Shamim Hossain, Director, Community Cleaning Services
“I came here very young and married young so didn’t get a chance to study. I had to teach myself and got a job in housing but I wanted to progress in a career. I want to create opportunities so that people who are excluded can get into the labour market. I use a business model providing high quality service – but I want to value my staff and motivate them and treat them fairly to create a sustainable business in Tower Hamlets.”
The course enabled Shamim to set up her own social enterprise business which now employs other local women.
Zoe Portlock, Bikeworks CIC
"If I hadn't come on the course, this would have all still been dreams."
Zoe set up a job opportunities service for disabled people at The Tower Project and became focused on how employment and work is a key factor for disabled people - enabling them to live a rich and fulfilled life. As a student of the BA (Hons) in Social Enterprise she gained the skills and confidence to set up a new social enterprise, Bikeworks CIC, a community cycling hub that not only rents bikes and provides sustainable green transport in the Olympic zone and East London but also offers services to train local people who can mentor their peers and get more local people involved the business.
Jim Fitzpatrick, MP for Poplar and Canning Town
“The BA (Hons) Social Enterprise at Bromley by Bow Centre empowers people to be enterprising, to aim high and achieve success; giving those with ideas the ambition, confidence and know-how to go on and start up their own businesses. It is a means of shifting real power into the hands of working people, for the benefit of all of us here in East London."
Dan Hopewell, Director of Learning, Bromley by Bow Centre
“Degrees of success is tremendously successful. By bringing together the social enterprise expertise of the Bromley by Bow Centre and the academic innovation of the University of East London the programme has supported students in achieving what they thought might never be possible. Not only are they gaining a BA, but as a student group they are building networks across the East of London, putting their ideas into practice setting up new projects and businesses. Building on the success of this course, we are very excited to acknowledge the support of the LDA’s Opportunities funding, taking the course forward from 2007- 2010.”
Professor Gavin Poynter, Head of School of Social Sciences, Media and Cultural Studies, University of East London
“People from East London communities are gaining the professional skills and knowledge to develop communitybased services and to sustain them on a business-like basis. In the University we are proud to offer this programme and to work with Bromley by Bow Centre and with community organisations and businesses.”
Gladius Kulothungan, Programme Leader, B.A. Social Enterprise
“The BA offers practitioners in the third sector professional skills and knowledge to develop as social entrepreneurs so that they would be able to set up, lead and manage social enterprises for the benefit of communities.”
Alan Woolston, Director of Enterprise, Bromley by Bow Centre
“This is an excellent course and has proved to be a first class breeding ground for Social Entrepreneurs. Several members of the course have now launched a social enterprise with the help of the Bromley by Bow Centre Beyond the Barn Programme.”
Rob Trimble, Chief Executive Bromley by Bow Centre
“This degree is what education is all about. Here at the Bromley by Bow Centre we have seen an undergraduate degree course develop that really makes a difference to the lives of individuals and has the capacity to transform communities. In partnership with UEL we have been able to mould a programme that is creating social entrepreneurs who are committed to improving the communities they live in and challenge how services are delivered. As the name suggests, we connect community with university and create a vibrant programme that is about people rather structures or institutions. You only need to talk to the students to understand what incredible achievements are being made.”
Stephen Timms, MP for East Ham, Chief Secretary to the Treasury
“Degrees of Success supports and trains local people to start new businesses and run local organisations effectively, using the social enterprise model. Bromley by Bow Centre has shown how social enterprise can generate jobs, training and services, enabling the community to take an active part in developing a vibrant economy. The BA (Hons) Social Enterprise will help ensure that the benefits of development and investment in the East of London are embedded fairly throughout the whole community.”
Lord Andrew Mawson of Bromley by Bow, Water City Group
“East London is undergoing a period of major change. Over the last 20 years a community which was dominated by social and economic problems has now become a place laden with opportunity. The Water City project is seeking to grow an enterprise culture across the Lower Lea Valley and BA (Hons) Social Enterprise at Bromley by Bow Centre has a major contribution to make to the emergence of a vibrant and thriving area.”
Joanna Huxton, Director of Programmes, Leaside Regeneration
“Leaside Regeneration Ltd is proud to be a partner of Degrees of Success. This is a highly innovative and exciting community-based approach to higher education, targeted towards people who are not able to easily access university. This course has created a number of highly successful social enterprises and local employers benefit from the skills and practical experience students gain and take back to the workplace.”
For more information, contact: Genefer Victorin on 020 8709 9848 basocialenterprise@bbbc.org.uk.
