Telecentre & Business School Ltd

General information

The Group /organisation
Telecentre & Business School Limited (TABS) is a social enterprise established as a company Limited by Guarantee in July 1995. The organisation currently has five directors. Its business mission is to support the personal development of individuals, largely with the focus on helping unemployed people into work. Traditionally this has been achieved through the provision of learning opportunities and qualifications, quality volunteer work placements, employability support and signposting to local employers. In addition in 2004 we established the first and only social business incubator in Wales which has helped to create over twenty new businesses.

Over the last 20 years key achievements are detailed as:
- Employed over 60 members of staff
- Supported over 6000 learners helping a minimum of 4000 people into employment
- Secured over 3 million pounds of investment
- Supported the creation of 22 new businesses through our social enterprise incubator
- Delivered numerous innovative and successfully publically funding learning projects
- Gained an excellent reputation of quality service delivery as recognised by such awards as Excellence in New Deal delivery 1996; Most Innovative Social Enterprise 2010; Leadership in Social Enterprise 2012 and Guardian Top Job Creator 2013

Over the last few years through working with our learners we have developed a wider community regeneration focus and now work with local people interested in using community development processes to build better communities. Specifically our plans over the next two years are to:
- Establish a Community Regeneration Hub: We will use the large premises from which we operate to establish a Centre of Excellence for Community Regeneration. This involves:
o Transfer of the asset from local authority ownership to TABS ownership. Meeting for this transfer are in an advanced stage and this will allow us to share the building with three other organisations, namely Community Development Cymru (the national strategic voice of community development in Wales); a private sector training organisation and a childcare facility. These anchor tenants will ensure sustainability of the building for community benefit
o Link with numerous support agencies that will use the building on a regular basis to provide their services to local people e.g. Dragon Savers Credit Union;
o Creation of 3 new community services
Textile Facility: The focus of this application with details below
Carpentry / Woodwork facility: This provision will complement the textile facility and the two facilities will work closely together to support training, manufacturing and recycling activities
Catering / Canteen: This will support centre users and promote healthy lifestyles. It will also provide a commercial catering service including working with the local authority to provide a ‘meal-on-wheels’ service to the elderly and vulnerable
- Develop a wider training portfolio: To-date the organisation has had a focus on helping people into work within an office environment. The above activities enable the organisation to support a wider range of learners in particular NEETS and over 50’s looking for more practical hands-on activities
- Develop Commercial Activities: As a forward looking social business we aim to develop commercial activities with individuals, manufacturing and retail. While the activities above will focus on training and development of individuals the aim is to become more production and sales orientated. This will result in growth and sustainability through the opening of manufacturing and retail outlets.