Latest news with #SupplierDevelopmentProgramme
Scotsman
27-05-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
Developer urges SMEs to attend £91m workstream event
Businesses across South Lanarkshire and East Ayrshire are being urged to be part of a must-attend event offering the chance to be part of a lucrative supply chain for a new wind farm. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Since receiving planning permission in 2022, OnPath Energy's Mill Rig Wind Farm is set to inject £91 million into businesses within a 60km radius over its 30-year lifespan, supporting around 300 jobs. Glasgow-based civil engineering firm RJ McLeod is inviting a wide range of contractors to attend a Supplier Development Programme event, taking place at Rutherglen Town Hall on Wednesday 28 May from 2pm to 3.30pm. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Robin Winstanley, sustainability & community director at OnPath Energy, said: "The Mill Rig Wind Farm will bring substantial environmental, energy security and community benefits to the local area. Alan Wells, senior project manager (OnPath Energy), Lorcan Hayes, contracts manager (RJ McLeod) and Martin Kellerman, construction director (OnPath Energy) 'We're committed to our 'OnPath Together' development approach, which ensures maximum benefit for the local economy by prioritising businesses and suppliers closest to our projects." "This event provides an excellent platform for local businesses and service providers to connect directly with our primary contractor and explore how they can contribute to this significant renewable energy development." A broad range of companies are being encouraged to attend, particularly those offering services such as electrical and plumbing, fencing, steel fixing, and joinery. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Other priority sectors include agricultural suppliers, timber mills, builders' merchants, equipment hire firms, waterproofing and construction contractors, traffic management, and accommodation providers. The Supplier Development Programme will also be on hand to offer free tender training to SMEs looking to secure future work on the project. RJ McLeod has been appointed to deliver the balance of plant contract covering civil engineering, cabling and off-site highway construction. Jamie Corser from RJ McLeod said: 'These kinds of developments are more than just construction projects they bring long-term work, help sustain local jobs and give a real boost to the wider economy. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'This event is a great chance for local businesses to find out how they can get involved and be part of something that will have leave lasting legacy in the area. 'OnPath Energy and RJ McLeod have a strong track record of involving local SMEs in their projects, and that's something we are really proud to be supporting with this event. 'If you think your business could play a part, I'd really encourage you to come along and make those connections.' The six-turbine Mill Rig Wind Farm, located on the border between South Lanarkshire and East Ayrshire near Darvel, will have an installed capacity of 33.4MW, enough to power over 45,000 homes annually. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Beyond the immediate economic impact, OnPath Energy's Mill Rig Wind Farm will establish a community fund providing up to £167,000 annually to support local charities and community groups, equating to potentially £5 million over the project's 30-year lifespan. Additionally, £450,000 will be invested in local training and employment opportunities during the first five years of operation. Business representatives interested in attending this free event should register in advance at For more information about OnPath Energy and its community initiatives, please visit To learn more about OnPath Energy, please visit:
Observer
20-05-2025
- Business
- Observer
Oman achieves exceptional progress in GEM report
Muscat, May 20 The Authority for Small and Medium Enterprises Development (ASMED) on Tuesday organised a workshop to review the Sultanate of Oman's results in the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) 2024 report. The Sultanate of Oman has achieved exceptional progress in the 2024-2025 GEM report, ranking eighth globally out of 56 countries covered by the report. Sayyid Mazin bin Saif al Busaidy, Deputy Chairman of ASMED, presented a number of themes that the authority has focused on implementing to empower and develop the SME sector, including a number of services and programmes provided to entrepreneurs. He also reviewed the most prominent results achieved by the Authority since its establishment and its efforts to enhance local added value programmes for SMEs by implementing the Enterprise Escalation Programme and the Supplier Development Programme, to increase investment opportunities for SMEs and support them in accessing local and global markets with their services and products. The workshop was titled "Towards Empowering and Sustainable Growth of Small and Medium Enterprises in the Sultanate of Oman". It was attended by representatives of government units and private sector establishments. Qais bin Rashid al Toobi, ASMED Deputy Chairman for Finance and Investment, explained that the workshop includes 15 working papers covering all areas of relevance to the sector of entrepreneurship and SMEs, the legislative environment and future plans in this field. 'ASMED joins hands with all partners — through initiatives, programmes and other events — to achieve partnerships to empower SMEs and the entrepreneurship sector,' said Al Toobi, noting that the Authority offers programmes in financing, investment, capacity building and marketing. The workshop reviewed efforts to motivate SMEs and enhance opportunities for partnerships and integration among the government and private sectors, to help empower SMEs, raise the sector's contribution to the gross domestic product (GDP) and augment Oman's rankings in the GEM report. The workshop included papers that explored entrepreneurial ratios and indices, as well as the outcome of GEM report 2024. The workshop also included specialised training sessions to empower the owners of SMEs and help them benefit from non-traditional financing platforms. The workshop dealt with the index of entrepreneurship in vocational education, colleges and universities; and highlighted efforts made to establish business centres in all governorates to empower SMEs and startups; and to support technology-based and innovation-based startups through the Promising Omani Startup Programme. This is a three-spot improvement from Oman's 2023 ranking when it ranked eleventh. This reflects ongoing efforts to enhance the entrepreneurship business environment; and support small and medium enterprises. Dr Abdullah al Shukaili from the University of Nizwa explained the improvement in the results of the sub-indicators of GEM for the Sultanate of Oman for the year 2024, which led to an improvement in the level of entrepreneurship. He also stated that the GEM is an important and reliable resource that assists decision-makers and contributes to improving entrepreneurship outcomes, both qualitatively and quantitatively, worldwide by providing comprehensive indicators and valuable information on entrepreneurship and mechanisms for improving and developing it, contributing to its continuity and sustainability.
