A FIRM based in the tiny coastal village of Robin Hood's Bay is working on the international stage with projects across the world including in China and Shanghai.
Cliff Southcombe, managing director of the firm, Social Enterprise Europe, recently met Chinese officials and members of the British Council in Shanghai to discuss his firm’s projects.
The aim is to train thousands of advisors in East Asia includi
ng China, the Philippines and Vietnam and later in Nigeria, for businesses which also have a social aspect.
Cliff said: “There is a growing awareness among the voluntary sector, local authorities and many individuals that business doesn’t have to be a dirty word.
“More and more people are realising businesses can be developed for social and community reasons, not just financial.
“Our role is to provide the management skills and training to help them create social enterprises that work and are sustainable.”
Social Enterprise Europe is also currently bidding for work with partners from Ireland, Poland, Italy and Sweden, to develop social enterprises in their countries.
Other current potential work includes projects in Spain and Turkey, advising a university and the Turkish police force.
The firm has been supporting organisations looking to combine business and social objectives for more than 13 years.
It is currently supporting and training a variety of organisations, from those delivering the social enterprise – churches, schools and the voluntary sector – to those helping support social enterprises such as local authorities and business advisors.
Social Enterprise Europe is also helping pioneer business education with a unique course in social enterprise at the Scarborough Campus of the University of Hull and the Centre for Lifelong Learning at Scarborough runs the only accredited course entirely dedicated to the subject.
The full article contains 292 words and appears in Whitby Gazette Tuesday newspaper.
