Staff working for a variety of public bodies in Argyll and the Islands have been gathering in Oban today (Wednesday 26th November) to hear details of what each individual agency can do to help businesses and organisations in the area.

The Partnership Awareness Day was organised by the Argyll and the Islands Local Economic Forum (LEF) and supported by Argyll and the Islands Enterprise (AIE).  The conference was chaired by Professor Peter Timms, chairman of the Argyll and the Islands LEF and owner of Flexible Technology.

The event follows the launch of Highlands and Islands Enterprise's (HIE) First Stop campaign, which makes HIE's ten Local Enterprise Companies the initial contact for any sort of business advice and support.  For example in Argyll, AIE staff will take the initial call for advice or assistance then pass the client's details to other relevant bodies depending on the nature of the request.

The aim of today's event at the Corran Halls was to help customer facing staff understand the exact role of each agency and how they can be of assistance.

Chief executive of AIE, Ken Abernethy spoke at the event.  He said: "Research has shown that clients have been confused about whom they should approach for business advice.  The First Stop campaign was designed to make clear to the public that whatever the nature of their business enquiries, they need only contact one point and that this will trigger an assessment of their eligibility for help from any of the partners.

"Our aim is to ensure that the best result possible is achieved for all client enquirers.  Today's event will help by improving the knowledge of the staff in the public agencies about the work of all the partners."