News
Inspiring Women’s
Enterprise
We are looking for women who are keen to fulfil
their personal potential and are thinking of either
self employment or employment?
Working with our partners, EEDA (East of England Development Agency) and
ESF (European Social Fund) ENTERPRISE HERTFORDSHIRE are looking for economically inactive or unemployed women to take advantage of a new fully funded initiative to help them either become their own boss or to obtain employment.
This programme is designed to offer support and guidance to help women break through barriers which may exist when entering into self employment or finding work.
T
he programme begins with an initial 1-to-1 session with an experienced advisor to understand the individual’s personal circumstances and what they are hoping to gain from working with ENTERPRISE HERTFORDSHIRE.
After this initial session, the programme rolls out into a series of workshops interspersed with 1-to-1 advice sessions to help the individual to make the decisions they are comfortable with in order to become their own boss or find a job.
ENTERPRISE HERTFORDSHIRE is a leading enterprise agency, based in
Stevenage with 25 years experience in advice and training.
We have recently gained Prowess Flagship status in recognition of our work helping women into self employment and it is due to this experience that we have gained the funding through EEDA and
ESF to provide this new initiative free of charge.
If you know someone you feel would benefit from this initiative, please ask them to contact
ENTERPRISE HERTFORDSHIRE on 0845 0780600
email us at
admin@sbi-herts
.co.uk
or visit us at the Business & Technology Centre,
Bessemer Drive
,
Stevenage, Herts. SG1 2DX.
Are you facing redundancy?
From November 2008 SBI,
North
Hertfordshire
College and Stevenage Borough Council are working along side each other and have opened a rapid response to redundancy helpline. This single point of contact is aimed at helping the people and community of
Stevenage access the wider support that is available.
Facing redundancy is a very stressful time, and in the current economic climate more and more people, families and businesses are being affected by the prospect of redundancy. The helpline is there to help. This free dedicated helpline is available to all
Stevenage residents to discuss redundancy worries and to direct you to the appropriate help. The helpline will put you in touch with trained professionals who will be able to help you.
For individuals it will help you:
Work out your main priorities, Look at solutions for your financial worries, Look for another job, Consider other options, Look at re-training opportunities, Start up your own business and plan a lifestyle change.
For businesses it will help you:
Priorities your main issues, look at solutions to your financial issues, consider other options; look at re-training opportunities for staff.
The Stevenage Rapid Response to Redundancy helpline advisors are available Monday to Friday 9:00am – 5:00pm and a 24 hour answer phone is available outside the above times and any messages left will be responded to on the next working day.
Helpline: 01438 791106
New Deal
Many people who have been economically inactive for a long period of time, find it hard to get a back into the workplace. Their reasons for being inactive are many fold, from being a long term carer for a child or elderly relative. An illness or injury may have prevented them from working. Possibly their age, work experience or training, did not meet the current criteria for the jobs available within the local labour market.
Whatever their personal circumstances, the self employment training programme, under the government's New Deal initiative, has been a way for many people to start their own business and to return to financial independence.
The process starts with basic market research into their chosen field, and a look at the financial requirements to get the business off the ground. Then we use this information to start to produce a business plan that puts the ideas, beliefs and aspirations of the person into a cohesive plan of action. Then once they are ready to start trading, they are then supported financially, for up to six months, by them still receiving benefits, until they are ready to maintain independent self employment.
In the two years that Enterprise Hertfordshire have been involved in the New Deal programme, we have helped over sixty people to realise their ambitions of becoming self employed, and in the process, giving them back the self confidence and self esteem that is often suppressed during periods on economic inactivity
What is a
Mentor
?
Within SBI’s business development service we are able to provide a skilled and experienced business person to act as a Mentor. But what is a Mentor? It maybe hard to believe but there is no commonly accepted definition of who Mentors are. Within our programme they are facilitators and catalysts who can pass on hard won wisdom and experience. Mentors don’t provide solutions; they facilitate learning. Effective Mentoring relationships are voluntary learning partnerships within mutually agreed boundaries of scope and duration. So the definition that we use is “Mentors are people who through their knowledge, experience, expertise and enthusiasm help others to achieve their potential”.
As businesses grow and develop many challenges arise and it is the astute business person who soon realises that he or she may not have all the necessary skills and experience to meet them all. This is when use of a business Mentor can add real value to your business.
All our Mentors are experienced business people who are prepared to share their experiences, act as a sounding board, challenge and help you evaluate you ideas and become your trusted advisor.
It has been said that Mentors have one of the best jobs in the world. They help people to achieve their own picture of success and during the journey the Mentor often learns as much as the client. That is the magic of Mentoring.
For more information or to access SBI’s business development service contact us at 0845 078 0600 where we shall be happy to arrange an initial meeting to talk about how the Mentoring program could help your business and to give us enough information to match you with one of our knowledgeable business Mentors. The aim of the programme is to provide clients with one to one support from someone with relevant experience.
The cost of the service is controlled by the client because it is you who decides where and how frequently you meet up with your Mentor. Total confidentiality is assured and a scheme manager is in place to check with your stages that you are entirely happy that you Mentor is able to provide real benefits and added value to your business.
David Wall
SBI Business Advisor & Mentoring Manager.
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