FE Column

Aiming for business success

by Mike Buckley-Jones
Business Development Centre Manager Perth College UHI

Colleges, Universities and other Research Institutes offer a vast diversity of expertise and knowledge which business both large and small can make profitable and productive use of.

I’m not just talking about the learning and development, academic teaching and training opportunities available from places like Perth College. I’m talking about the practical help potentially available from Perth College (and through it, other parts of the University of the Highlands and Islands network it is helping create) to assist you and your business in becoming more profitable, more efficient and better placed to compete in today’s increasingly competitive business environment.

Of course we produce skilled graduates, but we also have a wide range of expertise within the College and that can be made available in a range of ways. For example, if our business is in the Creative Industry sector we could look at how the skills and expertise available could help you in using image-processing software to better advantage.

If you run a construction company, access to the latest thinking and ideas in the sector could produce a saving, and if your manufacturing business requires access to specialist technology it could well be that we can help you access it.

Partnering with an academic institute doesn’t mean you lose of the intellectual property rights associated with innovation, but it does mean you get access to highly qualified academic staff with a real interest in your business.

There are a variety of ways in which this is provided, some are even part funded through initiatives supported by the DTI.

The Business Development Centre at Perth College offers a full consultancy service to business – including the ways in which your business can help from the concepts I’ve talked about here.