University of Bedfordshire

Growing small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) competitiveness through the Knowledge Club (K-club)

Knowledge Club (K-club) is an employer’s club for SMEs based on a subscription model aimed at the development of skills and competitiveness.

SMEs that become K-club members will gain access to a range of integrated training and development. From this they can select services at the time they need them. The focus will be on the competitive edge that companies need through trained staff, current market, and competitor intelligence and networking.

The project targets SMEs in five specific sectors: ICT, media and creative industries, financial and business services, tourism, leisure and heritage and manufacturing, and advanced engineering. These sectors map to East of England Development Agency priority sectors, key areas of the Luton City growth programme, Knowledge Network sector groups and strengths of university faculties, the M1 Knowledge Exchange and network groups such as MediaCentric.

Funding award : £248,000

Web-site : www.beds.ac.uk