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Business
Enterprise Centres started in New South Wales as an initiative of
Mr. Tom Cappie-Wood who was the president of Sydney Rotary. The
establishment of Business in the Community (later renamed Business
Enterprise Centres (NSW) Ltd) was his President’s project in
1985.
He
researched Business in the Community in the UK and decided that
this would be a worthwhile project for his year as President of
Sydney Rotary. Together with other Rotarians from Sydney Rotary and
community members he realised his idea and Business in the
Community came to fruition and with it the first BEC at Surry
Hills.
Due to the
initial success of the Workventures at Surry Hills, Fairfield
Community Advice Centre, The Newcastle Enterprise Agency and the
Albury Wodonga Small Business Centre were established as the embryo
Network.
Further
centres were established around Australia by individuals who
followed the BEC formula and some are attributed to particular
people who were driving forces in their states. In 1991 after a
meeting in Penrith all agencies across Australia voted to change
their name to Business Enterprise Centres with each State having a
State Body.
In
February 1999, the Association BEC Australia Incorporated was
formed, with the sole purpose of supporting the national network of
BECs. In recent times, BEC Australia has undergone a restructure
with a majority of State Bodies abolished & all BEC’s becoming
individual members of the Association.
This was
the defining point of the national network with key strategic
alliances being formed, and recent Federal Funding obtained for
selected BECs, with the aim of having this funding rolled out
across all members of the network in the coming years. | 