Driving digital skills, entrepreneurship and employment. Inspiring an inclusive future workforce for the digital economy.
We are in a time of enormous change, facing new challenges as we continue to tackle the economic and social consequences of the past few years.
The issues we have experienced have confirmed and highlighted the deep inequalities in our communities, but they have also demonstrated what can be achieved if businesses, councils and communities work together to make a better future.
▶ Brent is home to 339,800 residents, of whom 65% are Black, Asian, and other minority groups.
▶ Brent is London’s 5th most populous borough.
▶ We’re a young borough – our residents have an average age of 35, which is 5 years below the national average.
▶ Brent residents speak 149 different languages.
▶ Brent saw one of the largest rises in unemployment during the pandemic: the unemployment rate tripled – the 3rd biggest rise in England. Around 24,310 residents were claiming unemployment-related benefits in February 2021 – 11% of the working age population.
▶ Brent saw one of the highest furlough rates: around 33,600 jobs, belonging to Brent residents, were furloughed at the end of January 2021 – 9th highest in England.
▶ Self-employed residents were heavily affected by the pandemic: 24,400 relied on government support during the winter lockdown in 2020 –the 3rd highest in England.
The UK economy has shrunk, but recovery and growth has been forecast. However, the long-term prospects of young people, minorities and lower-income communities will be seriously affected.
In a rapidly-evolving digital landscape, Take Your Shot Studios supports talented digital entrepreneurs to move an enterprise out of the home to Olympic Way, Wembley Park, a prime location at the heart of Brent’s economy.
The economy is changing fast and demanding digital skills. We have to create new models able to respond to change.
▶ Drive the growth of individual enterprises - integrating them into Brent’s business community, and supporting them to access new business opportunities with Brent suppliers
▶ Increase the number and diversity of Digital Entrepreneurs in Brent
▶ Create new opportunities for the development of digital skills and employment
▶ Encourage women and minority communities to engage with the digital economy
Slenky is a social platform and mobile app connecting purposedriven brands and organisations with aspirational 13-24 year old audiences. Designed to meet the lifestyles, devices and content needs of young people, Slenky provides the tools you need to effectively tackle your youth engagement challenges.
1. To make it easier for every young person to explore and access opportunities and organisations aligned to their passions and interests.
2. To make it easier for businesses to attract and engage future talent earlier, by turning existing opportunities into easily accessible, social content.
Most children in the UK don’t leave school prepared for the world of work or business but they should be. Having worked with 1,000’s of young people we know that many of them want to start their own enterprises, do what they love and make money from it. But without the right support this is just a dream.
Endorsed by Sir Richard Branson, Ultra Education CIC is a multi-award winning social enterprise that delivers entrepreneurship-based skills for employment and self employment. Group sessions which use the development of real micro-businesses to develop skills in problem solving, teamwork, finance, communications, and other essential life skills.
The UK’s biggest and well attended youth business fairs help to build aspiration, confidence, selfesteem, and other enabling attributes for the next generation of leaders and change makers.
Brent Council recently won the 2023 LGC Award for Digital Impact for work to increase digital inclusion among residents.
Brent Council continues to advance its digital strategy by working collectively and in collaboration to bring about positive transformation for a more connected and empowered borough.
In 2019, the council launched its ambitious Digital Strategy to ensure local residents, partners, and businesses are able to thrive in the digital future and play active roles in shaping Brent into a digital borough where technology is used to improve the lives and life chances of everyone.
The Brent Community Action Plan, provides a structured and measured way to make positive changes to tackling inequality within the borough.
Our innnovative partnership model empowers Brent Council’s suppliers and partners to positively impact multiple enterprises as ‘Social Value Partners’, evidencing activity online and at Take Your Shot Studios.
A Resident Enterprise has a dedicated desk in a Take Your Shot Studios, plus an optional desk to offer work experience, internships etc. to Brent residents. Take Your Shot ‘Clusters’ consist of 4-6 Resident Enterprises, with free and unlimited access to all facilities for an initial 12 months. Other ‘Flexi Enterprises’ have the same free access to hot desks overlooking Wembley Park
Feature in Brent’s regional and national communications , on the Take Your Shot Studios website and social media; in individual ‘enterprises’ social media, and on the Take Your Shot Studios partner wall.
Social Value Partners make an authentic contribution to social and economic inclusion, and social mobility. Take Your Shot Studios inclusive growth approach enables partners to evidence social investment in Brent to existing and prospective customers.
On the lives of entrepreneurs, and on Brent’s Digital Strategy
Talk about Social Value is everywhere. In Parliament, Corporate Boardrooms, at conferences and over coffee. We all want to know how your business creates social value.
Social Value is having an impact on business, especially if tendering for government, local authority, or large private sector contracts.
In a purpose-driven era, you must create, and prove Social Value in the communities in which you work, with 62% of people now considering your brand’s purpose and reputation before making a purchase.
The Procurement Bill (2023) has the goal of making public benefit, transparency, and integrity central to procurement.
Demonstrating the Social Value your business delivers is now a ‘must have’ for winning new business and retaining existing customers.
Start delivering Social Value and create evidence of your commitment before the tendering process begins. Then follow through, measure and let others know about it.
Your business may already be adding Social Value by making charitable donations, litter picking or painting a community hall. Consensus is that isolated social contributions will no longer suffice.
When submitting future tenders, you’ll have to state how you’ll deliver Social Value, and may even have to provide evidence of previous projects and activities and how relevant it is to the communities you work in.
We want to share this innovative approach to Social Value and Inclusive Growth, sharing our Partners’ support with our wider audiences.
Online Offline & Print
▶ Take Your Shot Studios Website + Mobile App + Social Media
▶ Take Your Shot Studios Enterprises’ Websites + Social Media
▶ Take Your Shot Studios Founders’ Websites + Social Media
▶ A Partner Hub *
▶ Slenky + Ultra Education Social Media
▶ Take Your Shot Studios Cluster + Partner Wall
▶ Take Your Shot Studios Studio e.g. ‘ Creator Studio, in partnership with X’
▶ Brent Annual Reports e.g. Digital Strategy, Social Value, Procurement
▶ Take Your Shot Studios Event Publicity
Included in your Partnership (at no additional cost) is a Slenky hub for your business, plus free support to introduce your brand and opportunities to digital audiences in Brent and elsewhere. (Normal annual subscription
To become a Social Value Partner please email: partner@takeyourshot.studio
We help Diverse Digital Entrepreneurs GROW their business.
A creative workspace driving growth opportunities for diverse digital enterprises. Working with partners, and empowering entrepreneurs to overcome obstacles, and take the next step toward their vision.
