The Geovation Programme has been running for 3 years. So far, it has helped 72 GeoTech and PropTech businesses create 189 new jobs and raise £19.5 million in investment funding.

Businesses joining the start-up accelerator each receive up to £20,000 in funding and a range of resources and services, including access to experienced software developers, geospatial expertise from Ordnance Survey, property expertise from HM Land Registry, and specialist mentoring to assist with business proposals and investor relationships.

The latest group to receive this help and benefits are:

• getGround makes transacting property in the UK buy-to-let market speedier and more cost-effective
• ADVC8 provides innovative software and digital marketing services to law firms wanting to increase business opportunities and grow their client base
• Skyroom partners with major landlords to help them turn their disused rooftops into high-quality, low-cost, eco-friendly homes for key urban workers
• QFlow uses Internet of Things technology to help businesses manage their resources more sustainably on construction and development sites
• RunFriendly takes an Airbnb approach by helping people find run-friendly routes, people and places
• ONIGO provides immersive adventure games in London’s greatest parks
• ProxyAddress uses empty addresses to connect those facing homelessness with the support they need by creating a ‘proxy’ address that can be used to access services and provide identification regardless of location

David Lidington, Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, said:

This Government is committed to helping put British companies onto the global stage. By supporting and promoting emerging technologies, we are creating more opportunities for businesses both large and small. The Geovation Programme has created nearly 200 jobs and raised £19.5m in investment and is an excellent example of how data and technology can be used to improve lives.

Jenna Brown, CEO and co-founder of Shipamax, one of the first businesses to enter the Geovation Programme, said:

We needed experience and access to people with that geospatial and mapping expertise because our business is fundamentally about how we navigate ships around the world. We visited a lot of start-up offices around town and I think the Geovation Hub is one of the few spaces that actually feels like you can get work done.

We found it really useful having someone always there on the business side of things – advising on fundraising etc, and on the development side – making sure we’re set up to work as a team, and knowing how we can get access to different data sources, which was really important to us. Technologies with that mapping element to it, I think, are going to grow in importance, especially as things get more real-time. There’s a really big place for Geovation in helping start-ups get involved and moving in the right direction.

Orla Shields is the founder of PropTech company GetRentr, which uses artificial intelligence to track UK property licensing regulations and consultations in real-time to ensure property portfolios are compliant. After a successful application, Orla’s company was one of the first PropTech businesses to join the Geovation Programme when it expanded to accepting PropTech businesses as well as GeoTech ones.

In the months that followed, Orla and GetRentr raised over £500,000 in funding and are currently working with letting agents and landlords and have partnerships with Association of Residential Letting Agents and the National Landlord Association.

Orla said:

Geovation has been life-changing. The £20,000 grant has helped us do things we couldn’t have done while we were waiting to secure other investment. Free office space in Clerkenwell is a major benefit for any business – early stage or not. It’s a great environment, with numerous other inspiring start-ups in a similar field.

Geovation’s network and connections with major people in this industry and in government is priceless. The team is very pro-active, and their support and experience was really helpful and always available. One of the best benefits has been the ability to use Ordnance Survey and HM Land Registry data. This gives us the option to reach out to more people who are looking to invest and be strategic with their portfolios. It has also helped us predict where regulations will be implemented. Overall, the culture at Geovation is one of collaboration and support.

We have received Dame Laura Cox’s report today. It is clearly a rigorous piece of work which raises very serious issues about the conduct and culture of the House. We will be discussing her report and important observations at our next meeting and will be maintaining a close interest in how the House Authorities and senior leadership respond.

Oxfordshire Advanced Skills (OAS) is a partnership between the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) and the Science & Technology Facilities Council (STFC) to increase the number of trained technicians available to local employers.

Construction of the 3,800-square metre new OAS centre is underway at UKAEA’s Culham site, undertaken by Midas Construction Ltd. The building will welcome its first intake of apprentices in September 2019.
OAS Phase 1 has been operational and training apprentices for two years in an existing facility at Culham. The number of trainees has increased to almost 80 and there are now 16 partner employers on board. New employers sending their apprentices to OAS this year include Veolia Oxford Technologies, Oxford Instruments, Polar Technology, Valeofoods, Abbott and Satellite Applications Catapult.

The new building will be able to accommodate many more apprentices, with industry-standard equipment covering a wide range of engineering and technology disciplines. OAS is working with local businesses to ensure the facilities meet their advanced training needs.

Apprentice training at the new OAS centre (OAS Phase 2) will be provided by the MTC’s Advanced Manufacturing Training Centre (AMTC). AMTC is a state-of-the-art training centre based next to the Manufacturing Technology Centre near Coventry. It has an impressive track record in teaching not only core engineering skills but also the latest advanced manufacturing techniques being used in industry.

David Martin, the UK Atomic Energy Authority’s Chief Operating Officer – himself a former apprentice and the driving force behind OAS – said:

Oxfordshire is one of Europe’s biggest areas for science and technology, and the amount of people employed in these industries is four times the national average. We can only sustain this success if we have more skilled young people coming through, and OAS is a vital part of this skills pipeline.

The number of new starters at OAS for 2018 proves the demand exists for high quality apprenticeships in the area. The employer-led training centre we are building at Culham will allow us to greatly expand our capacity and provide more local firms with technicians who can go straight into the workplace with the skills the employer needs.

In AMTC we are partnering with one of the UK’s most forward-thinking training organisations. They will give apprentices at OAS access to new technologies and ways of working, ready for the hi-tech industries of the future.

Paul Rowlett, Managing Director of the Advanced Manufacturing Training Centre, said:

Having an insight into tomorrow’s technology gives us the ability to create training programmes and apprenticeships to equip industry with a capable workforce. We are delighted to be working with UKAEA and STFC to deliver the Oxfordshire Advanced Skills training programme. There is a clear synergy and shared vision across our organisations.

Helen Johnson, Head of Apprenticeship & Graduate Schemes at STFC said:

STFC already employs more than 80 apprentices across our laboratories and has a vibrant and growing apprenticeship programme, recruiting and training apprentices in engineering, project management, computing and ICT. They are an integral part of STFC’s skill base and this expansion of what OAS is able to offer engineering and technology apprentices is fantastic news for STFC and the many partner organisations we work with in the commercial and public sectors.

Ends

For more information contact Nick Holloway, UKAEA Media Manager – nick.holloway@ukaea.uk or 01235 466232.

The company was named ‘Large Employer of the Year’, while employee Laura Pugh took the title of ‘Young Apprentice of the Year’ at the annual ECITB awards event in London.

Steve Bostock, Site Director for Sellafield Ltd attended the ceremony. He said:

For the company to receive an award like this during a year of such unprecedented change is testament to the people driving forward the Sellafield clean-up mission.

Laura is a shining example of that, and to see her recognised as an outstanding role model for the next generation of engineers, is fantastic.

Not only has she excelled in her training and subsequent employment, she goes above and beyond to support colleagues and promote the value of apprenticeships.

The awards celebrate the brightest and best from the engineering construction industry, including those delivering world class education and training.

Steve added:

We are home to some of the most complex challenges in the world, but have one of the most innovative and determined workforce and supply chains.

Although the mission at Sellafield is changing, engineering and construction skills will be needed for decades to come.

We are proud to be developing world class education and training to help create a pipeline of skills, building the UK’s workforce of tomorrow.

Laura, aged 23 from Workington, was praised for her commitment to learning and her work to inspire younger people to pursue STEM subjects.

She said:

I was just happy to be nominated for an award as it meant that my hard work has been noticed, but I’m stunned to have won.

Balancing academic studies with work and STEM activities for four years was difficult at times, but I was keen to give it my best and I had great support from my mentor and managers.

Having completed an apprenticeship in electrical design, she is now an electrical and instrumentation designer at the nuclear site, while working towards a degree with the University of Cumbria.

Judges said Laura demonstrated excellent performance during her apprenticeship, commitment to her own personal development and a passion to raise the aspiration of local school students.

Last year Lydia Rowell took home the ‘Women in Engineering’ award, and the company continues to be praised for it’s impressive female apprentice intake.

Steve added; “We are extremely proud to have 42% female apprentices, the highest of any STEM employer in the UK, and trainees like Laura provide positive role models for women in the engineering profession.”

Having completed her training in a portacabin on a construction site at Sellafield, Laura said:

Nuclear is obviously a male dominated industry, but I never felt like this was a barrier. I have been extremely supported by both males and females, including my colleagues, mentor and line manager.