Corporate social responsibility

Southwest One is actively committed to supporting the long-term social and economic development of Somerset and the South West.  We work closely with a number of organisations to support a wide range of initiatives to achieve this:

• Generating new skills and jobs - for example, IBM recently relocated a high-tech facility to Highbridge in Somerset, creating at least 50 jobs.
  

• Helping local businesses to grow and develop, and providing support for start-up companies - for example our ongoing assistance to develop a leading business incubation programme
  

• Exploring opportunities for councils and other local bodies to work on research projects that will help with forward thinking and action in key socio-economic areas - for example our active support of programmes to help identify smarter approaches to overcoming challenges such as energy management, water management, and transport management
  

• Helping to promote inward investment and business creation - for example our commitment to provide senior IBM marketing managers to support the 'Into Somerset' initiative
  

• Running community based projects to help with the development of education, skills, and the economic and environmental fabric of the region  - for example IBM's continued commitment to rolling out programmes such as 'KidSmart', which sees brightly-coloured, child-friendly PC stations installed in pre-schools and nurseries and Early Years Teachers trained in the use of ICT in nursery settings
  

• Helping to develop leading post-school educational infrastructures and delivery models - for example IBM's active support of the Somerset University Partnership Programme, to bring University Centres to the county