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Nigel Griffiths MPSTEP Awards Dinner |
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It is a great pleasure to join you today here in Church House where the House of Commons met during the war years and more recently where Tony Blair came to thank his supporters and held a party after he was elected as leader of the Labour Party. Importance of SME sector I am the Minister for Small Business and I don't have to tell you about the major importance of small businesses on our economy - our 3.7m small businesses employ 12m people and contribute 1 trillion pounds a year to the economy - that's an enormous sum. I am very pleased to be here tonight at this important awards ceremony - The Shell Technology Enterprise Programme National Awards Final - 2001. And I am proud that the Government's Small Business Service supports this scheme - one of the most important youth enterprise schemes anywhere. The twin aim of STEP is more important now than ever - to raise awareness among undergraduates of the career prospects in SMEs and to raise the awareness in SMEs of the benefits young graduates with drive and expertise can bring to their business. I can confirm that the SBS is committed to funding the core STEP activity for the next two years. I also want to acknowledge that 15 of the 45 Business Link operators in England provided funding for STEP in their locality this summer. I want to see 45 out of 45 doing so next year and I am asking the SBS to work on encouraging that I want to thank you Philip Donnelly for acting as tonight's Master of Ceremonies and for the personal commitment and energy you devote to STEP I would also like to thank Philip's team at STEP Enterprise Ltd for managing the whole STEP programme and organising this celebration of achievement. And I especially want to thank the staff of the STEP agencies who have made this year's STEP programme possible. STEP is one of our key national programmes, and this ceremony gives me the chance to thank you all personally for making this such a successful scheme. And it allows me to pay tribute to all the work you have put in. We have a wealth of talent gathered in this room. From Shell, from our universities, from Business Link Operators, from RDAs, the SBS and many forward looking companies who have joined us this evening. I also want to thank today's judges - Nic Turner of Shell UK, Sam Gemmell, a member of the Small Business Council, Roy Farndon of the Daily Express, Teng Hou Tsang, last year's Best Potential Entrepreneur and Simon Crowe of BBC Radio 4. - I believe they had a most difficult job - and we should acknowledge too the efforts of the judges around the UK who gave of their time at the local and regional finals. I spoke at the CBI SME Council earlier this month. Almost everyone on that council runs a small business and they have their ups and downs. But the one speaker who got the loudest cheer said he was in business because it was fun. I see so much talent before me. Talented young people who are going to make their mark on our businesses and our society. And farsighted managers and owners of the small firms who have welcomed these "untested" juniors into their fold. This summer around 1,000 undergraduates had the opportunity to undertake a project in some of the UK's small businesses because of STEP. STEP is so successful that 6 students are chasing every available project. And no wonder. Just look what previous STEP students have done. Like Mark Thompson from Leicester University who the Dunlop Industrial Hose company in Cramlington asked to look at their production methods. His work resulted in proposed savings to them of £45,000. Or Antonia Black from Oxford who helped Gramos in Smethwick with their environmental audit. She saved them £9,000 in consultation fees, and highlighted further savings of £6,000 on raw materials, £4,000 on effluent and £3,600 on production. Or Richard Sykes from Leeds with H Marcell Guest Ltd, who helped on one project then invented one of his own - Richard's recommendations on waste management proposed savings to Guest of £12,000 a year. This year's finalists have again made tremendous contributions to the companies in which they have been employed, as you have heard. Your projects have contributed towards improved product design, improved IT support for the company, improved production methods and a new product. What seemed like small steps have produced big savings. I have heard of production times cut by 90%, performance increased by 150% with production costs cut by 30%, savings to the company ranging from £3,000 to £115,000. Along with these remarkable figures there is also the more difficult bit, people trained, processes improved. All these sorts of things help the long term health of a company as it competes in the market place. And I, for one, am looking forward to hearing who the overall winners are. But of course you are all winners. So, next year we need 5,000 more SMEs to come forward and take advantage of this great opportunity to tap the talents of our young people. STEP plays a vital role in ensuring that our SMEs are in touch with what universities offer in managerial and technical expertise. And STEP demonstrates that talented young students can make an immediate and direct contribution to the development of these businesses. Like one of today's judges, Teng Hou Tsang. Last summer as a STEP student his project was with start-up telecommunications company Polatis Ltd. Before his 8 weeks had finished, Teng had designed and assembled a prototype optical fibre switch for the company, had drawn up component designs and located specialist suppliers who could meet the company's design needs. STEP is a genuinely business-focused scheme. That's why over half the participating companies see an immediate impact on company performance. And the vast majority of companies make monetary gains as a result of a STEP student's project. - tens of thousands of £££s in added value by the young students - direct input as well as fresh observations. The Importance of Awards Awards like this are a great way of raising the profile of the small business community. They demonstrate your commitment to excellence - something customers increasingly look for. And of course the local and national publicity of their business through media coverage of this awards ceremony does you no harm! The students benefit, whether they win tonight or not. Their success in local and regional finals, their experience in business has been tremendous - am I right? The breadth of their projects is also a clear signal to the rest of the business community that small firms can lead the way. We need to send a message to the entrepreneurial, the innovative and dynamic: if you are starting up, growing a business, investing, taking people on, seeking new capital or working your way up in business - we are on your side. Let no-one say we lack a spirit of entrepreneurship. Since 1997 there have been 1.3 million start-up companies. Conclusion In conclusion, thanks again to Philip and his team for inviting me. I believe that STEP is a terrific way both to support and to promote the small business community. I am particularly pleased that STEP is supported by the SBS and is now one of the services provided through the Business Link network in England. But we should not forget the contribution and resource that Shell, our partners, have put into STEP over the years in making it so successful. I think they deserve a thank you. My warmest congratulations go to all tonight's finalists and to everyone involved in making STEP the success that it is today. |
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Other speeches by Nigel Griffiths MP
(the following are available from the archive) |
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