The Government’s Women’s Enterprise Task Force (WETF) has just announced its first major initiative which will attempt to change the face of women’s enterprise in the UK. The scheme, called WEConnect (Women in Enterprise Connecting to Contracts), was launched on Tuesday 19th February in a high-profile ceremony at the House of Commons.
Although 16 per cent of UK businesses are women owned, only 3-5% of corporate and public sector contracts go to women business enterprises. The new initiative will put certified women business enterprises in touch with key procurement contacts in multi-national companies.
Pam Alexander, Chief Executive of SEEDA and Co-Chair of WETF said: "SEEDA is delighted to be supporting this scheme which delivers one of the five priorities of the WETF - diversifying supply chains. By creating new routes to procurement opportunities, WEConnect will encourage more women to think big, expand their businesses and fulfil their potential. With respected heavyweight companies like Microsoft and Pfizer already behind it, we hope WEConnect will bring about real change in procurement policies."
To find out more about how your company can achieve WEConnect accreditation, visit www.weconnect.org.uk for details. Alternatively, visit www.weconnect.org.uk/node/213 for details of a South East workshop taking place on 31 March in Surrey.
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