Position: Strategic Partnership Officer
at Rotherham Investment and Development Office
(RiDO).
What does RiDO do? RiDO is in essence the Regeneration
arm of the Council. Areas we cover include helping companies
with
property selection,
project management and development skills – all of that
is part of RiDO. The level of business support
we offer has been recognised nationally through Beacon Council
status and
the start up business support has received
national recognition through UK Business Incubation.
What is your role at RiDO? As the Strategic Partnership
Officer I help get external funding for businesses
and help with project development. With the
Urban Renaissance scheme there is a lot of
change going on in Rotherham. The degree
of change is excellent but it also brings
a significant threat. It is inevitable that
a large degree of change in a small time
frame has to be well managed.
What are Rotherham’s biggest
strengths? Manufacturing is
still strong and often new growth starts
in manufacturing. There are particular
developments such as the Advanced Manufacturing
Park and the National Metals Technology
Centre and these are strengths to be built
on. There’s a lot of available space,
there’s a lot skills locally and
the quality of people in the area are all
helping gradual investment. Around Rotherham
there is a lot of change and growth, this
is the place to come and do businesses.
How can ict active help buildings
in Rotherham? The business
centres and parks are likely to want
to be badged up. A badge or an award
always helps sell something and makes
it stand out. There will be places
in Rotherham that want the award and
especially want to be seen as leading
edge.
