Tony Robinson OBE, SFEDI Founder and Director along with Terry Owens (Queens Award for Enterprise Promotion), onwer of InBiz, have this week called for a meeting with the Prime Minister on behalf of the SFEDI Advisory Board to get government backing for SFEDI's newly developed Enterprise Excellence Framework. The framework and accompanying organisaitonal mark has been developed to assist in the engagement of small businesses with regard to enterprise skills development.

SFEDI research has long demonstrated the importance of nurturing and promoting enterprise skills to strengthen the economy and improve the success rate of small businesses in the UK. The Enterprise Excellence Framework and Mark is an integrated approach that is designed to provide an engagement and delivery process for all those working with small businesses.

The letter reads as follows:

"Dear Prime Minister,

UK Employment, Economy and Social Cohesion will be significantly improved by private sector and government support to start ups, self employed and micro enterprise owners.

SFEDI is the UKCES recognised standards setting body for business enterprise (prospective and existing small and home business owners and business support (all those that help them to survive and thrive). This body comprises all the major national small business membership and business support organisations.

InBiz was established in 1990 and has grown to become a respected market-leader in enterprise creation and neighbourhood regeneration.  The 'National Reach, Local Touch' approach has kept InBiz at the forefront of developing and delivering innovative enterprise support programmes. This is achieved by working with organisations such as Jobcentre Plus, Business Link, Learning and Development Councils and a host of other partners, including SFEDI.

For the last 6 months we have been working hard and investing in developing positive solutions to help the one in seven of the adult workforce, who are running their own enterprise, to survive and even grow through the recession.  Furthermore we have developed a set of programmes to help everyone who wants to start and run their own enterprise. Currently the only alternative to self employment is unemployment and so this work is absolutely essential.

We have developed a complete framework of enterprise excellence which will work far better if all government departments but particularly DIUS, UKCES, BERR and DWP work together on this.

It is absolutely essential that those  in both the private sector and  publicly funded  enterprise support sector that have good 'offers' to prospective and existing small business owners are able to increase their impact. We know, for example from start up support, it is the difference between 85% surviving after 3 years and only 65% or less without this quality support.

Our proposals go with the grain, have been tested and the private sector is willing to invest in our proposals. Building on  existing government policy and programmes there is a great opportunity to fight back against recession, increase self employment and incentivise business owners willing to commit to growth through their own investment in personal and business development.

As well as employment through self employment, social cohesion and economic growth our proposals will also ensure that there is no longer a disconnect between training and support (everyone should gain recognised business enterprise qualifications) or between an employed career and a self employed/business ownership career.  The recognition we can accord these small business owners will ensure that others will invest in them.

We have consulted, refined and improved this framework through discussions with your officials but we feel we must meet you in order to get your support across all government departments and agencies.

We hope you may agree to meet us at your earliest convenience .

Yours faithfully,

Tony Robinson OBE (Services to Small Firms and Training), SFEDI