About Business Link West Midlands

The West Midlands is an exciting region – demographically and geographically diverse. The region boasts superb quality of life, unique heritage locations, areas of outstanding national beauty and major cultural attractions. This diverse combination of places provides a compelling offer to international investors and current and potential residents, backed up by the West Midlands’ unique central location at the heart of the UK’s transport infrastructure.

Like other economies in the UK, the West Midlands’ workforce is changing – ageing and rapidly diversifying. The West Midlands faces significant economic and social challenges including:

• A continuing dependence on traditional sectors;
• A ‘3 speed’ economy where parts of Coventry, Warwickshire, Solihull and Birmingham are growing rapidly in terms of new development and productivity; North Staffordshire and the Black Country are lagging significantly behind the rest of the region on all issues and the remaining sub-regions demonstrate modest growth, new development and productivity gains;
• A low skills base where 14% of adults have no qualifications and where residents are more likely to have problems with basic skills than any other region;
• A lack of entrepreneurial culture.

This presents challenges to the region’s communities and also to the region’s business base in terms of skills supply and demand, and pressure on business practices.

Business Link West Midlands is focused on achieving two clear Strategic Objectives which are entirely aligned with those of the Regional Development Agency – Advantage West Midlands:

• To improve the competitiveness of the region and helping to close the £10 billion productivity gap
• To improve enterprise and the rate of business creation in the region

Success will be evidenced by having:

• A region that is known for flourishing entrepreneurship
• A region which is growing faster in terms of wealth creation and prosperity
• A region with a better skilled and qualified workforce

The Business Link service provides impartial information, advice, and practical support to help existing and future businesses make the most of their opportunities. Business Link brokers to the most appropriate support regardless of who provides it (public, private or third sector). Its services are aimed at all businesses (whether a private company, a co-operative, a social enterprise or other type of business) and are available across all sectors of industry and all community groups throughout the nine English Regions.

Business Link is subject to a national framework that ensures consistency throughout the country, providing a coherent, quality assured single point of contact for business that draws together advice and guidance on issues that affect business and helps to promote business survival and growth. It operates on the principles of ‘Information, Diagnosis and Brokerage’ (IDB)