Here at the Heart of the South West Growth Hub we look to keep you updated on the latest Government and local business support to help you with mitigating the impacts of Coronavirus (Covid-19) and to assist with actions to support your business adaption, resilience, recovery and growth.
You can find links to the latest information, advice and support on the Growth Hub Covid-19 business support pages on the website here Covid-19 Support for Business.
Countryside Productivity Small Grant Scheme Round 3
Round 3 of the Countryside Productivity Small Grants is now open and is available to all farm types including livestock, horticulture and arable.
All applications can be made through the Rural Payments Agency’s online portal. The deadline for applications is the 4 November 2020.
Farmers can apply for funding towards items of equipment listed at Annex 3 of the Countryside Productivity Small Grant scheme Round 3 handbook which is available online.
All the items will help to make improvements in either:
- technical efficiency
- animal health and welfare
- resource efficiency, or
- nutrient management
Find out more online here.
Last Chance: Free Coursera licences from the HotSW LEP
Are you currently unemployed or furloughed?
The Heart of South West LEP has teamed up with Coursera to offer 1,000s of free Coursera licences for forward-thinking individuals looking for their next job, changing roles or looking to upskill.
A wide range of courses are freely available, including: From Idea to StartUp, Introduction to G-Suite, Spreadsheets for Beginners, Create a Blog using WordPress and many more.
Sign up online by the end of October and get training.
You can find out the latest updates on our Growth Hub Covid-19 business support pages and further details on financial measures and schemes on the Government’s Coronavirus Business Support Hub. See HM Government Coronavirus Business Support Hub.
Tourism and Hospitality Support Programme – Have you signed up yet?
A reminder to sign up to the free ‘Be the Business’ Support Programme for Tourism and Hospitality Businesses across Devon and Somerset. Now is the time to access this free programme which runs until December and includes 1-2-1 surgeries, peer to peer groups and online masterclasses (weekly every Tuesday). Designed to support Covid-19 recovery and improve resilience for the future. Find out more here.
Book your place on to the next weekly sessions:
- Tues 3rd Nov ‘Customer journey part 2: New world, new rules’. Get help with mapping your customers’ journey, see how you can enable your staff to turn a bad experience into a good one and learn what it’s like launching a business post-coronavirus.
- Tues 10th Nov ‘Getting to know your revenue streams: who are your customers really?’ Understand the importance of customer profiling and develop greater insight into revenue streams.
- Tues 17th Nov ‘Market mapping and competitive collaboration: Rebuilding our economy together’ Get advice and guidance to support your use of market mapping to plot your market position. Discover who your competitors and your complementors are and how to see collaboration opportunities
To book and to view all the masterclasses visit here.
BT Small Business Support Scheme
British Telecom’s Enterprise Division has launched a new support scheme to support UK SMEs with the disruption caused by Covid-19.
The BT Small Business Support Scheme is designed to help SMEs across the UK that have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. The scheme aims to enable firms to build their recovery and growth and includes a series of measures aimed at boosting connectivity, cashflow and confidence.
Through the scheme, SME can qualify for a range of support strands, including:
- Funding ultrafast business connections
- Launching bursaries for UK tech start-ups
- Supporting small businesses through mentoring
Small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) operating within the UK may be eligible for support. To find out more, visit the website.
Better Business for All Covid-19 Toolkits
The Better Business for All Toolkit has been further improved. To help businesses with the implications of Covid-19, two new resources are now available on our website and to download:
Kickstart Scheme: a 6-month work placement for 16-24-year olds
The government’s Kickstart Scheme provides funding to employers to create job placements for 16 to 24 year olds on Universal Credit and at risk of long term unemployment.
To find out more about the Scheme and how businesses and young people can benefit, visit the Heart of the South West’s Skills Launchpad website.
Events and Workshops for Local Businesses
The Growth Hub website regularly lists events and workshops that offer free support and guidance for businesses within the Heart of South West LEP area. These events cover many aspects of business practice from importing and exporting to marketing and sales. Currently, events on offer include:
- Innovate 2021: Creating a Cohesive Strategy: Marketing Plans with a North Star – 3 November
- Digital Advantage: Microsoft 365 Productivity for Business – 3 November
- Skills Support for the Workforce (SSW): People Management – 5 November
- National Careers Service: How to improve your interview skills workshop – 11 November
- Digital Advantage: Digital Marketing Made Easy – 11 November
- National Careers Service: Creating a Winning CV Workshop – 12 November
More events are available on our website.
UK Transition – New resources available online
New resources are now available on the Growth Hub’s UK Transition page including the Export Webinars, Import/Export resources and specific Better Business for All (BBfA) guides around food exporting and labelling.
- New information is available regarding the E-Commerce Directive.
- Read the new BBfA guide to Food Labelling after the UK Transition.
- If you are an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen, resident in the UK by 31 December 2020, you and your family members need to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme to continue living in the UK beyond 30 June 2021. Please click here for more information.
If your business trades with the EU, we recommend that you check our UK Transition page as it will be regularly updated in the lead up to January 2021.
Further information about the UK Transition can be found at www.gov.uk/transition
The Export Academy
Hosted by the Department of International Trade, the Export Academy is a regional program open to businesses in the South West. The program seeks to support owners and senior managers of businesses with a turnover of up to £500,000 as they seek to sell to new customers around the world.
The course is free and will provide expert insights on international trade and support for a range of business sectors as they look to develop their overseas connections.
For information and booking, visit the website.
Export Support for the UK Transition
The Department of International Trade has several export-focused webinars planned throughout November:
- International Sales Strategy – Expand your Exports: Masterclass Series
(3 November 9.30 AM) - Website Localisation – Expand your Exports: Masterclass Series
(17 November 10 AM) - Researching International Markets – Expand your Exports: Masterclass Series
(25 November 9.30 AM)
A range of webinars and resources are available to support businesses who work in the export and import sectors are now available on the UK Transition page.
For further event details please see the Growth Hub’s Events page here.
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