The Sshed, Kirrawee, NSW

The SSHED (which stands for Sutherland Shire Hub for Economic Development) is a not-for-profit business accelerator established by Sutherland Shire Council. The SSHED is part of a $5 million training, education and business development precinct opened in November 2003. In a strong, three-way partnership, Sutherland Shire Council, TAFE NSW and the University of Wollongong (UOW) worked together to provide the first university presence in southern Sydney and a world-class business accelerator for small and medium-sized enterprises in new premises located on the Loftus TAFE campus. The building is occupied jointly by the UOW Southern Sydney and the SSHED. The SSHED is a business initiative of Sutherland Shire Council with funding assistance from the Commonwealth Government's Small Business Incubation Program, NSW state government, The University of Wollongong and the Southern Sydney Institute of TAFE. The SSHEDprogram is part of council's strategy to stimulate economic growth and create jobs, by attracting new enterprises to the shire and helping existing businesses succeed. The SSHED provides office space and business development support to help businesses grow faster. Advice, accountability, and support are the keystones to the SSHEDprogram methodology and form the basis of all business acceleration activities.