Millennium Point Fund Fifty Free Gbcc Memberships To Stem Start-Ups

News
24/10/2018

Fifty free memberships for the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce (GBCC) are being offered to start-up Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) firms, a sector which faces a critical skills shortage, following a donation by Millennium Point Charitable Trust.


GBCC were successful in their application, to the charity arm of Millennium Point, in order to fund the offer aimed at Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) businesses who have been trading for less than a year.


In partnership with Millennium Point, the 12-month GBCC Start-Up membership package will teach new STEM businesses essential skills and give them their first taste of networking in the city. In addition the start-up members will have access to 11 half-day workshops, 50 complimentary member events, a 24 hour legal helpline, a listing in the GBCC member directory and a spotlight GBCC blog feature.


Russell Jeans, chief operating officer of the GBCC, said:

"This is a tremendous opportunity for young firms to get help and expertise to get their business off the ground.

Our partnership with Millennium Point will allow STEM start-up businesses who wouldn’t usually have the opportunity to benefit from all the facilities at the Chamber, including tremendous contacts through whom they will be able to publicise and grow their enterprises.

"The STEM sector generally is suffering a shortage of more than 170,000 skilled workers, costing them £1.5bn a year in recruitment, temporary staffing and extra training, according to a report.

"Most Stem firms have found it difficult to hire staff in the past year, with companies now having an average of 10 unfilled posts which has led to almost half of businesses looking to recruit qualified staff from overseas, according to the study by STEM Learning.

“Although our offer is for start-ups, it is aimed at easing this crisis. The shortage is a problem for employers, society and the economy, and we need to be in a better position to home-grow our talent. It cannot be left to the government or schools alone - businesses have a crucial role to play too."


Abbie Vlahakis, Finance Director of Millennium Point said:

“We hope that our donation to the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce will go some way to help new STEM businesses on their journeys and embed their position in the West Midlands.

We are proud to be partnering with the Chambers to invest back into our region, and as active members of the Birmingham STEM business community we’re passionate about supporting and facilitating relationships between fledgling businesses, established organisations, educators and future STEM innovators.

“Our position, across from the new HS2 Curzon Street development, continues to highlight the role of STEM in Birmingham and the wider region’s future, which is why it’s so important for us to support the growth of STEM organisations, particularly in light of the shortage of skilled workers which has been reported.

“From engineering firms to digital start-ups and everything in between, we are genuinely really excited to hear about the amazing new developments the start-ups we support through these funded memberships will achieve and hope that they will continue to engage with Millennium Point and the Trust as they progress.”


GBCC memberships are available for non-STEM organisations and are priced at £200+ vat for an annual membership.


Funded memberships are limited and will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. STEM start-ups can apply for one of the 50 free memberships online here. For further information about Millennium Point visit here.