Businesses in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire are to get access to Shell LiveWIRE ahead of a larger rollout to the west of Scotland.
The programme was founded 30 years ago, and is aimed at established businesses that want to expand, but are facing challenges in doing so.
It applies mentoring and coaching to give the management of these businesses the confidence and tools to overcome hurdles, increase their customer base, expand their workforce and grow their sales.
Shell, which also makes industrial products like grease and hydraulic oil, runs the scheme in 20 countries.
Karen Clark, the operations manager who will be in charge of the initiative, said about it:
“We’ll be recruiting businesses that are looking to push through into the next stage of growth. They might have hit an obstacle or have a specific challenge to work through which we will encourage them to confront with a new innovation-focused mindset.”
December will see the onboarding process begin, with workshops hosted by experts set to take place between January and May next year, when a celebration event will mark this first stage’s conclusion.
Companies looking to participate can be from any sector, but they must meet certain criteria. For example, they must be SMEs (small to medium sized enterprises) with 2–149 employees, and have been operating for at least two years, with them already generating revenue rather than being a start-up.
They must also have a clear desire to grow their business, but face challenges in achieving this. The key decision-makers must also commit to the time needed to participate.