Skills for Business 

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Helping small businesses recover

Berkshire Self-Employment Support Programme

Funded by Skills Support for the Workforce from the European Social Fund, Skills for Progress are delighted to be able to offer small businesses support and guidance to help.

The last couple  of years have been tough for small businesses, from the pandemic to the cost of living crisis.  Our free training and mentoring support can help

  • Want to talk through your next steps and develop an action plan?
  • Develop your skills and gain a qualification?
  • Receive mentoring and the opportunity to be a part of an innovative mentoring programme?

Skills for Business Pilot Mentoring Project: Mentoring Works

Mentoring is widely recognised as a strategy to support recovery, growth and development.

We are delighted to offer a unique opportunity for 10 small businesses to be a part of a pilot business-to-business peer mentoring project.  As well as receiving free mentoring, you will receive training and support to mentor others and to exchange ideas.  

The pilot Skills for business mentoring project is an innovative programme and we are looking to train our first cohort of peer-to-peer mentors.  It will be of interest if:

  • Your business has been affected by the pandemic and/or the cost of living crisis
  • You would like to explore how mentoring can help your business to recover and thrive
  • You would like to explore how you can support other business 

The programme will start in September and numbers are strictly limited.  For more information and to  apply for a fully-funded place, please email rachel.fox@rootofit.com

Free training

We have accredited training as well as access to a library of over 100 short courses, meaning that you can pick the ones most relevant to you. Options include:

Level 2 Certificate and Diploma in Skills for Business

This qualification will help you to improve your understanding of the essential skills required to develop your business.  opportunity to learn how to manage and improve their own performance in a business environment.

Level 2 Peer Mentoring Award

Peer mentoring is shown to be beneficial for both the recipients and also those delivering the mentoring. Mentoring is widely recognised as a strategy to support recovery, growth and development. Peer mentoring is shown to be beneficial for both the recipients and also those delivering the mentoring.

We are delighted to offer a unique opportunity for 10 small businesses to be a part of a pilot business-to-business peer mentoring project.  As well as receiving free mentoring, you will receive training and support to mentor others.

We have accredited training as well as access to a library of over 100 short courses, meaning that you can pick the ones most relevant to you. Options include:

  • Performance management
  • Personal resilience
  • Managing stress
  • Introduction to mentoring
  • Introduction to coaching
  • Leadership skills revisited
  • Management skills revisited
  • Leadership 9.0

Free mentoring

All participants are supported by a qualified mentor, who you will talk to weekly or fortnightly. This practical support helps you to overcome barriers and talk through decisions, options and change

Benefits

  • All training and mentoring is delivered online
  • 24/7 access – courses are pre-recorded in 10-15 minute bite sized chunks
  • Qualified staff to support you

Want a qualification?

Participants to this programme will earn a qualification in Mentoring, Leadership or Professional Development from Open Awards. 

Eligibility

To be eligible you need to:

  1. Self employed
  2. Live in Berkshire
  3. Have a right to live and work in the UK

How does it work?

Start today

To get started or find out more, please email rachel.fox@rootofit.com