Video Transcript
Hello, and welcome to the October edition of the Worcestershire Growth Hub newsletter. Now that British summertime is officially over and the clocks have been changed, not only do we need to brace ourselves for darker mornings and evenings, but we’re also into a busy autumn event season.
There are a wide range of events taking place around Worcestershire that will provide you with the opportunity to learn more about the various business support options available to your business within the county. The Growth Hub was proud to attend the Chamber of Commerce Business Expo held earlier this month, which was held at a new venue this time, in the University of Worcester’s arena, and it was great to see and speak to so many local businesses in the room, new and old, as well as learning about other support that’s out there too. The team will continue to be active and visible at these events in the coming weeks and months. So please come and say hello and see how we can help you with your business growth plans.
To quickly flag one such event which may be of interest and is approaching fast. The Worcestershire Growth Hub team is hosting a hands on, HR essentials workshop on the 7th of November, which is designed to equip local businesses with the valuable insights, practical tools and skills, and expert guidance to navigate the ever changing world of HR with confidence. If you’d like to know more details about this event, location and times, please click the link in the newsletter.
And local businesses can still access various grants and funding programs which are continuing to run, including up to 75% funding for energy efficiency and renewable technology projects. And innovative SMEs can get access to up to £20,000 for research and development projects. You can find more information about these programmes and how to apply for them via the funding support section within the newsletter.
Earlier in the summer, the Worcestershire Community Foundation, in partnership with Worcestershire County Council, launched a new funding programme to support local communities who are struggling in the current economic climate. Since then, the Strengthening Worcestershire Fund has now received over 50 plus applications from various local community groups, with an ask totaling in excess of 330,000 pounds, which just highlights the huge level of need across the county. Applications include food banks, food grain projects and community cafes. To date, the programme has successfully raised £150,000 in donations, which is absolutely fantastic as every penny raised will be matched by Worcestershire County Council. The fund is aiming to reach the original target of £200,000, and so are seeking to support raises for a further £50,000. And if you can support the Strengthening Worcestershire Fund, or would like to know more about the program, please follow the link in the newsletter.
And finally, on this month’s update, I’d like to highlight employees who live in Worcester City Council and Wychavon District Council areas can still take advantage of the free skills training being made available through the Herefordshire Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce. Following feedback that was received via their Local Skills Improvement Plan or the LSIP survey, the Chamber have designed two courses to help upskill employees. Professional skills for the workplace and IT skills for the workplace are available now. And to find out more about these courses and how to apply, please visit the link in the newsletter.
As usual, there was plenty more to catch up on within the newsletter, and I hope that you find value in this month’s update. If you’d like to access any of the support mentioned in the newsletter, please contact the Growth Hub team with the details on the screen now to find out more. We’ll see you in November.
