DEVELOPING PERSONAL BUSINESS ADVISERS: AN INSIDER'S VIEW

Abstract

The development of a team of personal business advisers (PBAs) within Business Link Sandwell is considered. A practical stance is taken, looking at the issues which arose in interpreting national guidelines within a local situation. The background to the setting up of Business Links is reviewed, and in particular the placing of a personalized service at the centre of Business Link activities. The major change from the point of view of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in setting up Business Links is that there will be a customer‐centred service with a single local response. This has meant that the many different local organizations (e.g. Training and Enterprise Councils, chambers of commerce) have had to form partnerships and often co‐locate services and staff. There has been a singular lack of independent research in this field. The recruitment of a team of PBAs based on the DTI model for PBAs and the published research available on the topic is described. An intensive three‐month team‐building and product and service familiarization programme was undertaken for the opening of Business Link Sandwell in April 1995.