Five community hubs in the West Midlands have welcomed a £270,000 cash boost from the region’s Combined Authority.
The funds will enable the community centres to foster business growth by serving as local hubs to help connect ethnic minority businesses.
The official announcement was made by the region’s Mayor, Richard Parker, at The Legacy Centre of Excellence in Birmingham.
He announced the names of the five hubs: Legacy Centre of Excellence in Newtown, Birmingham, iSE Women’s Enterprise Hub in Sparkbrook, Birmingham, The Highlife Centre in Coventry, SWEDA in Sandwell and Access to Business in Wolverhampton. Representatives from each hub took part in a panel discussion chaired by the remarkable Sharonjit Clare, Independent Chair of the Race Equalities Taskforce (RET).
This pilot project is set to further enhance the partnership between the RET – whose strap-line is ‘One Region, Equal Opportunities’ - Business Growth West Midlands and the region’s diverse business community.
According to a RET report, 45% of people living in the West Midlands do not identify as being from a White British background. It also found that unemployment for ethnic minority people is two times higher compared to White British and 1.3mn residents are likely to experience race inequality in their daily lives.
