The Vacant Shops Academy

We were recently asked by The Oxford Mail newspaper to answer the following question for their regular ‘Issues’ column: Do independent shops have a bright future? …and we answered: “Yes”. Here’s why.

David Cameron has officially opened Abingdon and Witney College’€™s £7.4m Witney campus redevelopment. The Prime Minister and Witney MP told an audience of more than 200 people that he was “very excited to be here to celebrate the new upgraded facilities being ready for use and to celebrate vocational education.”

A college-business partnership initiative is highlighting 20 apprenticeship vacancies with firms across Oxfordshire. Abingdon and Witney College is promoting the vacancies for people who are keen to combine work for a local firm with learning.

Oxfordshire business training and mentoring specialists The Learning Ladder are extending a major partnership agreement with the UK and Ireland’s leading pizza delivery company, Domino’s.

Businesses in West Oxfordshire are being urged to ‘Get Involved’ and pledge time to create work placement, apprenticeships and employment opportunities for young and unemployed people. It’s a joint initiative by Abingdon and Witney College and homelessness-to-work charity Aspire Oxford.

More than 20 environment-friendly Oxford businesses have signed up for a free 3-month food waste collection project – and more are being urged to join them. The Oxfordshire Waste Partnership project is aimed at hospitality and catering businesses and others who have food waste as a big issue.

A campaign to remove the barriers to entrepreneurship has been launched by The Federation of Small Businesses in Oxfordshire.

Restored after time left in a field or the corner of a garage; repaired after a bump on the roads – Minis have been a passion for one family for over 35 years. Now they’ve moved their Minis-restoration business, The Real Mini Company, to a base in Oxfordshire.

Talented young Oxfordshire golfers are being offered the chance to help build on the success of a growing academy.

The OCVC Performance Engineering Centre at Bicester is helping drive a new industry skills partnership as a founding training provider for the Composites Skills Alliance.