges. The programme incorporates practical workshops with leading global businesses including IBM, Tableau, TigerGraph and Zizo. In the first cohort, 90% of learners achieved distinction on their MSc.
Integrated degree apprenticeships are an excellent route to upskills or reskills employees for businesses to transform. I would recommend Bucks businesses to find out more about how apprenticeships could benefit them.
Enterprise Zones building business investment opportunities in Bucks
Since 2016 the Buckinghamshire Enterprise Zone has provided an enormous boost to help Buckinghamshire grow its existing businesses and attract and accelerate new investment in key business sectors at Bucks LEP’s three strategically important Enterprise Zone sites.
The scale and specialist nature of the developments, the mix of uses and its highly strategic position, enables the Buckinghamshire Enterprise Zone sites to compete nationally and internationally as major employment locations.
The Buckinghamshire Enterprise Zone has provided an enormous boost to attract and accelerate new investment in key business sectors to our three Enterprise Zone sites. The sites at Silverstone Park, Westcott Venture Park and at Aylesbury Woodlands are driving forward the Buckinghamshire economy in the high-performance engineering, space technology, creative industries and life sciences sectors – all critical to the national economy and, just as importantly, securing business rate returns to be reinvested into the local economy.
Since Enterprise Zone status was granted to these three sites in 2016, there has been major growth and investment, resulting in: 70,005m2 of employment floorspace completed; 50 new businesses established; over 600 jobs created; more than £120m private sector investment; and £11m project funding committed from EZ retained business rates to support the growth of the Enterprise Zone.
The growing business infrastructure at Westcott has been instrumental in helping Buckinghamshire businesses trade internationally. The ability to use the National Space Propulsion Test facility has been the key to Nammo increasing their market within the United States and in supporting international space missions. Likewise, Spanish propulsion innovators
URA Thrusters chose Westcott as their UK research and development base having been attracted by the unique testing environment, offering the ideal environment to develop their water-based rocket propulsion systems.
Working with our Enterprise Zone partners – MEPC, Patrizia and Tritax Symmetry – there are currently exciting investment and development opportunities across all of our sites.
To find out about the latest information on the activities of the Buckinghamshire Enterprise Zone please go to our website at:
Since 2016 the Buckinghamshire Enterprise Zone has provided an enormous boost to help Buckinghamshire grow its existing businesses and attract and accelerate new investment in key business sectors at Bucks LEP’s three strategically important Enterprise Zone sites.
The scale and specialist nature of the developments, the mix of uses and its highly strategic position, enables the Buckinghamshire Enterprise Zone sites to compete nationally and internationally as major employment locations.
The Buckinghamshire Enterprise Zone has provided an enormous boost to attract and accelerate new investment in key business sectors to our three Enterprise Zone sites. The sites at Silverstone Park, Westcott Venture Park and at Aylesbury Woodlands are driving forward the Buckinghamshire economy in the high-performance engineering, space technology, creative industries and life sciences sectors – all critical to the national economy and, just as importantly, securing business rate returns to be reinvested into the local economy.
Since Enterprise Zone status was granted to these three sites in 2016, there has been major growth and investment, resulting in: 70,005m2 of employment floorspace completed; 50 new businesses established; over 600 jobs created; more than £120m private sector investment; and £11m project funding committed from EZ retained business rates to support the growth of the Enterprise Zone.
The growing business infrastructure at Westcott has been instrumental in helping Buckinghamshire businesses trade internationally. The ability to use the National Space Propulsion Test facility has been the key to Nammo increasing their market within the United States and in supporting international space missions. Likewise, Spanish propulsion innovators
URA Thrusters chose Westcott as their UK research and development base having been attracted by the unique testing environment, offering the ideal environment to develop their water-based rocket propulsion systems.
Working with our Enterprise Zone partners – MEPC, Patrizia and Tritax Symmetry – there are currently exciting investment and development opportunities across all of our sites.
To find out about the latest information on the activities of the Buckinghamshire Enterprise Zone please go to our website at:
“The pioneering Satellite Propulsion Test Facility at Westcott Enterprise Zone will support our ambitious space businesses, enabling them to undertake complex spacecraft engine testing, while boosting the local economy by creating highly skilled jobs”
Amanda Solloway MP, Science Minister from 2020-2021
Bucks key to UK Space Strategy success
Bucks LEP is delighted to see the recent publication of the Government’s UK Space Strategy recognises Westcott Venture Park and Enterprise Zone in Buckinghamshire as vital drivers of the UK Space ecosystem, helping to promote national growth and supporting levelling up across the space economy. The National Space Propulsion Test Centre at Westcott provides a unique national asset to help the UK deliver its launch ambitions, collaborate internationally and grow as a science and technology superpower. Together with the UK Space Command at High Wycombe, the heart of the UK’s space defence network, Buckinghamshire assets will be crucial to the success of the new strategy.
Bucks LEP was delighted with the announcement by Skyports to select Westcott Venture Park as its new home for research & development, training and flight operations. This announcement followed the LEP’s Getting Building Fund investment of £2.6m into the Innovation Ecosystem at Westcott including new drone port testing facilities. Bucks LEP’s successful delivery of its Getting Building Fund programme shows this investment is having an immediate return through Skyports decision to choose Westcott as their research & development base, creating hundreds of new jobs and opportunities for training and providing facilities for education and space for new businesses to develop their ideas.
Stamp of approval for Aylesbury Woodlands
Buckinghamshire Council’s decision to give the green light to the outline planning application for the Aylesbury Woodlands development, enables Bucks LEP to progress the delivery of this important development to help plug gaps in infrastructure provision, grow jobs, build a sustainable community and enhance access to open space and new community facilities. Aylesbury Woodlands is an extensive site to the east of Aylesbury, where a major new mixed use urban extension will be delivered. In addition, the design and delivery of the Eastern Link Road (South) through the Woodlands scheme is a key element of the master plan. For further details please visit:
Buckinghamshire Council’s decision to give the green light to the outline planning application for the Aylesbury Woodlands development, enables Bucks LEP to progress the delivery of this important development to help plug gaps in infrastructure provision, grow jobs, build a sustainable community and enhance access to open space and new community facilities. Aylesbury Woodlands is an extensive site to the east of Aylesbury, where a major new mixed use urban extension will be delivered. In addition, the design and delivery of the Eastern Link Road (South) through the Woodlands scheme is a key element of the master plan. For further details please visit:
An enabler for growth
Buckinghamshire Local Enterprise Partnership is an enabling body which seeks to create a business-friendly environment in which organisations can succeed. We have worked with our partners to identify an approach for directing and prioritising our activity and achieving improved business productivity. As a result of this approach, we have achieved great success during 2021/22.
A summary of achievements 2020/21
Spring
Supported the commencement of phase 1 of the South East Aylesbury Link Road scheme with £13.5m Local Growth Funding, to provide major improvements to enable development of major new housing and employment locations to the south of Aylesbury and ensure better regional transport connectivity.
Launched the first ever Buckinghamshire Local Skills Report, which is the ‘go-to’ document for everything skills-related within Buckinghamshire.
Hosted a round-table with the Buckinghamshire MP’s to support innovation and growth within the Health Technology Sector.
Conducted our first Business Barometer survey, a quarterly look into the issues that are relevant now to our business community.
Celebrated the opening of the new National Space Propulsion Test Facility at Bucks LEP’s Westcott Enterprise Zone to propel the UK into a new space age.
Bucks LEP was delighted to support, with £2m Getting Building Funding, the commencement of The Satellite Applications Catapult’s new DISC (Disruptive Innovation for Space Centre) facility at Westcott.
Rapid progress being made in the ten key projects allocated £7.7m of the Governments Getting Building Fund to support economic growth in Bucks.
Summer
Bucks LEP invested £1.6m of Local Growth Funds into the University of Buckingham’s newly opened centre for Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Innovation.
£1.3million Local Growth Fund investment by Bucks LEP, supporting the new Research and Innovation Centre at Stoke Mandeville Hospital.
Bucks LEP continuing to support the hospitality and tourism sector, through its destination management organisation for Bucks, Visit Bucks, with business support, advice and opportunities to promote their businesses.
The Government’s UK Space Strategy recognises Westcott Venture Park and Enterprise Zone in Bucks as vital drivers of the UK Space ecosystem.
Bucks LEP supported an innovative partnership between its Bucks Skills Hub and John Lewis to provide students with careers experience despite Covid restrictions.
Buckinghamshire Careers Hub expanded to include every secondary state-funded special school and pupil referral unit in Bucks.
Autumn
Buckinghamshire Careers Hub expanded to include every secondary state-funded special school and pupil referral unit in Bucks.
Over 150 local business leaders joined Bucks LEP’s Growth Hub, Buckinghamshire Business First, at their first Future Tech Summit at Silverstone.
Bucks LEP celebrated their achievements of the past 12 months, previewed ambitious plans for 2022 and launched a Net Zero Audit at their AGM.
Launched its first web-based annual report, which brings to life all the achievements of Bucks LEP over the past year.
Bucks LEP proud to support Satellite Applications Catapult’s new In-Orbit Services and Manufacturing facility with a £2m Getting Building Fund award for this exciting new open access 2,387sqm centre.
Supported the Visit Buckinghamshire: Boost programme to accelerate the recovery of the tourism, hospitality and leisure sector and wider visitor economy in Bucks.
Winter
Bucks LEP were delighted to welcome Nadhim Zahawi MP to Pinewood to see first-hand how LEP investment has helped support the skills offer for the creative industries and screen sector.
Getting Building Fund investment of £740,000 from Bucks LEP supported European Astrotech’s Centre of Excellence for Rocket Engine and Flow Tests Facility at Westcott Enterprise Zone.
Granting of the outline planning consent for Aylesbury Woodlands, which enables Bucks LEP to progress the delivery of this important development to help plug gaps in infrastructure provision, grow jobs and build a sustainable community.
Completion of the Beaconsfield relief road, supported by £6.05m Local Growth Funding, to improve the resilience and performance of Buck’s local highway network.
Supported the 2022 Bucks Skills Show, the county’s careers event of the year providing careers inspiration for over 4,500 visitors.
Nammo announce expansion within the Westcott Enterprise Zone, reinforcing the position of the Westcott site as a globally leading centre of excellence in space propulsion.
Our business plans
Buckinghamshire’s economic position, despite the Covid-19 crisis, remains strong with high rates of economic participation, low unemployment, a well skilled workforce and a strong enterprise base, compared to many other parts of the country.
Our Strategic Economic Plan highlights local aims to deliver increased prosperity and jobs for Buckinghamshire by putting any available funds to work, focusing on better transport connectivity, helping businesses to grow faster, and bringing business and education together more fruitfully.
New relief road opens in Beaconsfield
Bucks LEP is pleased to announce the completion of the Beaconsfield relief road, supported by £6.05m Local Growth Funding. The new road will improve the resilience and performance of Buckinghamshire’s local highway network, and enhance strategic north/south connectivity for the county. Without these necessary improvements to road infrastructure there is a risk that the county could be put at a disadvantage in terms of transport access across the county and the knock-on effects to economic growth.
What we aim to do
The focus for Bucks LEP is in preparing the ground for continued prosperity through enabling sustainable economic growth:
To get the right economic growth decisions taken more quickly
To stimulate more smart and sustainable business growth in the county
To bring forward the necessary business-critical infrastructure
To secure the inward investment needed to underpin growth
To ensure the supply of the skilled, flexible workforce needed by our firms
We use Bucks LEP’s powerful national, regional and local voice to ensure that critical infrastructure is delivered on schedule. We continue to support the case to advance development for business-critical national infrastructure projects such as East West Rail and the expansion of Heathrow airport.
Our strength and depth of business support and leadership sets us apart:
Through the Buckinghamshire Business First network we have links to the business community unparalleled in any other LEP
We are small, flexible and proactive
We can spot and react to business needs quickly
Strategic Economic Plan
Our Strategic Economic Plan (SEP) for Buckinghamshire reflects the government’s policy for local economic growth, the UK Industrial Strategy framework, the work of England’s Economic Heartland Strategic Alliance and the changed local planning conditions.
Our SEP sets out ambitions to 2031 to drive innovation and accelerated economic growth to meet the needs of our economy and place Buckinghamshire at the forefront of the UK’s global growth ambitions.
The SEP will do this by supporting four main strategic priorities:
Business Growth and Innovation
Skills and Talent
Connectivity
Town Centre Regeneration
Economic plan to turbo-charge Bucks
As one of the first trailblazing Local Industrial Strategies in the country, the strategy is driving the Buckinghamshire economy to further increase innovation, support international trade, improve connectivity and set out how the area will maximise economic opportunities.
The Buckinghamshire Local Industrial Strategy focuses on strengthening and exploiting the county’s most important economic assets – including Silverstone, Pinewood Studios, and Westcott Space Cluster – assets that are distinctive to Buckinghamshire and are significant nationally and internationally.
The Buckinghamshire Local Industrial Strategy builds on its four big economic assets in the space, creative, advanced engineering and digital health sectors.
For further information please go to:
This includes:
The ‘Bucks College Factor!’
(By Jenny Craig, Principal and CEO, Buckinghamshire College Group and Board Member of Buckinghamshire Local Enterprise Partnership)
“Since I started in post as the new Principal and CEO of Buckinghamshire College Group I have spent that time getting to know staff and stakeholders from across the County – as well as making sure that I can find my way around our three campuses!”
Two things that have struck me so far are how well connected to its community the College is and how passionate and supportive the staff are at ensuring that our students develop the key skills, knowledge and behaviours demanded by employers to ensure that they are first in the queue when it comes to taking the next step towards securing their dream job – we call this the ‘Bucks College Factor!’.
The College provides a wide range of high quality vocational, technical and professional courses from entry level all the way up to higher education enabling young people, apprentices and adults to develop and hone their skills and further their careers. I want to build on the strong reputation already developed by the College to cement our place in supporting Buckinghamshire to address key skills shortages both now and into the future.
One of the key ways in which we are directly addressing a number of key skills shortage areas is through the introduction of T Levels. For those who may not be familiar, T Levels are brand new two-year post-GCSE qualifications equivalent to 3 A Levels. They have been developed in collaboration with employers to ensure the content meets the needs of industry and combine high quality technical learning with the opportunity to apply that learning in the workplace through a 45 day industry placement. T Level students can progress into higher education, higher level apprenticeships or directly into employment.
In their first year of introduction, around 1,300 students nationally enrolled onto a T Level qualification in 2020 increasing to around 5,400 in the second year. The first cohort of students have just completed their T Level courses with over 92% achieving at least a Pass and over 34% achieving at Distinction or Distinction* level.
As a college we first introduced T Levels in September 2021 in Health (training the next generation of nurses and healthcare professionals), Education and Childcare (training the next generation of teachers and childcare professionals), Digital (training the next generation of programmers and software development professionals) and Science (training the next generation of laboratory scientists). For this year we are excited to build our T Level offer with the introduction of the T Level in Plumbing, another key skills shortage area and more T Levels are being added all of the time.
We are always looking for additional opportunities for our students to gain exposure to employers whether through work experience, guest speakers or offering industry placements to support our T Level students. Current employers value the chance to shape the workforce of the future and use the
T Level industry placement as a key part of their talent pipeline development process with many offering permanent roles to completing students.
If any employers are interested in shaping the workforce of the future, please do contact Lucy Milton at: lmilton@buckscollegegroup.ac.uk
Two things that have struck me so far are how well connected to its community the College is and how passionate and supportive the staff are at ensuring that our students develop the key skills, knowledge and behaviours demanded by employers to ensure that they are first in the queue when it comes to taking the next step towards securing their dream job – we call this the ‘Bucks College Factor!’.
The College provides a wide range of high quality vocational, technical and professional courses from entry level all the way up to higher education enabling young people, apprentices and adults to develop and hone their skills and further their careers. I want to build on the strong reputation already developed by the College to cement our place in supporting Buckinghamshire to address key skills shortages both now and into the future.
One of the key ways in which we are directly addressing a number of key skills shortage areas is through the introduction of T Levels. For those who may not be familiar, T Levels are brand new two-year post-GCSE qualifications equivalent to 3 A Levels. They have been developed in collaboration with employers to ensure the content meets the needs of industry and combine high quality technical learning with the opportunity to apply that learning in the workplace through a 45 day industry placement. T Level students can progress into higher education, higher level apprenticeships or directly into employment.
In their first year of introduction, around 1,300 students nationally enrolled onto a T Level qualification in 2020 increasing to around 5,400 in the second year. The first cohort of students have just completed their T Level courses with over 92% achieving at least a Pass and over 34% achieving at Distinction or Distinction* level.
As a college we first introduced T Levels in September 2021 in Health (training the next generation of nurses and healthcare professionals), Education and Childcare (training the next generation of teachers and childcare professionals), Digital (training the next generation of programmers and software development professionals) and Science (training the next generation of laboratory scientists). For this year we are excited to build our T Level offer with the introduction of the T Level in Plumbing, another key skills shortage area and more T Levels are being added all of the time.
We are always looking for additional opportunities for our students to gain exposure to employers whether through work experience, guest speakers or offering industry placements to support our T Level students. Current employers value the chance to shape the workforce of the future and use the
T Level industry placement as a key part of their talent pipeline development process with many offering permanent roles to completing students.
If any employers are interested in shaping the workforce of the future, please do contact Lucy Milton at: lmilton@buckscollegegroup.ac.uk
Business-Led And Focused
Businesses put in pole position at Future Tech Summit
Over 150 local business leaders joined Buckinghamshire Business First at their first Future Tech Summit at Silverstone – home to some of the UK’s most innovative and cutting-edge technology companies and now synonymous with high-performance and innovation. The event welcomed speakers from the world of future tech, alongside some of the very best from Buck’s creative, digital and tech sectors who helped inspire businesses to put technology into action to maximise business growth opportunities.
Buckinghamshire LEP is business-led and focused, which includes a predominantly Private Sector Board and over 14,000 businesses now engaged with our Local Growth Hub, Buckinghamshire Business First.
Our strategy and projects have been shaped by thousands of local business leaders through their direct involvement with Buckinghamshire Business First; at regular round-table ‘Think Tank’ events, Business Leaders’ Dinners, workshops and a multitude of other networking opportunities.
Buckinghamshire Business First have never been more in demand than over the past couple of years. The pandemic and emerging challenges such as rising energy costs and Net Zero, have prompted a huge rise in enquiries for business support, especially advice services and financial help through grants and loans. Acutely aware that a rapid, properly targeted response can make the difference between a business staying afloat or going under, Buckinghamshire Business First refocused their resources around the most pressing needs of businesses in all sectors, to ensure they not only survived but positioned themselves for recovery and beyond.
Our Business Growth Hub is the envy of every Local Enterprise Partnership in England. There’s plenty to shout about, having delivered over £700,000 in grant funding, provided over 32,000 business support interactions, and facilitated over 432 new jobs through their activity over the past 12 months. Representing more than 40% of the county’s businesses, and more than 70% of the county’s private sector employees, Buckinghamshire Business First continues to set the standard for others to follow.
Partner collaboration
Buckinghamshire LEP have always enjoyed a close collaboration with our partners at Buckinghamshire Council and with our colleagues at Buckinghamshire Business First, to ensure that economic development activities within the county are well co-ordinated and that the voice of business is actively engaged in local policy making. Through the Buckinghamshire Growth Board programme and through regular engagement events with our MP’s, we help to ensure that businesses have the opportunity to provide direct feedback on the issues that are currently affecting their business.
Capitalising on the momentum achieved since its formation in 2011 our Growth Hub in 2021/22 delivered:
32,000 Business assists
118 Events with 1,087 attendees
92 New products/services to market
804 Jobs Created
Over £700,000 awarded in grant funding
60 Individuals supported with start-up business advice
199 businesses supported with Workforce Skills
ENSURING BUSINESSES HAVE THE RIGHT SKILLED WORKFORCE
Our Bucks Skills Hub acts as a first stop shop providing support for workforce development, career pathways, recruitment training plans and redundancy support. The Bucks Skills Hub has been expanding its resources and growing its team, along with the new Bucks Skills Hub www.bucksskillshub.org website.
The Bucks Skills Hub, by working with local schools and colleges, is connecting young people with business to develop a dynamic programme of employer engagement. An effective ecosystem of skills development and careers inspiration is evolving. While the careers inspiration work is broad, there is a focus on our identified growth sectors ensuring that young people’s ambitions are aligned to where they will be needed most.
We believe that it is important for young people to be well informed on their career choices. That is why a number of members of the LEP team volunteer as Enterprise Advisors within our schools to help guide young people in their career choices. We have been pleased to see the increase in the range and opportunities that are becoming available for apprenticeship roles in Buckinghamshire, with our support for Bucks New University enabling significant growth in their higher-level apprenticeship programmes, and which are now able to deliver in high demand sectors such as health and social care.
Skills development is central to creating the conditions for sustained innovation, excellence and growth for our Buckinghamshire businesses, particularly in priority sectors as described in our Local Industrial Strategy.
Recent highlights include: the development of the Bucks Skills Show, and launch of the SEND Skills Show, as the essential events to inform young people about career opportunities; becoming only the second area in the country to have Enterprise Adviser coverage in all secondary schools; development of an extensive apprenticeship support programme – all leading to the Buckinghamshire Careers Hub being recognised as one of the highest achieving in the country by the Careers and Enterprise Company.
Our Bucks Skills Hub acts as a first stop shop providing support for workforce development, career pathways, recruitment training plans and redundancy support.
The Bucks Skills Hub has been expanding its resources and growing its team, along with the new Bucks Skills Hub www.bucksskillshub.org website.
The Bucks Skills Hub, by working with local schools and colleges, is connecting young people with business to develop a dynamic programme of employer engagement. An effective ecosystem of skills development and careers inspiration is evolving. While the careers inspiration work is broad, there is a focus on our identified growth sectors ensuring that young people’s ambitions are aligned to where they will be needed most.
We believe that it is important for young people to be well informed on their career choices. That is why a number of members of the LEP team volunteer as Enterprise Advisors within our schools to help guide young people in their career choices. We have been pleased to see the increase in the range and opportunities that are becoming available for apprenticeship roles in Buckinghamshire, with our support for Bucks New University enabling significant growth in their higher-level apprenticeship programmes, and which are now able to deliver in high demand sectors such as health and social care.
Skills development is central to creating the conditions for sustained innovation, excellence and growth for our Buckinghamshire businesses, particularly in priority sectors as described in our Local Industrial Strategy.
Recent highlights include: the development of the Bucks Skills Show, and launch of the SEND Skills Show, as the essential events to inform young people about career opportunities; becoming only the second area in the country to have Enterprise Adviser coverage in all secondary schools; development of an extensive apprenticeship support programme – all leading to the Buckinghamshire Careers Hub being recognised as one of the highest achieving in the country by the Careers and Enterprise Company.
“It was a privilege to visit Pinewood Studios to see how apprentices are earning while they’re learning, alongside the very best talent in the world.”
Nadhim Zahawi MP, Secretary of State for Education from 2021-2022
Secretary of State for Education praises Bucks’ creative industry skills offer
Bucks LEP were delighted to welcome The Secretary of State for Education, Nadhim Zahawi MP, to Pinewood to see first-hand how LEP investment has helped support the skills offer for the creative industries and screen sector, including investment into apprenticeships, enabling career changes and supporting the growth in this sector – all fuelled by the major studio expansion of Pinewood.
Underpinning the skills programme is robust research which proves that exposing young people to at least four encounters with employers during their school career reduces their chances of leaving education or training without a job and increases their earning potential .
Skills Show inspiring hundreds of SEND students
Buckinghamshire Skills Hub inspired over 300 students with SEND, at its first SEND Skills Show, which exposed students to a broad range of employers to discover different industry sectors and be inspired! The Skills Show, which was attended by over 30 inspirational businesses, took place at Stoke Mandeville Stadium and enabled young people to explore careers, discover different industry sectors and work out how to achieve their ambitions.
Careers inspiration for thousands at Bucks Skills Show
The Bucks Skills Show 2022 was a fitting in-person return for the county’s largest skills and careers show, with over 120 businesses – including Pinewood Studios, Google, MetroBank and Satellite Applications Catapult – and over 4,500 people walking through the doors of Westcott Venture Park for two days of careers inspiration!
The Cycling Test Lab, based at Silverstone UTC, received £800,000 of Local Growth Funding from the Bucks LEP.
Pioneering sports engineering facility providing the tools and environment for innovation in sport!
(By Rob Lewis, Managing Director, Silverstone Sports Engineering Hub)
“Silverstone Sports Engineering Hub (SSEH) officially opened the Cycling Test Lab at Silverstone University Technical College (UTC) in June with a ribbon cutting ceremony carried out by Richard Harrington, Chief Executive Officer for Buckinghamshire Local Enterprise Partnership. The event, saw visitors from industry, cycling media and local government come together to view the test rigs in action and see how the project will benefit both the cycling industry and the students at Silverstone UTC”
The Cycling Test Lab, based at Silverstone UTC, is designed to help students develop their engineering skills and show the opportunities available within the sports engineering sector. This facility will act as an extension of the aerodynamic testing facilities and R&D tools already on offer at Silverstone Sports Engineering Hub.
The project received £800,000 of Local Growth Funding from the Bucks LEP. An allocation of £350,000 has been put towards the Cycling Test Lab at Silverstone University Technical College (UTC), providing students at the college with access to three specialist rigs which will allow them to apply their learning to real world applications. £450,000 has also been allocated towards a pedalling rig which will be housed at SSEH.
As well as offering practical experience to the students of UTC, the rigs will allow SSEH to advance our research and development skills for sports engineering. Customers will book the rigs via SSEH and their testing will be carried out by the students, under the supervision of SSEH with the results fed into a specialist cloud software program. It’s great to bring together business and education in a way that will inspire the students and allow them to participate in real world engineering.
SSEH is based at Silverstone Park which sits within the Buckinghamshire Enterprise Zone. SSEH received an initial £2m of investment from the Government’s Local Growth Fund when launched back in 2019.
SSEH is a leading R&D facility for sports engineering and athlete development, based in the UK. We offer impartial and confidential testing services, with customers ranging from elite athletes and teams to manufacturers from the sports performance market, covering a broad range of sports. Our facilities include a Sports Performance Wind Tunnel, Fabric Wind Tunnel, Performance Lab and the Cycling Test Lab. The ‘Hub’ brings together some of the industry’s leading companies into one community, offering unique opportunities for collaboration and state
of the art R&D.
For further information on the Cycling Test Lab, or any of the other R&D services on offer at Silverstone Sports Engineering Hub, please visit:
Looking to a brighter future for Bucks!
What’s next for Bucks LEP in 2022/23 and beyond?
Growing our priority sectors
We are very excited about developing further collaboration and research capacity within our priority sectors. The iconic locations of Pinewood Studios and Silverstone are now the focus for new business collaboration, along with our vibrant clusters in the fields of high-performance technology and film and creative industries.
For example, Bucks LEP is delighted to provide over £4 million in funding to support the following initiatives – the state of the art Cycling Test Lab at the Silverstone Sports Engineering Hub to help students develop their engineering skills; the Agri Living Lab at our Westcott Enterprise Zone, a test-bed facility to solve the many challenges facing the agricultural sector; and the Life-science & Innovation Centre at Stoke Mandeville Hospital a purpose-built facility dedicated to research and innovation in the health and care sector.
We are also working alongside the UK Space Agency on the National Space Propulsion Test Facility and with the Satellite Applications Catapult on its 2,387sqm open access Disruptive Innovation for Space Centre both at our Westcott Enterprise Zone, and developing integrated healthcare solutions to reduce the burden on our national health service with Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, Bucks New University and leading technology and life-science companies.
Getting Ready For Lift-Off At Westcott
It was a pleasure to welcome a team, headed by CEO Paul Bate from the UK Space Agency, to Westcott to see the fantastic progress being made on the new In-Orbit Services and Manufacturing (IOSM) facility ahead of its opening in 2022. The LEP supported this facility, that contributes to its Enterprise Zone programme, with a £2m Getting Building Fund award for the exciting new open access centre. The visitors also had the opportunity to see the National Space Propulsion Test Facility and hear more about the ambitious 10 year plan to develop the site as a critical part of the UK Space launch infrastructure.
Bucks the centre of innovation
Developing entrepreneurship is core to Bucks LEP’s DNA and the collaboration with Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust and Bucks New University, and our investment of £1.3m has established two new business incubation hubs, one at Wycombe University and most recently at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, linking business to clinical research and healthcare services.
Launch of Bucks Economic Intelligence Observatory – a source of economic data and insight for Bucks!
Bucks LEP is proud to launch its new Buckinghamshire Economic Intelligence Observatory (www.buckseconomy.co.uk) an invaluable tool to help all businesses and public organisations in Bucks.
The Observatory makes it easy to find the latest economic data for the county – including latest statistics, reports and analysis – and will improve evidence-based economic policy decision making within the county.
Major Business Growth Powers Expansion For Space Fuel Specialist
Getting Building Fund investment of £740,000 from Bucks LEP is supporting European Astrotech’s establishment of its Centre of Excellence for Rocket Engine and Flow Tests Facility at Westcott Enterprise Zone. This investment opens up the next stage in the evolution of the Westcott site to attract new business and investment to this globally leading centre of excellence in space propulsion.
Infrastructure for growth
Infrastructure investment is essential for the continued delivery of economic growth in Buckinghamshire. That is why Bucks LEP is investing in major transport infrastructure, including the A355 improvement scheme in Beaconsfield, Aylesbury Eastern Link Road, High Wycombe Southern Transport Scheme, and Stoke Mandeville Relief Road, fixing utility constraints that prevent commercial site developments and unblocking major commercial property investments which support the needs of business.
In addition, our involvement in the Greater South East Energy Hub is delivering local energy projects to aid the UK’s transition to a low carbon economy, through the provision of renewable energy infrastructure and application of new technologies.
Focusing on digital innovation
The past year has seen the Local Enterprise Partnership focus on plans for how digital innovation and advancement can reap rewards for the county. There has been a crystallisation of responsibilities between Buckinghamshire Council and the LEP, with the Council leading on the implementation of central Government infrastructure projects such as Project Gigabit and Gigahubs, whilst the LEP is focusing on the opportunities and need to capitalise on infrastructure investment to maximise the potential returns for the local area. Digital innovation has a huge role to play in terms of meeting the LEP’s strategic objectives and specifically supporting business growth. Innovation will be vital to strengthening and growing our local economy, as well as encouraging businesses to invest in the local area.
To address this innovation focus, early in 2022 the Buckinghamshire Digital Innovation Plan was published.
This document sets out key themes for strengthening our digital capabilities over the next three years, including:
Digital skills – working to ensure that current and future workforces are able to thrive with the appropriate skills to match future jobs demand.
Improving innovation cluster collaboration – exploring opportunities for innovative collaboration and knowledge exchange.
Promoting the county as an area for innovation – championing Buckinghamshire to create new opportunities for inward investment.
Exploiting the opportunities of existing infrastructure programmes – ensuring that we maximise the potential within infrastructure projects, for example by advocating for fibre rollout alongside transport developments.
Securing funding for digital innovation – working with partners to accelerate investment in the local area.
Utilising data and intelligence – ensuring we make evidence-based decisions and conduct appropriate gap analysis.
Buckinghamshire LEP support through the Connected Counties programme has delivered over 57,000 superfast and full fibre Gigabit broadband connections in Buckinghamshire since 2013. Our teams have supported over 1,300 rural premises to access central government subsidies for bespoke digital connections, worth £2.45 million. Moreover, an additional £1m has been invested in the National BDUK Gigabit Voucher scheme, which will deliver gigabit capable broadband services to over 500 rural business and residential premises by March 2023. All of this is bolstered by the high demand of our residents and businesses for better digital infrastructure, as the take-up for our deployed services remains one of the highest levels in the UK.
Buckinghamshire LEP support through the Connected Counties programme has delivered over 57,000 superfast and full fibre Gigabit broadband connections in Buckinghamshire since 2013. Our teams have supported over 1,300 rural premises to access central government subsidies for bespoke digital connections, worth £2.45 million. Moreover, an additional £1m has been invested in the National BDUK Gigabit Voucher scheme, which will deliver gigabit capable broadband services to over 500 rural business and residential premises by March 2023. All of this is bolstered by the high demand of our residents and businesses for better digital infrastructure, as the take-up for our deployed services remains one of the highest levels in the UK.
Financial Position – Year-Ending 31st March 2022
Buckinghamshire Local Enterprise Partnership receives funding for its day-today core activity from National Government and local partners. The Buckinghamshire LEP Board manages these funding streams and Buckinghamshire Council acts as the Accountable Body for the LEP.
The Financial Statements for the year 2020/21 ended on 31st March 2021, are submitted for external audit scrutiny and, subject to satisfactory completion of the audit, are presented to the Board for sign off. The Financial Statements are below:
BUCKS LEP INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT 2020-21
| Income | 2021/22 |
|---|---|
|
Local Government Contributions |
£437,064 |
|
National Government Contributions |
£1,139,106 |
|
Other Income |
£199,807 |
|
Brought Forward |
£0 |
|
Total Income |
£1,775,977 |
| Local Government Contributions | 2021/22 |
|---|---|
|
Contributions from Outside Bodies |
£430,434 |
|
Other Income – LEP Management |
£6,630 |
| Expenditure | 2021/22 |
|---|---|
|
Staffing Costs** |
£737,488 |
|
Board Support & Office Costs*** |
£295,058 |
|
Other Costs (including external research, |
£1,023,874 |
|
Net Recharges* |
£454 |
|
Carry Forward |
£0 |
| Total Expenditure |
£2,056,874 |
| Transfer from Reserves |
£280,897**** |
| National Government Contributions | 2021/22 |
|---|---|
|
LEP Capacity and Other Grants |
£177,106 |
|
Local Growth Fund Grant for LEP |
£462,000 |
|
LEP Core Revenue Funding Grant |
£500,000 |
|
Total Income |
£1,139,106 |
*Recharges include net ICT internal charges from BC.
**Staffing costs include salaries, NI, pension, bonus, salary recharges and staff travelling costs.
***Board Support & Office costs include course fees, printing & stationery, rents, wayleaves & hire of premises, computer software license & purchase, telephones, subscriptions to national bodies, other professional & consultancy fees, legal fees, general office expenses, website development costs and miscellaneous other expenses.
****Despite the reduction of Central Government funding Bucks LEP were able and continue to maintain its extensive programme through locally generated income e.g. through its successful Enterprise Zones.
Board of Directors
Buckinghamshire Local Enterprise Partnership is a business led Board supporting collaboration across the county.
The board provides clear direction and defines priorities for economic development interventions in Buckinghamshire.
Useful Websites
