Issue 13 (01 September 2010)

Funding boost for SMEs

Fife businesses are set to benefit from a share of a new £5 million investment fund designed to support the small to medium sized enterprise sector.

Chamber campaigns on business rates

For many businesses rates bills received earlier this year following the rates revaluation meant signifi cant cost increases.

New President means business

Fife Chamber of Commerce has announced the appointment of Mr Bob Garmory as its new President at the business group’s spring AGM.

FMC's Green Team set the standard

Fife’s FMC Technologies is setting new standards for environmental effi ciency that can become a benchmark for businesses across Fife.

A small company in Dalgety Bay providing resources to show teachers how to use new and existing technologies like Nintendo Wii in classrooms has trebled its market in the last nine months and is anticipating sign-up from a further 700 schools in England this month.

Fife Business Week - Coming soon

A week of events, seminars, workshops, masterclasses and networking opportunities will be announced by Fife Council Development Services in the near future designed to bring together businesses and public sector organisations to share best practice and explore new ideas and opportunities.

Success on a plate - Fife’s food is big business

Culinary excellence is not something that has been traditionally associated with Fife but 2010 has been a landmark year for the food industry where the region has started to enjoy the recognition and the success it deserves.

Green light for Golf Alliance

Famed worldwide as the Home of Golf, Fife welcomes thousands of visitors each year, tempted by the lure of the Old Course and the challenge of golfi ng gems around the region.

Open visitors welcomed to Fife

The Welcome to Fife Pavilion hosted a series of events across the week to promote the culture, attractions and enterprise of Fife and also catered for a series of presentations and discussions with the region’s key stakeholders that launched new initiatives in tourism, golf and renewable energy.

Ambassador calls for partnership

Fife’s inaugural Tourism Ambassador, Debbie Taylor, Managing Director of the Old Course Hotel, Golf Resort & Spa gave a vigorous endorsement to Fife’s visitor economy at the Welcome to Fife Pavilion in July.

Fife: A great place to live, work, visit and invest

St Andrews showcase puts Fife brand on the map

Promoting Fife

Fife's mandate for marketing and promotion

Small businesses to lead Scotland out of recession

A recent study commissioned by the Federation of Small Businesses in Scotland has found that four out of fi ve MSPs believe that small businesses will create most of the new jobs that the Scottish economy needs to recover from recession and to steer the country’s return to growth.

Preparing to succeed

Fife FSB Chair, Janet Torley, remains positive about the outlook for enterprise in Fife.

New enterprise club for Lochgelly

Aspiring entrepreneurs are being encouraged to join a new Enterprise Club set up in Lochgelly earlier this year.

Business Gateway making a difference to Fife start-ups

Many fledgling business in Fife are being given crucial support by Business Gateway in Fife

Record results for Business Gateway Fife

Support for businesses has created 1400 new jobs and £50 million additional turnover in Fife since April 2009.

Budget message: "UK is open for business"

The dust is now settling on a dramatic budget and FBM’s Bill Livingstone explores what it might mean for Fife’s business community.

UK first for Carnegie

Carnegie College has announced that it will pilot the delivery of the UK’s fi rst Wind Turbine Service Technician Apprenticeship on behalf of RenewableUK, the trade association for wind and marine energy.

New Assistant Principals take the helm

The two new Assistant Principals have joined Adam Smith College as the College continues to plan for the future.

Adam Smith celebrates success!

Adam Smith College has recognised forty-nine students at its prestigious 2010 Skills Awards ceremony held in June.

2kt delivers for SMEs

Fife’s SMEs will have new skills made available to them by an innovative project involving eight of Scotland’s leading educational establishments.

College welcomes Chinese delegation

Adam Smith College hosted a delegation from the Gansu Province of China in May as part of a visit organised with Fife Council to explore education and learning opportunities.

Tesco looks forward with Dunfermline traders

The opening of a major new Tesco store in Dunfermline in 2011 has not been without controversy, but with the plans now approved for the Carnegie Drive site, the supermarket giant is taking a positive and opendoor approach to working with local businesses.

It’s a double for students at Diageo

Two Adam Smith College students, Kay Brindley, 35 and Mariusz Blazejczak, 42 both from Leven were to spend eight weeks at Diageo’s bottling plant in Leven on work placement gaining an insight in all areas of production and bottling including engineering and administration.

Premier support for east coast renewables alliance

Fife has already taken significant steps to become a centre of excellence and investment for renewable energy in its own right and Fife Council is now lending its support to a potential alliance of local authorities along the east coast of Scotland to further the same goal.

Skills gap could put energy ambitions at risk

Fife’s aspiration to be at the centre of the global renewables industry requires the relevant skills and expertise to be available to potential investors and MSPs have been given a stark warning that skills shortages could thwart the region’s ambitions.

McKinnon & Clarke powers up with £6.25m energy acquisition

Fife’s McKinnon & Clarke (M&C), one of the largest energy procurement and compliance specialists in Europe, has purchased energy risk specialist, Encore for £6.25 million.

Turbine signals project landmark

A key milestone in the Hydrogen Office project at Methil has been reached with the successful installation of the Office’s new wind turbine.

Partnership the key to sustainability

The new biomass facility at the Tullis Russell paper mill at Markinch, Fife is one of the UK’s flagship renewable projects supported by a £200 million investment from RWE npower renewables.

College donation secures new energy centre

A million-dollar windfall is set to confirm Fife’s Carnegie College as one of Scotland’s leading centres in developing the skills needed to support Scotland’s fast growing renewable energy sector.

High powered partnership

Carnegie College is partnering with power giant Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) and Energy and Utility Skills to develop high-quality Modern Apprenticeship training to support the electricity generation, transmission and distribution industry in Scotland.