Our Joint CEO, Julie Hawker, looks back on a successful year for Cosmic in 2019:
Original content from Julie's LinkedIn article. Find it here.
Cosmic's business year is the calendar year and so December always sees us reviewing and reporting on our activities during the year, our financial success, our social impact and our growth and innovations. As a social enterprise, Cosmic is committed to ensuring that our social impact remains at the very heart of plans and delivery, and works effectively alongside the provision of a growing range of services and support. All of these have gone from strength-to-strength in 2019.
As the end of the year approaches, we also spend a good deal of time in communications with key stakeholders: staff and Board, Company Members, partner organisations, suppliers and, of course, our customers. At this time, we provide updates on achievements, but also share our plans for the years ahead. There's plenty of excitement building and we'll be ready to share our next phase in the Cosmic strategy with our wider audience early in the new year.
Cosmic is widely regarded as an exemplar in our work on digital inclusion and digital skills, and we have been recognised again this year with awards, case studies and opportunities to present at events locally, regionally and nationally. This recognition and success belongs to the whole of the Cosmic team - to each member of our staff team, to the excellent Board of Directors, and to our wider membership which provides top quality input and support. Cosmic people are to be celebrated as we end 2019.
- our Positive People projects in both Devon and Somerset have continued to deliver excellent support to those seeking to improve employability through digital skills. Thousands of individuals have already been supported in the three years of these projects so far, and we have now secured further delivery plans up to 2022.
- our Business support programmes in 2019 included Growth Support Programme, Enhance Social Enterprise, East Devon Enhancing Productivity, LOVE Digital, West Somerset Enhancing Enterprise, Princes Countryside Fund and more. All of these have enabled us to provide much-needed advice, skills development and support for businesses in their digital development and transformation
- our Digital Leadership and Digital Champions programmes this year have seen us delivering new skills, knowledge and strategic plans with larger businesses and organisations including Devon & Cornwall Police, Dorset Police, South Devon College, Petroc College, Stephens Scown Solicitors
- our CiDA project (Charities in the Digital Age) saw us support 10 of the region's top charities to develop their digital leadership skills and strategies and we were very proud to work with Devon Air Ambulance, Age UK Plymouth, Exeter Leukaemia Fund, Help & Care, Libraries Unlimited, and more.
So a very Happy Christmas to all involved at Cosmic, and to all of you who support, inspire and encourage our work. 2019 is certainly a year to celebrate, but -never resting on our laurels - we are all raring to go for 2020 and beyond!
Julie Hawker, Joint CEO
