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PROJECTS  > JANUARY 2024 MONTHLY MEETUP

4theRegion Monthly Meetup – The Year of Opportunities

The Year of Opportunities

Our first Monthly Meetup of 2024 brought our cross-sector network together to discuss South West Wales as a region of OPPORTUNITIES!

We know people are facing problems, challenges and obstacles… but we also know that South West Wales is FULL of opportunities for all of us to live happier, healthier and more prosperous lives. We invited participants to share positive reflections, projects, initiatives, organisations and opportunities in South West Wales.

Catch up on the full recording below, or review the notes from this event:

 

Meeting Highlights & Notes

To set the scene and connect to a sense of purpose, we asked the question: Why is it important that we amplify and share opportunities in South West Wales? Here are some key points people shared:

  • There’s lot of support out there for all needs and areas.
  • Small businesses all over the region are trying to grow, and they should keep going and stick at it.

  • Research indicates the importance of looking outward, collaborating, and diversifying.

  • Better collaboration, networking, and communication are key.

  • The Bantu word “Ubuntu”, which can mean “I am because of who we all are.” which highlights how it’s important for communities to work together.
  • Sharing opportunities in South West Wales is important for regional growth and development, as it not only attracts talent and investment but also contributes to the overall economic and social well-being of the community.

  • By highlighting opportunities in South West Wales, we not only empower individuals, but also inspire a sense of community pride, encouraging residents to actively contribute to the region’s success.

Participants

A wide range of organisations and businesses were represented at this event:

  • 2B Enterprising
  • Acuity Law
  • Age Cymru West Glamorgan
  • Andrew Scott
  • Bic Innovation
  • Bouygues
  • Business Wales
  • Bwyd Abertawe
  • Charly Cope VA
  • Coastal Housing Group
  • Cwmpas
  • Cyfle Building Skills
  • DST Innovations Ltd
  • Elysium Gallery
  • EYST
  • Find a Business Expert
  • Fresh Creative
  • Garrison Farm
  • GLTS
  • Howden Insurance
  • Modoto
  • Neath Port Talbot CVS
  • Pitman Training Swansea
  • PLANED CWBR Youth
  • Plantasia Tropical Zoo
  • Regional Learning and Support Partnership Carmarthenshire
  • Serco
  • Silverstone GE
  • Solar Wheel
  • Sunny Recruitment
  • Swan TV
  • Swansea Bay City Deal
  • Swansea University
  • The Swansea Positive
  • Totec Recruitment
  • Urban Foundry
  • Vibe Youth
  • Village Hotel

Appreciative Enquiry

Development Opportunities

  • Exciting new developments coming to Swansea will lead to more jobs and opportunities.
  • Swansea Bay City Deal projects are providing many opportunities across the region. 
  • Opportunities in the renewable energy sector. South West Wales has so much potential to become a strong region for renewables.
  • Swansea’s regeneration and redevelopment. Skyline up to Kilvey Hill is an interesting opportunity. 
  • There’s excitement surrounding connecting South West Wales to the wider world.
  • Opportunities for whiskey lovers to take a tour of the new Penderyn Distillery in Swansea!

Opportunities for Young People

  • Increasing the number of opportunities for young people, particularly in the construction and civil engineering sectors. For example, 4theRegion member Cyfle Building Skills.
  • Inspiring primary-aged children in enterprise education to create a stronger future workforce and ensure young people are enabled to be contributing members of society.  As a bonus, it is also fabulous for meeting social value/community benefits initiatives.
  • 2B Enterprising – enterprise schools project! 1000 sessions delivered in schools!
  • Plantasia in Bloom competition for schools and community groups during the May school holidays (28th May) creates opportunities for children. The competition has a theme of recycling, and we are looking for companies to get involved and provide prizes for the competition winners. Email plantasia@parkwood-leisure.co.uk to register. More information can be found on Visit Swansea Bay’s website.
  • Job opportunities in growing industries such as technology, renewable energy, and tourism.
  • Initiatives promoting entrepreneurship and supporting young business leaders. Better Jobs Better Futures at Gower College is an example of this.

Funding Opportunities

  • People and community groups in SWW can apply for a grant from our new charity, the Swansea Bay Foundation (donations from successful regional businesses giving back to the regional community.)  
  • Access to Work funds are available to help people with disabilities in their work/academic life.
  • Excited about the Shared Prosperity fund from Swansea Council, and how accessible applying for this is, and the help that the council provides.  (Note: All councils across the UK will have their own Shared Prosperity Funds)

“We think it’s important to connect around what’s working well, and what we’re excited about. What are you excited about?”

Career & Skill Opportunities

  • Excitement around social mobility and giving people in the region opportunities in the legal profession. 
  • Opportunities for young people to get involved in community councils in Pembrokeshire via the Community Youth Work Team.
  • People should be empowered to connect with their local communities to discover opportunities.
  • Even voluntary work can be great for people’s well-being and is a way to discover opportunities and gain transferable skills.
  • Cartref Creative is a new creative network created to amplify the talent that can be found in the region and explore how we can support one another.
  • Serco Training and Recruitment Solutions (STARS) will be supporting employers with training and recruitment support for another two years.
  • 4theRegion will be holding a Start-Up Expo on the 6th March, a day before the 4theRegion Swansea Conference. Both events are great opportunities to network with businesses and organisations across the region.
  • 4theRegion also hosts events covering many sectors, which are a get opportunity to network and find out what’s going on across the region. You can find out about upcoming events here.

Opportunities for Community Engagement

  • Bringing people together around art projects, working together, and giving those opportunities to a wide range of people. 
  • It’s great to see Swansea becoming more multicultural and vibrant, there have been a lot more opportunities for ethnic minorities these past few years.
  • More and more community transport schemes are popping up, which is great for people to access opportunities. 
  • Community hubs can provide opportunities to gain skills, make friends, and other positive connections. It’s an opportunity to get involved with the community. 
  • The growth of CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farms helps the community a lot. This opportunity is great for people living in urban areas who would like to volunteer with food-growing projects. CSA farms include Cae Tan and Big Meadow.
  • Opportunity for small producers to take part in local produce markets (such as the Swansea Bay Street Markets organised by Urban Foundry)
  • Opportunity for food and drink producer businesses of all types and sizes to register with the new phase of the Cywain project. They can then benefit from a wide range of industry-focused activities and support to help them to grow their business.
  • The Swansea Positive is a recently launched newspaper celebrating all of the great things happening across Swansea. It will be a collaborative effort, so people are invited to see how they can get involved by emailing the team.
  • 4theRegion’s monthly newsletter is packed full of opportunities from across the region and is a collaborative effort from its members. You can find past issues of the newsletter here, and also subscribe here.

“What does a year of opportunities mean to you? What does success look like, and what would you like to see happen in the region?”

What would you like to see?

  • Maximising every opportunity and get involved with everything going on across the region. 
  • 4theRegion is great at linking and connecting, and it’s important to have clearer signposting to where opportunities might be. 4theRegion will be flourishing even more.
  • Communities of practice, working together to share learning and tackle challenges
  • Young people seeing the opportunities available to them right here in South West Wales!
  • Hoping to see more happening within the green economy, especially around community agriculture and food growing. 
  • Supporting each other, making referrals to organisations that can support and keeping procurement in the region.
  • Success could be seen in the adoption of innovative technologies and practices from the universities.
  • Measure success by the number of jobs created in the region.
  • The establishment of new businesses, expansion of existing ones, and a boost in regional employment rates.

Thank you to everyone who attended! We found this meeting to be a very exciting discussion about the year ahead, and we believe that South West Wales is full of opportunities. We will be going in-depth across a range of topics going forward, so please click here to see future events.

If you are a 4theRegion member and would like to speak at future events, please email lydia@4theregion.org.uk.