Blind and partially sighted people in Merseyside who want to find out more about the basics of using a computer are invited to attend a free training course.

The Mobile I.T. training sessions are being run by Henshaws Society for Blind People, one of the main providers in the North of England of expert support, advice and training to anyone affected by sight loss and other disabilities.

During the 12 weekly sessions, visually impaired adults in Merseyside will acquire all the computer skills needed to get up and running. All of the computers will be equipped with specialist magnification or speech-based ‘access technology’ which means that the course will be open to anyone who has experienced sight loss.

The training sessions will also provide Internet and email tuition to enable people to send emails and browse the internet.

The sessions last for 2.5 hours. They are taking place in the following community venues:

• Birkdale Library, Liverpool Road, Birkdale  on Wednesday morning and afternoon
• Bootle Library, Stanley Road, Bootle, on Monday morning
  Knosley (Bradbury Centre until New Year) Yuens Way on Thursday afternoon
• Ashville Lodge, Ashville Road, Birkenhead  on Thursday morning
• St Helens Millennium Centre, Corporation Street, St Helens,  on Tuesday morning and afternoon and Thursday morning and afternoon

Bill Milner, the charity’s Merseyside Area Manager, Said: “These training sessions will be an ideal starting point for visually impaired people, even those who have never used a computer before.

“Being able to use a computer and surf the web is just as important for blind and partially sighted people as it is for anyone else. Whether it’s to look for a job, shop online or keep in touch with friends by email, these sessions will give people all the skills they need to use their computer with confidence.

“Over the years, our staff have built up considerable expertise of providing computer-based training to visually impaired adults. It may sound daunting at first, but I’d urge people to come along and give it a try. The sessions are very relaxed and everyone receives plenty of individual tuition.”

Anyone interested in booking a place or finding out more, can do so by phoning Neil Kynaston, Henshaws I.T. Training Manager on 0151 708 7055.

More information about Henshaws society for Blind People is available online at www.henshaws.org.uk

Free workshop for SMEs in Merseyside
Wednesday, 16th & 23rd November 2011, 9:00am - 4:30pm
Liverpool Hope University, Hope Park, Liverpool L16 9JD

This two-day workshop programme, in partnership with Lancaster University, will help SMEs develop and retain customer focus through the implementation and integration of social media tools and techniques.

The Programme:

Social media is a powerful and cost-effective means of building relationships that lead to new business. Commencing with a marketing refresher, this programme will provide tips for getting the most out of Social Media, look at the business reasons for using social media, and assist businesses to develop a social media and web based marketing strategy.  The programme will conclude with the development of an individual ‘go-to-market’ strategy to help your business innovate & grow.

These lively, interactive sessions will answer two core questions:

• How can social media make my business more competitive?
• How can I develop an integrated online and offline marketing strategy?

Benefits

• Refresh your marketing skills
• Better customer focus through social media
• Hear how other businesses like yours have used social media to become successful
• Find and attract new customers
• Reduce your marketing costs and eliminate wasted marketing expenditure
• Better understanding of customer behaviour through social media
• Sell more to existing customers

Who should attend?

Owner / managers of SMEs in Merseyside with a basic understanding of social media wishing to improve customer focus.

Who would benefit from this programme?
Eligible Merseyside SMEs with an interest in how strategic marketing & social media can lead to greater business efficiency and a competitive advantage.

Priority is given to following sectors:
Advanced Engineering, Food, Energy and Biomedical

Registration

For further details, eligiblity or to register your interest for the programme, please contact Elizabeth Underhill on 0151 291 2157 or email underhl@hope.ac.uk

FACT, in partnership with Amaze, presents the next Roy Stringer event with respected entrepreneur and UK Digital Champion, Martha Lane Fox at 3pm, 1 November at FACT*.

Lane Fox joins a panel of guests including: Professor Andy Miah, community engagement expert Patrick Fox (FACT/Arena Housing), Director of Strategy at Aurora Media John Eagan, Managing Partner at Amaze Natalie Gross, and Google’s Peter Barron. The panel will discuss how inspiring digital content can help encourage the 100,000 people in Liverpool (25% of the population) who have never been on the Internet to take their first steps online, and the role cultural and creative industries can play in introducing off liners to the amazing digital content on offer.   

The debate will be chaired by Herb Kim, CEO of Codeworks and founder of the Thinking Digital Conference.

Martha Lane Fox is the UK Digital Champion and heads up the Race Online 2012 campaign which aims to get the 8.3 million UK residents who have never used the Internet online. An inspirational figure known for her public sector and charity work, she came to prominence after setting up lastminute.com with Brent Hoberman in 1998. Lane Fox is also a non-executive director of Marks & Spencer, Channel 4 and mydeco.com.

Liverpool is in the process of recruiting of 5,000 Liverpool digital champions - local people who are willing to support their friends, neighbours and colleagues to go online for the first time and benefit from all the advantages that can bring.
Mike Stubbs, FACT Director/CEO said:

“It’s an honour and a pleasure to have Martha with us for the fourth annual Roy Stringer event. As a passionate advocate of digital technology, Martha is someone we at FACT admire very much. I am looking forward to a lively debate about the role all of us, including the cultural sector, can play in ensuring that we open up the doors to the digital world.”

Martha Lane Fox said:

“It’s great to be taking part in the discussion on how the cultural and creative community could encourage the 100,000 Liverpudlians who have never been online to take their first steps, by introducing them to inspirational digital content through the Give an Hour campaign.”

Natalie Gross, Managing Partner at Amaze, said:

“Amaze is delighted to partner with FACT for this year’s Roy Stringer event – Roy was a true digital visionary, who Amaze is immensely proud to be connected with. His passion for digital innovation remains a key part of the Amaze brand. ”

You can book your free place on the FACT website: www.fact.co.uk

Marther Lane Fox will also join Liverpool Chamber and others for a debate on closing the digital divide in society at 11am at Liverpool Innovation Park. Places are free and you can book online here.

Race Online 2012 is working with Liverpool Chamber and a growing number of local public, private and voluntary partners to support the estimated 100,000 people in the city who have never used the internet.

Together we are working to reduce the digital divide in the city by 25% by the end of June 2012.

We are aiming to do this by encouraging 5,000 people, who are online everyday, to volunteer as digital champions and help inspire 25,000 people across the city to take their first steps online.

When the clocks go back on October 29/30th we all gain an extra hour. The BBC Give an Hour national campaign will appeal to everyone to use this extra hour to help a member of their family, a friend, a neighbour, a colleague or a customer to see how the internet could transform their lives.

Please sign up as a Liverpool digital champion, become part of Go ON Liverpool, help us to close the digital divide in the City once and for all.  http://champions.go-on.co.uk/signup

Small businesses in the UK are wasting up to £30.8 million a day by not turning off computers overnight, according to new research from energy company, E.ON.

Nearly 800 small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) were surveyed by Trends Research for the report, which found that 39 per cent of companies fail to regularly shut down their computers outside of working hours. Only 20 per cent fully turn off their computers at weekends.

According to the researchers it costs a business approximately one pence an hour to power a PC in standby mode. Based on this, they calculated that, with 4.8 million SMEs in the UK, employing an average of 110 people each, the total cost of leaving PCs on is greater than £30 million a day.

The figures were based on Government estimates that a single computer and monitor left on 24 hours a day will cost a business over £50 a year, and that switching a PC off out-of-hours, and enabling standby features, can reduce this cost to just £15 a year.

‘Financial impact’

Iain Walker, head of business sales at E.ON, commented: “Introducing small changes into the culture of your business, like turning equipment off fully at night, can have a significant financial impact on your energy bills.”

Interestingly, companies in the South were more likely turn off their PCs than those in the North.

Variations between business sectors were also revealed. For example, retail SMEs were the least likely to shut down their PCs, with two-thirds failing to do so overnight and 59 per cent failing to switch off over the weekend.

SMEs in the professional sector also performed relatively poorly, with 60 per cent leaving their computers on at the end of the working day.

Agricultural companies were found to be the most energy-efficient, with 69 per cent shutting down their computers every night, followed by property sector employees at 61 per cent.

Free support

A range of power management technologies are available to businesses seeking an automated approach to switching off PCs overnight and at the weekend.

Seven-day timers can also be installed to ensure that equipment such as printers, copiers and water chillers are turned off overnight and at weekends.

Free advice and support on improving energy efficiency in the workplace is also available in the North West from the ENWORKS service, which helps businesses to boost their profitability by using resources such as energy, water and materials more efficiently.

The Carbon Trust offers advice on how to improve the energy efficiency of office equipment, and straightforward ideas for starting out on an energy efficiency journey is also available from ENWORKS’ business support website

Got an iPhone? Well now you can keep up to date with Liverpool Chamber wherever you are.

We have just launched a free app, built by our partners Crosby Associates, that brings our website to your pocket.

Use the app like a directory of local businesses to find the services you want when you need them. Or book onto a Chamber event whilst on the move. Plus there’s news, general info and links to all our other social networks.

We hope it will make connecting with Liverpool Chamber easier and simpler. We’ll also soon be launching an iPad and Android version of the app.

Check it out here or search the Apple App Store for ‘Liverpool Chamber’

Three leading north west centres for innovation have joined forces to help young entrepreneurs expand their wings across the region.

Today sees the launch of the ‘Graduate i-pass’, a new initiative created by Liverpool Science Park, Manchester Metropolitan University’s business incubator Innospace and the University of Chester’s new Riverside Innovation Centre, to allow their graduate and start-up tenants to access facilities across the three sites.

A reciprocal agreement has been drawn up between the three organisations setting out the offering, which includes guest day passes, free wireless connection, use of communal facilities and the option to book meeting rooms.

Chris Musson, CEO of the award-winning Liverpool Science Park, based on Mount Pleasant, Liverpool, said: “We are delighted to unveil the Graduate i-pass. Each of our organisations share a deep-rooted commitment to supporting the brightest and best talent starting out in business and this scheme is about giving a helping hand to those ambitious young firms working hard to establish a presence across the Northwest. Not only does this initiative provide professional bases across multiple premises, but opens up access to our vibrant communities of like-minded knowledge-based companies.”

Ian Jamieson, Manchester Metropolitan University’s Director of Enterprise, said: “We’re very pleased to be working with our partners across the region to offer an enhanced service for graduates. In the current economic climate, it is vitally important that we stimulate new enterprise and support start-up businesses – this initiative will do both.”

Charlie Woodcock, The University of Chester’s Executive Director of Innovation and Development including Riverside Innovation Centre, based in Chester, added: “Graduate i-pass is a great scheme to help support enterprising graduates across the Northwest and is a good example of innovative support facilities working together. With access to three prime city locations, young businesses can benefit from professional premises and the opportunity to network with like-minded entrepreneurs across the region.”

In September 2010 Liverpool Science Park opened a Graduate Enterprise Centre exclusively for new and recent graduates starting out in the science and knowledge-based sectors. The 24-hour facility provides tenants with all of the necessary ingredients they need to build a business, including low cost, short term lease options.

For more information about the Graduate i-pass or GEC please contact Chloe Young at Liverpool Science Park on 0151 7053400 or email: Chloe.Young@liverpoolsciencepark.co.uk

For more information about Innospace please contact Richard Deighton on 0161 247 3954 or at R.Deighton@mmu.ac.uk

For more information about the Riverside Innovation Centre please contact Lynn Dwyer on 01244 511227 or at l.dwyer@chester.ac.uk

Liverpool Chamber organising a tour to the fantastic new Media City UK at Salford Quays, next Wed 20th April from 12pm onwards.

The Chamber has hired a corporate minibus (22-seater) to take us directly to the venue so any interested delegates should let me know as soon as possible whether they wish to come along.

Places will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Chamber members will be given priority, but any interested non-members are welcome to aply for a place. There is no charge to come along.

Timetable:

12:00: Minibus leaves Chamber – One Old Hall Street.

1:00: Arrival at Media City.

1:00 – 2:00ish: Tour.

3:00: Depart for return journey to Liverpool.

4:00: ETA Liverpool. 

The tour of the venue will be of particular interest to businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs in the digital, gaming and other IT-reliant sectors. Delegates wishing to discover more can visit the following links:

Twitter: http://twitter.com/creatingacity
Blog: http://www.mediacityuk.co.uk/the-latest/rss.htm

If you’d like to come along, please email Kush.Thakar@liverpoolchamber.org.uk

Finalists in Four Categories to Receive Commercialisation Opportunities

yet2.com, an intellectual property services firm, in partnership with NASA Tech Briefs, Clean 15, RadTech,  Steinbeis Center for Technology Transfer India and yet2 Ventures, is pleased to announce its new Step2Change Technology Competition, with submissions accepted now until March 15, 2011. 

The competition is designed to connect exciting technology companies in four leading areas to the commercial market: 

1) Sustainable Packaging;
2) Materials—lighter/stronger/better/cleaner;
3) Consumer home/health medical devices; and
4) Electronics. 

yet2.com’s Step2Change Technology Competition is organised in conjunction with yet2.com’s annual Executive Briefing conference, to take place in Boston in May, 2011. 

Competition finalists will have a chance to present their technologies at the conference to yet2.com’s exclusive audience of 100+ representatives from the Global 1000, in addition to other promotional services.  

The top Step2Change finalist will also receive a package of customised partnership/commercialisation services from yet2.com. This company will benefit directly from hands on commercialisation services from yet2.com’s global team of technology transfer specialists.

yet2.com is the world’s largest intellectual property exchange. Its client base consists of about half the Global 1000, along with hundreds of small-to-medium enterprises. Approximately 120,000 individuals involved with Open Innovation visit its global marketplace web site annually in search of new technologies. 

For its conference, yet2.com convenes Chief Technology Officers, R&D Executives, Strategic Intellectual Asset Managers, Licensing Executives, and Business Managers from companies around the globe to share open innovation best practices and to scout technology acquisitions to build into their businesses.

“This new competition is specifically designed to connect leading edge technologies to the partners and capital necessary to accelerate their access to the global market,” said Phil Stern, yet2.com CEO and co-founder.  “We hope small companies working on cutting edge technologies will realise the unprecedented access we can offer them and will decide to participate.” 

Submission details and more information are available at http://www.yet2.com/app/about/competition/home.

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Monday 7 to Friday 11 February 2011

Celebrate and explore the best that the geeks of Liverpool have to offer with events from digital and creative tech practitioners, pioneers and enthusiasts.

Events include:

Ignite Liverpool
Tuesday 8, 6 till 9pm @ LJMU Art & Design Academy

Enlighten us but make it quick! Ignite Liverpool returns for a fifth time as we invite you to join us for another inspirational evening of breakneck 5 minute presentations on a dizzying range of topics. Follow @igniteliv on Twitter.

Social Media Cafe Liverpool
Thursday 10, 6 till 9pm @ LJMU Art & Design Academy

We’re back with another evening of talks and discussions about social media and collaborative technology. Follow @smcliv on Twitter or keep an eye on the #smcliv tag

Social Media Social or ‘Oh, I follow you on Twitter’
Friday 11th 8.30pm till bedtime! @ Upstairs at LEAF Bold Street

So let’s take things offline with an evening of live music and conviviality for anyone who fancies putting a face to the twitter handle.

And a whole lot more besides! Visit http://bit.ly/SocialMediaLiverpool to find about more Social Media in Liverpool Week events and how you can take part.

All events are FREE, just bring enthusiasm (… and perhaps some change for a cuppa joe or tankard of ale!)