South West Apprenticeship Company
We are all committed to providing support for Forest of Dean residents delivered in the Forest of Dean, and are completely independent of anybody else’s instructions or agendas. We are not an arm of any Government agency, though many agencies and local organisations help by directing people towards us.
The project serves anyone in the Forest of Dean who has started or is thinking of starting up their own business, and wants some support and advice. We take the widest possible definition of the geographic area of the Forest, as our aim is to help anybody considering their own business in the area which could be termed the Forest of Dean. Over 130 local people had contacted the project by the autumn of 2013 and are being helped to discover whether or how to take their business idea forward at their own pace. In mid-2016 this had increased to over 400 people.
1. To provide support and signposting services to existing businesses
2. To provide an early discussion about the implications of setting up a new business
3. To provide training and support in the practical steps
4. To provide links to specialist advice
5. To provide the basis for local business contacts
Forest of Dean Entrepreneurs started as the pilot Forest Business Incubator project in 2011 to provide much-needed advice for business start-ups that was no longer being provided by Government agencies. In the initial stages the key funding partners were Adult Education in Gloucestershire, the Forest of Dean District Council, and Jobcentre Plus, supported by a number of other local agencies.
In order to keep the project going without being at the mercy of Government funding changes, a new steering group was formed in the second half of 2012 with the objective of keeping the services available for at least the next three years with the help of local business sponsorship. This has now been achieved, and funding for two further years has been renewed.
We intend to provide friendly expert advice that is always available to people in the Forest of Dean through a range of events and training where individuals can explore the possibilities and practicalities of starting their own business. Where possible we reduce the cost of attending through winning external funding.
The Forest Enterprise Fair is the only annual business-to-business event in the Forest of Dean. We expect many Forest-based businesses will attend during the day to benefit from networking, stands and seminars. Watch this space for further details.
The Forest of Dean Entrepreneurs run a variety of events focused on providing information to potential start-up businesses.
If you are considering running your own business or have just started in the Forest of Dean then this is the place to look for training.
We cover starting your own business from initial thoughts to a
There is a mass of information available from multiple sources for those starting or running businesses both on the web and face-to-face.
At Borderlands Outdoor we’re fortunate enough to work with a staggeringly diverse range of people through the eclectic mix of courses and services we provide. I believe that the services we provide add value to any business, no matter how large or small. First Aid Training All businesses have a duty to undertake a ‘first […]