Our work in action

Across several operational areas at OxLEP, we have strived hard to work with our business community to ensure that the support they receive makes an impact and a difference.

On the ground, our role as the Local Enterprise Partnership for the county has never been more important for our business community. Over the past year, across all areas of our remit, we have delivered significant successes felt across all communities.

Being able to deliver and demonstrate the value we bring as a Local Enterprise Partnership has been – and will continue to be – a major focus.

Despite the current economic challenges, Oxfordshire is a globally-renowned county with one of the strongest economies in the UK, with a successful record securing investment to promote growth. We work hard to build this positive, economic landscape in Oxfordshire into delivery on the ground.

Here are just a few examples of how we have achieved that.

Championing future technologies

Through investment secured by OxLEP via the Local Growth Fund, we worked with the UKAEA’s robotics facility, RACE (Remote Applications in Challenging Environments) at Culham Science Centre to deliver a ‘Pit Lane’ facility – a new state-of-the-art workspace, allowing those at the forefront of autonomous vehicle innovation to undertake testing and development on-site.

Find out more on CAV at Culham

Generating new entrepreneurial space

Via £837,000-worth of Local Growth Fund investment, we enabled the Oxford Brookes Enterprise Centre, based at the University’s Headington campus. It offers companies access to lab and office spaces, experts and professional networks. The project will support the creation of at least 17 start-up companies and 74 jobs, and will advance the growth of small and medium businesses by providing them with an inspiring, relaxed, and friendly co-working space.

Discover more on the enterprise centre

Supporting the pipeline of talent for our hospitality industry

We secured funding worth £2.17 million through the government’s Local Growth Fund to support a project aimed at creating talent for the hospitality sector in Oxfordshire. Activate Learning's hospitality suite includes state-of-the-art training kitchens, featuring industry-standard equipment that was identified in partnership with Activate Learning’s hospitality and catering lead partners, The Fat Duck Group.

See how we are supporting future talent via capital investment

Helping young people find their right career path, virtually

In-light of the pandemic, we connected dozens of businesses with hundreds of young people from across Oxfordshire, via the 'Find your Future' platform. The interactive experience supported young people to make informed choices about their future, as well as inspiring them to understand the opportunities that exist in Oxfordshire across a huge variety of sectors.

Find out how we connected business with young talent

Landing international investment for the benefit of us all

Thanks to our global economic strengths, we continued to draw top international investment, despite pandemic challenges. Over the past year, a total of 38 international business ventures – otherwise known as foreign direct investment (FDI) projects – invested hundreds of millions of pounds into the Oxfordshire economy, with significant investments into key sectors including life sciences and space.

Find out how our inward investment team has supported job creation in Oxfordshire

“Within Oxfordshire, apprentices are a vital contributor to our capabilities and productivity within key sectors. As the impact of Covid-19 continues to be felt by the business community, it’s more important than ever that we highlight the positive impact of these schemes and the support available to businesses. The Oxfordshire Apprenticeship Awards has been able to do just that and it was fantastic to bring our finalists together.”

Sally Andreou – Skills Hub Manager, OxLEP

Take a more detailed look...

One area of our work that has truly-engaged young people, businesses, decision makers and the wider Oxfordshire community is the Oxfordshire Apprenticeship Awards.

For 2021, despite the challenges presented by Covid-19, we were able to deliver a live, virtual event that engaged hundreds of people from across the county, informing them why apprenticeships are so important. Whether it be helping companies to grow their own talent, address skills shortages within their sector and indeed create opportunities for young people seeking that all-important first step in their career.

It was the fifth time the event has been held, with previous celebrations taking place at locations such as Blenheim Palace and Jurys Inn Oxford.

The awards were headline-sponsored by long-term awards supporter High Spec Composites – an Oxfordshire-based business supplying high-specification carbon fibre components to a range of industries worldwide.

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