Welcome to Furness Enterprise - a local enterprise partnership delivering business support to companies of all sizes.
We help facilitate company growth, inward investment and assist individuals to access jobs.
We are "Your First Choice for Business Support"*Furness Enterprise is businesses "First Choice for Business Support" within SW Cumbria. Hill Taylor Partnership's independent survey in summer 2009 showed that "over 58% of respondents mentioned us as first for business information and support", whilst the next nearest organisation only had a 10.67% share.
Furness Enterprise provides inward investors, local entrepreneurs and newly formed businesses with a ISO9001(2008) Quality Assured, locally provided, locally focused, simplified enterprise and business support service.
An investor aftercare and development service helps multinational firms already here by encouraging re-investment.
We help companies seek money and markets, and to access finance or take advantage of discretionary Assisted Area grant support packages and innovation funding to facilitate growth.
The House of Commons Business, Innovation and Skills Committee in December 2010 specifically mentioned the significance of our work - stating, "There are other such partnerships, both at higher and lower levels than that of LEPs, among them Furness Enterprise, Central Bedfordshire Strategic Partnership, Gatwick Diamond, South East Economic Partnerships, South East Diamonds for Investment and Growth and the Northern Way. The overall impression given by the persistence of these partnerships and the quality of some of their submissions, both to the inquiry and as bids for LEP status, is that they offer a track record of successful co-working between local authorities and businesses". Source: The New Local Enterprise Partnerships: An Initial Assessment - http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmselect/cmbis/434/43405.htm#a4
Our most popular offers to businesses are the:
- total business support programme which enables firms to expand or move into Furness;
- Job access enabling firms which are expanding to source the labour they need from the existing pool of labour available in the area and northwest England
- seminars, workshops, masterclasses and training days. The Events page tells you which events are coming up over the next few months.
Unlike membership organisations "we are open to all" companies - anyone can come to our events or use our services.
We also are open all individuals seeking work or affected by redundancy and seeking to return to work.
We also work closely with the Federation of Small Businesses and other organisations such as Bionow and trade unions such as Unite and GMB to develop sectors of business and sustain skills.
The Furness area has better business prospects than many areas. Foundations for this are proposals for a multi-billion pound range of projects such as the design and build of the Royal Navy's 11 nuclear powered submarines , offshore wind farms, investments by companies serving global oil and gas fields and West Cumbria's civil nuclear decommissioning and new build activities.
Furness provides a superb environment for you and your family to prosper. It has a 11-16 Academy for secondary education as well as access to the University of Cumbria and Furness College where a 40m expansion and modernisation is underway. You and your children, family and workforce can maximise life-long learning opportunities locally. Many other schools are also receiving new investment. Find out about Furness at www.DiscoverBarrow.co.uk
Manufacturing is one of the economic strengths of the Barrow Travel to Work Area. Leading companies Kimberly-Clark, BAE Systems Submarine Solutions, Centrica Energy, Expro, Diamould (part of Schlumberger), Oil States MCS, Gyrodata and Partylite are based here serving UK and global markets. The Furness area is home to the UK's naval nuclear submarine building industry, one of the world's most complex systems integration tasks. Find out more about naval shipbuilding and the design, build, test and commissioning of nuclear powered submarines on the Keep Our Future Afloat Campaign's www.navalshipbuilding.co.uk website.
BAE Systems Submarine Solutions are currently recruiting a large number of skilled engineers. Their skill needs are detailed at www.worklifebarrow.co.uk.
Business premises and sites for expanding businesses are highly affordable. Land costs around 100,000 per acre, modern factories 4.50ft2/offices 10-12.60ft2.
The Waterfront, Barrow in Furness is the main site for businesses seeking to expand.
Click on the banner below to find out how we support trade unions lobbying for development of the naval shipbuilding industry
*"Furness Business Support Survey", Hill Taylor, 2009
