Special Interest Groups
OEP seeks to create a purposeful dialogue with its stakeholders to promote economic development for Oxfordshire as a key part of the national economy, with a view to encouraging and enabling actions that grow the economy as fast as possible without compromising the environment.
The OEP has initiated a portfolio of Special Interest Groups (SIGs) to tackle specific areas affecting Oxfordshire’s economy. Special interest groups involve a range of partners with specific interests or expertise in the topic. Membership is not constrained to OEP board members, although at least one board member participates in each SIG.
To date, the following SIGs have met:
- Business and Education
- Business Engagement
- Business Support
- Horizons and Futures
- Partnership
- Promoting Oxfordshire
- Tourism
- Transport
Additional SIGs may be initiated as necessary.
The OEP is not a funding provider. Our goal in establishing the SIGs is to identify priority areas for intervention and improvement that support our mission (To grow the economy as fast as possible, without compromising the environment, to achieve sustainable, thriving communities) and to bring together the relevant partners to define and deliver that intervention, seeking funding from a range of sources as appropriate.
Business and Education
With the development of Specialised Diplomas into the national curriculum, there will be an increased pressure on businesses to ‘engage’ with schools and education. There has also been an ongoing concern about the discrepancy between what education wants/needs from business and what business wants/needs from the education system to be successful.
This SIG has been specifically addressing the links between education and business, and how links between the 2 groups can be encouraged, improved and extended in order to benefit all involved.
Minutes of previous meetings: 20/06/07 / 18/07/07 / 10/09/07 / 15/10/07 / 10/01/08 / 28/02/08 / 07/04/08
Oxfordshire Education Business Partnership Flyer
Business Engagement
OEP exists to promote economic development for the County, but that economic development is driven by businesses. This SIG has been initiated to help identity the best ways to engage with Oxfordshire businesses and establish what needs to be done to support their growth and success.
Minutes of previous meetings: 21/04/08
Business Support
The quality of business support services in Oxfordshire is crucial to the continued success of the County’s economy and OEP is keen to ensure that businesses of all sizes and types are innovative, productive and competitive.
The initial focus of this group has been the support that start-up businesses receive from commercial as well as publicly-funded sources, what is needed and how this can be delivered in Oxfordshire more effectively.
Minutes of previous meetings: 22/05/07 / 04/07/07 / 02/08/07 / 17/09/07 / 30/10/07 / 13/12/07 / 22/01/08 / 15/04/08
Paper for Oxfordshire Business Link Advisory Board from the SIG
Horizons and Futures
An event run for the OEP by MEP James Elliot focussed on some of the trends and challenges facing Europe and some of the possible responses to them. Following this, OEP has initiated a special interest group that helps inform OEP members about the trends affecting their businesses and stimulates debate about how they are OEP should be responding.
The SIG will provide a season of up to 6 lectures from leading thinkers about issues affecting the future of business and the environments that they are working in.
The first meeting will be held on Thursday 3 July at 8am so if you are interested in attending, please email Dave Waller on d.waller@oep.org.uk.
Partnership
Currently, there is a complicated picture of partnerships and projects across Oxfordshire, many of which overlap despite different remits and funding streams. This SIG was initiated to tackle these issues with the view to adding value, increasing efficiency and maximising funding across the County in order to move the economic agenda forward. The aim is to create more impact from a simple, understandable system managed by a series of linked relationships.
Minutes of previous meetings: 07/06/07 / 17/07/07 / 03/09/07 / 26/10/07
Promoting Oxfordshire
To grow Oxfordshire’s economy, OEP is keen to attract new businesses to the County. This SIG was initiated to develop a marketing strategy for the county, looking at the types of companies we want to attract, the assets we have within the County and how we should be promoting those assets to maximum effect.
Minutes of previous meetings: 25/02/08
Tourism
The SIG was formed to identify businesses involved in all aspects of tourism in Oxfordshire and engage with them to develop strategic thinking within the sector and thus strengthen the County’s promotional voice to potential visitors and its political voice to government.
‘Tourism In Oxfordshire’ Dinner Report
Transport
Transport is a crucial issue to business and as our transport infrastructure in the County becomes more overloaded it is vital that business is engaged in developing solutions. The Transport SIG has been jointly established with Oxfordshire Chamber of Commerce.
