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 Brochure - Enterprising Oskarshamn
FöretagsCentrum i Oskarshamn, FCO
Oskarshamn Business
Development Centre
The development of the local business environment and enterprising is to a great extent about people meeting people. By meeting others we make new contacts. If all goes well a deeper trust may develop leading to different forms of cooperation between businesses. Encounters between people generate creativity and good conditions for fresh ideas.
FCO, Oskarshamn Business Development Centre, (FöretagsCentrum, Oskarshamn) is an organisation situated in Oskarshamn, a municipality in the southeast of Sweden. We constitute the natural meeting place for the companies and entrepreneurs of Oskarshamn. Our job is to create the conditions for a vigorous business environment by providing requested business services.
We offer different forms of activities and projects for business development. These include competence development, joint production and business intelligence. Other important areas that we deal with are new enterprises and EU issues. When it comes to certain projects, FCO may even take on the role as project owner.
We are lucky in Oskarshamn. We have a strong business sector. We would like to strengthen that further and enhance the conditions for continued growth. For that purpose we welcome new companies. Most importantly, we nurture and develop the existing business environment.
Networks
The most important job for FCO is to create business networks. We achieve this by arranging a range of topical seminars and get-togethers. We welcome the sole trader as well as the 1000 employee company.
A popular way of networking is to participate in the breakfast meetings we arrange on our own premises every other Friday. We meet for about an hour. We have breakfast together. And at the same time, we have the opportunity to listen to interesting lecturers and take part in fruitful discussions.
FCO also arranges Business Fairs and other more comprehensive activities. Often, we do this together with the municipality of Oskarshamn and other local business associations.
New enterprises
Compared to the rest of the country, the number of new enterprises starting up is very low in the southeast of Sweden. Supporting new enterprises is therefore an important role for the FCO. To this aim, FCO run business start-up courses every year. We also give advice and evaluate business ideas for anyone thinking about starting their own business. This advisory service is free of charge and confidential.
One of the most important fields of activities for FCO is training and developing competence. Our main point of reference is the spoken needs of the companies and we run training courses together with different training providers. FCO is also working closely with universities and colleges. We want to act as the local companies’ joint "specifier" of training to meet future needs of a competent labour force.
Baltic relations
The geographical position of our region offers great business opportunities. We have initiated and want to continue to develop Oskarshamn as the gateway to our eastern neighbours. The transition of the Baltic countries to a market economy involves new possibilities, a development that is going at a fast rate.
It seems therefore natural to FCO to support any processes leading to increased business between companies from different countries around the Baltic Sea. We do this by participating in networks that provide our local enterprises with opportunities for useful new business contacts.
Education and the business sector
The interaction between schools and the business sector must be developed further. The education must correspond to the business sector demand for labour. Also, schools must not only train for employment. It is becoming increasingly important to train for self-employment too. Schools must contribute to the work of creating future entrepreneurs. Here FCO has a given role to "build bridges" between schools and the business sector.
Working together with the municipality of Oskarshamn
FCO has developed a good working relationship with the municipality of Oskarshamn regarding business sector issues. The role of the municipality is mainly being responsible for the external prerequisites for enterprising. That would include issues such as, infrastructure. The role of FCO is to manage the internal prerequisites. By which, we mean networking between companies, competence development and advisory services. Needless to say we often act jointly as well. Everything we do is for a positive development of the community of Oskarshamn and its local companies.
Brochure - Enterprising Oskarshamn
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