GM FE Innovation Programme » Bolton College

Bolton College has welcomed the new Innovation Programme Team on site to launch the Innovation Centre, now open at the College’s Deane Road Campus.

The Innovation Centre will support local businesses in adopting technologies or processes that are new to their operations, even if they are already established in the marketplace, thereby increasing productivity.

Innovation does not always mean inventing something entirely new; it can also mean finding fresh ways to use existing solutions. By redefining innovation in this way, we aim to break down barriers and invite more SMEs to join the conversation and embrace transformative changes.

The GM FE Innovation Programme builds the capacity and capability of Further Education Colleges (FECs) to increase the adoption of innovations by businesses in their locality, and to create better links between them and the City Region’s innovation ecosystem. This addresses the challenge of low productivity, and limited engagement with innovation support services in the outer areas of the City Region.

The Innovation Programme is a collaborative partnership of all nine GM FECs, which cover all 10 Boroughs of the Greater Manchester (GM) economic area.

Our Delivery Model

The underpinning concept of the GM Further Education Innovation Programme is diff usion of innovation knowledge and capacity via 10 ‘Innovation Centre’ Hubs, one in each Greater Manchester borough. This:

1. Positions Business Innovation Support in 10 Innovation Centres outside the City Region’s core, where there are lower levels of productivity and engagement with support services.	4. Tests whether apprentices, already employed as staff within GM SMEs and with strong FE relationships, can contribute to ‘innovation readiness’ and be agents for change in their host businesses.
2. Increases FEC capacity and capability to promote and support business innovation in technologies, business models and processes through CPD.	5. Moves towards the ‘levelling-up’ of the GM Innovation Ecosystem
3. Maximises use of LSIF funded capital investments such as CAVEs and 3D Printers for relevant industrial application.

To discuss how your business can benefit from this new GM wide programme please contact Louise Dolan, Business Innovation Advisor, at business.innovation@boltoncc.ac.uk

The GMFE Innovation Programme is also launching a new CPD Innovation Literacy Training Programme for apprentices. This programme provides apprentices with confidence, creative thinking, analytical skills, and the ability to contribute to the continual improvement process. This 2-day interactive CPD programme gives apprentices an understanding of innovation, the ability to identify business improvements, present a business case, and pilot and evaluate outcomes.

Ellie Moore, our Apprenticeship Innovation Ambassador, has a primary objective to enhance awareness of innovation within the apprenticeship sector, with a particular emphasis on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Bolton. She is dedicated to engaging with SMEs and their apprentices to boost productivity and aid them in fostering a culture of innovation within their organisations.

To express your interest in the new CPD Innovation Literacy Programme, please email Ellie Moore, Apprenticeship Innovation Ambassador, at Bolton College: Apprenticeship.innovation@boltoncc.ac.uk

Hear what our students have to say

- I always wanted to work with children so the Pre-Apprenticeship was great; I really benefited from the hands-on experience. I learnt how to deal with the children and how to speak to their parents and it led on to my Apprenticeship; eventually I’d like to become a full-time Practitioner.
  
  Childcare Apprenticeship Level 2, Jess Gray, Working at Queensbrook Children’s Nursery

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