South of Scotland Business Solutions provides services to engage small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and microbusinesses in knowledge exchange. It pilots skills utilization programs for smaller businesses and promotes higher education resources to help businesses. It champions research, brings together different services, and takes a customer-focused approach to better meet business needs. The organization seeks wider partnerships and helps develop a national rural agenda and regional outcome agreements to support knowledge exchange and business development for SMEs.

1. South of Scotland Business Solutions
Alan Hughes

2. Introduction
• Engaging SME’s and micro businesses in Knowledge Exchange
– Scotland's largest business group
– Difficult to reach
– Becoming more important to government
• Piloting Skills Utilisation
– Difficult concept for smaller business
– Value of Knowledge Exchange clearer to business
• Promoting higher and further education resources
– Increasing understanding of opportunities for business
– Increasing local knowledge and links for learning organisations
2

3. Championing the Research Agenda
3

4. Bringing services together for the south
4

5. SoSBS- Doing things Differently
• The value of bespoke offering
– Not selling services, solving problems
– Best fit for business
– Potential growth income source
• Customer Focused
– What do businesses really need
– Where do they feel the added value
– Changing the nature of business development offering
• Informing curriculum development
– Importance of staff time away from chalk face
– Enterprise opportunities for students
– Improve work readiness
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6. Opportunity for Future
• Wider partnerships
– Can we bring more to the party?
• Developing National Rural agenda for business
– Supporting the Single Knowledge Exchange Office
– Lord Sainsbury definition of Knowledge exchange
• Regional outcome agreements
• Expert in delivery to SME’s and micro business
• Link KE with business development
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7. Report on three year evaluation of
Scottish Funding Council
Developing Employer Engagement Programme (DEEP) &
Knowledge Transfer (KT) Grants
Brian Mellon – Frontline

8. Employer engagement - maturity model
Maturity Basic Developing Performing Best in class
statement
Information and EE/KT is not understood by A marketing plan has been EE/KT is valued internally Feedback from businesses
communication all in the college prepared Market research is driving constantly sought – and
Communications are Database is up to date and EE/KT activity and decision acted upon
unplanned mined regularly making Businesses see college as
KT is marketed through Market research is targeted The ‘appropriate’ media to ‘easy to buy from’
web-site, prospectus & EE/KT is promoted well communicate is selected on All staff promote the
one-off leaflets internally a case-by-case approach colleges ability to add value
Communication is a one- through EE/KT
way process
Relationships EE/KT is a separate activity EE/KT is an integrated college- Clients shape future KT Repeat business is the norm
across the college wide activity delivery in a win-win College is ‘supplier of
There is internal New clients are introduced to environment choice’
competition to deliver the wider college Clients ask for bespoke Client identification to KT
Clients are directed to businesses are client solutions delivery is seamless
information points managed Staff value the client College is viewed as an
management process equal partner by businesses
Project EE/KT is a ‘one-off’ activity EE/KT activity is planned in Project plans are made and Timescales are met
management Ownership of a project advance adhered to Quality is assured
may be unclear Resource is in place before Project goals are the focus Projects come within budget
commitments are made Project ownership and
Monitoring arrangements are responsibility is clear
in place for each project
Commercial ‘Loss leaders’ are Opportunities for KT are Staff recognise the KT aftercare is appreciated
interface undertaken regularly actively sought across the importance of being ‘first internally & externally
Demand for KT activity is college point of contact’ KT product is perceived as
unproven A business case is made for An EE/KT business and/or high quality
College is not viewed as each opportunity operating plan is in place Sell-on process starts during
businesses externally KT is targeted where college Wider college capability is KT projects
supply meets external promoted to clients
demand
Decision making Decision making process is A structured, decision making Solutions are sought beyond College decisions are
unclear process is in place and is clear ‘no’ respected externally as
Ad-hoc activity is taking Criteria is in place and Risks are minimised by being business driven
place understood addressed in advance Staff support decisions
Problems can be created Feedback to decisions is given Decisions are reversed if publicly
through good intentions circumstances change
Leadership The board is supportive of There is an acknowledged A portfolio of KT is held and Leadership is demonstrated
EE/KT strategic drive to develop activity is driven at the best at all levels in the college for
The management team EE/KT time EE/KT
are supportive of EE/KT EE/KT has a champion(s) in the EE/KT mentoring takes place Businesses look to the
Staff are coming forward college with departmental staff college to support
with routes to develop Staff look to the EE/KT Third parties are referred to economic strategy
EE/KT champion for support the college as a role model College leadership in EE/KT is
seen as a competitive
advantage
Performance and Baselines are not well Hard and stretch targets are Ideas developed, prioritised KT team committed to
results understood by team or set & agreed & action plan in place measure & achieve
stakeholders Benchmarking is now Hard targets being achieved continuous improvement
Objectives & targets are undertaken The reasons and benefits of Stretch targets being
vague Key areas for improvement setting stretch targets is achieved
Data requirements are identified with initial ideas understood by staff EE/KT is seen as a role model
determined, but not yet developed in college for setting and
gathered achieving stretch targets
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SC6223-203

9. Maturity model progress – ‘Performing’
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%
Information and
communications
Relationships
Project Year 1
management
Year 2
Commercial Year 3
interface
Decision
making
Leadership
Performance
and results
SC6223-203

10. £M GVA impact over the
three year evaluation
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Total
Net GVA
Year 1 survey 3.66 3.77 3.92 11.36
Year 2 survey 3.19 3.19 3.07 9.44
Year 3 survey 1.44 1.44 1.39 4.27
Total Net GVA 3.66 6.96 8.55 4.51 1.39 25.07
Total Net GVA (PV) 3.66 6.72 7.98 4.07 1.21 23.65
This is an average of £4.73m net GVA (Present Value) per year over the
five years that the evaluation covered.

11. DEEP and KT - a systems view – value adding loops
College sector reputation building
College reputation building
Relationship building
Knowledge building
SFC funding
support Learning
Better client Better
DEEP - KT More EE -KT Better Engaging Deliver
business economic
process engagement understand college service in
performance performance
with clients client needs services client
outcomes outcomes
Developing Developing Developing
Building Increasing college college client
capacities value in client engagement service company
and value relationships capacities capacities capacities
Client business improvement
College service and learner delivery improvement
College strategy and economic engagement improvement

12. Brian Mellon
brian.melon@frontlinemc.com
07788 746552
Alan Hughes
alan.hughes@frontlinemc.com
07795 845458
Frontline
Willow House, Strathclyde Business Park, Lanarkshire, ML4 3PB
T: 01698 464140 F: 01698 464141
Central Court, 25 Southampton Buildings, London, WC2A 1AL
T: 0207 404 7005
E: enquiry@frontlinemc.com www.frontline-consultants.com