Enterprising Access Centre Has Success Recognised

Carnegie College’s Levenmouth Access Centre, Methil, was runner up in the Enterprising Britain Scottish awards ceremony held at the end of May in Edinburgh, narrowly missing out as winner. The Access Centre is part of the outreach service provided to communities in Fife by the College. In partnership with Fife Chamber of Commerce, The Rotary Club of Leven, a large number of local SMEs, Community Service Volunteers, and Integrated Community Schools and others, the role of the Access Centre is to deliver enterprise and employability in an area with one of the highests deprivation levels in the country. Rose Duncan, Access Centre Manager, speaking about the award said ‘Staff are delighted that their hard work has been publicly recognised. We certainly feel we have made a difference to many in the area. To be named runner up in such a prestigious national competition is fantastic. Faced with high structural unemployment and low economic development levels the Access Centre began an ambitious programme of skills development designed to facilitate local enterprise. Our strategy is an all age approach since one of the greatest problems facing the area is the nature of third generation unemployment and economic inactivity in large numbers of households.’ ‘Since 2004 we have helped 141 small businesses to start up, nearly 90% of which are still trading, and one has become a millionaire! Around 500 people have been helped into employment and hundreds more have been into further education, training or voluntary work.’ The Centre is housed in Thomson House, part of Scottish Enterprise’s Methil Energy Park and is already building new partnerships to provide different and exciting opportunities for the local population in the future.