The Midlands region has been selected as the first region in Ireland to rollout the new QHubs Quality and Innovation Management Programme.
QHubs is a world-first Quality and Innovation programme for Remote Working Hubs, aimed at fostering a culture of continuous improvement, ongoing innovation, and best-in-class leadership across Ireland’s national network for remote hubs.
As the first to rollout the scheme, each of the Midlands network of Remote Hubs can undertake a diagnostic assessment, which will result in the development of a bespoke QHubs Growth Plan. The QHubs Growth Plan provides a Performance Improvement Framework – built on agreed strategies – where hubs set meaningful measurable QHubs Performance Goals across 6 Pillars. The implementation of these performance improvement strategies, operations and processes will be independently audited, verified, and ultimately accredited at pre-determined intervals throughout the Programme by an independent 3rd party expert organisation. The delivery of the strategies is set out on a mapped timeframe and will be supported by mentorship and complimentary programmes along the framework journey.
The 6 Pillars which underpin QHubs Performance Goals draw on best-in-class thinking aligned to a comparable range of ISO Standards and include:
- Quality Management
- Innovation Management
- Environmental Management
- Governance of Organisations
- Information Technology and Security
- Collaborative Relationships.
The anticipated benefits of the QHubs Programme have been identified as:
- Reinforcing the hubs business model
- Underpinning economic viability
- Building long-term strategic and financial sustainability
- Promoting transformation of services, activities, and ambition
- Positioning hubs as key contributors to the enterprise ecosystem in their region
- Delivering impactful support to clients, tenants, start-ups, scale-ups, micro and SME business
- And ultimately contributing to balanced and sustainable regional economic development, job creation and social prosperity across Ireland.
The QHubs programme is managed by the CEAI (The Community Enterprise Association Ireland), in association with The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, The Department of Rural and Community Development, The National Standards Authority of Ireland NSAI, Enterprise Ireland, The Network of Regional Enterprise Plan Programme Managers, Connected Hubs, IDA Ireland, Údarás na Gaeltachta, The City and County Management Association CCMA, The Irish Knowledge and Skillnet Ireland.
For more on the Midlands Hubs Network, visit https://www.midlandsireland.ie/midlands-hubs/
