Connecting Somerset (CS) equips Somerset SMEs to take fresh innovative steps up the e-adoption ladder. Steps cover broadband connection, basic website, flexible website, selling through the website (e-commerce) and e-business (eg website connected to back office systems, flexible working, e-procurement capability). CS helps SMEs take one or more of these steps, providing advice, learning needs assessment, training and workshop interaction, brokerage to technology suppliers, grant and research. As part of Somerset’s strategy for a healthy information society, CS has already helped over 2,600 rural SMEs grow. Businesses now better understand what they sell, their customers and the need for targeted marketing.
Policy Context
Connecting Somerset (CS) strongly supports Strategic Objective 1 of the Regional Economic Strategy: ‘Successful and Competitive Businesses - improved innovation and ICT take-up in SW businesses’. It contributes towards other SW strategic objectives: ‘Strong and Inclusive Communities’; ‘An Effective and Confident Region’. It helps deliver business productivity objectives: ‘The successful adoption of broadband content and applications as a key enabler of business efficiency, innovation, skills development and market penetration.’ CS meets the 3 objectives of the SW Regional ICT Strategy: ‘Improve regional productivity, competitiveness and inclusion’; ‘Communicate the evidence base regarding the economic, social and environmental impacts of ICT’; ‘Lead and manage through partnership’. CS is the main delivery project for Somerset’s Local Area Agreement target: ‘Increase growth and sustainability of small businesses in Somerset’ and ‘Increase e-adoption by small businesses’.
Description of target users and groups
Connecting Somerset's target group is SMEs. Somerset is a rural NUTS 3 county at the heart of UK's South West region, 240km from London. Its area is 3450 sq km and has a population of 498,093 and a population density of 1.3 persons/ha. Of Somerset's 19,400 businesses, 99% are SMEs with over 85% employing 10 or fewer staff. SMEs are the main generators of future growth and survival rates are strong - 70% still trading after 3 years. Important economic sectors are food & drink, aerospace & advanced engineering and tourism. Emerging sectors are environmental technologies and creative industries.
Description of the way to implement the initiative
Connecting Somerset was devised as a response to a researched need. Once the need was properly identified and quantified, the Somerset Broadband Partnership was established, comprising key public and private sectors influencers. Funding was won from the regional development agancy, from ESF and ERDF and from the local public and private sectors. Excellent project governance was our ambition from the start, using the most practical elements of the Prince 2 project management methodology. All information was available openly to the partners: finances, people resource figures, targets, project tasks and achievements, issue management and risk management. When corrective action was needed, this was done decisively and quickly with full agreement of the partnership.
Technology solution
Connecting Somerset encourages SMEs to select the technological solution that best suits their business and their ability to manage technology. With project assistance, SMEs choose solutions from local suppliers. These can range from bespoke to proprietary to open source technologies. Typical solutions are broadband connection (ADSL or wireless), static website, content-managed website, e-commerce, VOIP, telephony, accounting integration, CRM, EPOS, database construction, office systems, document management, e-learning, search engine optimisation, booking systems, remote working and network systems.
Main results, benefits and impacts
Connecting Somerset’s targeted impact focuses on: - Number of businesses helped: target 1610; achieved to date 2600 - Number of employed people increasing their skills: target 910; achieved to date 1330 - Number of fresh e-adoption steps taken by businesses: target 2310; achieved to date 2385 - Economic growth measured by increase in gross value added: target £3.5m; on course to achieve: £9.4m In addition, 43 jobs have been created in the ICT support sector as a result of CS. CS is one (albeit the flagship) project of the Somerset Broadband Partnership. This comprises excellent working between all Somerset's local authorities, the local Business Link agency, the regional development agency, the regional Government Office and the private sector. The Partnership has seen the success of CS positively affecting its other focus areas, including infrastructure building, e-adoption by communities and individuals, and setting a good foundation for future knowledge economy projects.
Return on investment
Return on investment: €5,000,000-10,000,000Track record of sharing
Outcomes of the Connecting Somerset approach have been shared both within the south west region of England and wider. CS was showcased at the 'Bridging the Broadband Gap' conference, Brussels, May 2007, as one of only 15 projects from across Europe presenting to the conference. Our main way of celebrating individual SME achievement is by video case study. Twelve are available on DVD or streamed from the project website. These have been made available regionally, nationally and one is now regularly used as material for the University of Toronto MBA course. Somerset is becoming known as a great place not only to live and learn, but also to do business. CS has been operating successfully for nearly three years. Recently CS is using more progressive intervention leading to business transformation and business process innovation. Learning from local experience and other ‘bridging the broadband gap’ projects, it focuses on higher levels of ICT benefits - web-based trading and e-business.
Lessons learnt
Lesson 1 - Local businesses cannot make sustainable technology investments without local ICT support. So before starting work with our target businesses, we worked intensively with the local ICT support sector, making sure they had the right understanding and skills. This proved to be absolutely key to the project’s success. Lesson 2 - Developing workshops for target businesses, specifically targeting the business thinking necessary for successful on-line trading. A key focus was on ‘marketing on the web’. Lesson 3 - Extensive use of case studies of local businesses already benefiting from investment in technology. These are available as streamed videos on the web, DVD packs and print-based news stories.
Scope: Regional (sub-national)