Education & Courses
Skills Support for the Workforce in Heart of the South West (Devon & Somerset)
Funded training to help your business grow
The Skills Support for the Workforce programme (SSW) helps support small & medium businesses in the Heart of the South West LEP area; Devon, Plymouth, Somerset and Torbay, to upskill their employees with training courses & qualifications to help their business grow and boost the local economy.
They can work with you to develop a bespoke training programme relevant to your business needs, and as the SSW programme is co-financed by the European Social Fund (ESF) and the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA), a wide range of training can be accessed at no cost* to your business. *subject to eligibility
They have a network of expert training providers who can deliver 100s of fully funded and accredited training courses covering a range of subjects such as: IT & Digital Skills, Leadership and Management, Engineering, Manufacturing, Construction, Health and Social care, Customer Service, Business Administration, and many more.
Take a look at the course listings (we have identified those courses most relevant to hospitality):
HotSW Transitional Region Course Provision
Somerset Course Provision – SSW
To register interest or make any enquiry, please visit:
Please make it clear in the notes/additional info section (final box on form) what training you are interested in.
Any training undertaken must either add value to an employees job role by offering addition skills to what they already have, promotion within the workplace or progression onto further/higher level training.
Introducing Exmoor's Dark Skies to your Tourism Businesses
Watch the recording (link below) to get the background to the Exmoor International Dark Sky Reserve, available dark skies resources, the Dark Skies Festival and the Dark Sky Friendly Business accreditation scheme. Richard Darn from Go Stargazing talks about why Exmoor’s skies are special and the opportunities available in astro tourism. Recording at https://youtu.be/IPOZJ9BODVA
Interested in learning more about becoming an Exmoor Dark Skies Accredited business? Contact Katrina Munro at Exmoor National Park on kjmunro@exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk
Want your business to THRIVE?
Thrive is here to support you to make your business the best it can be. Whether you are looking for ways to increase your turnover, grow your business or just do things more efficiently so that you can spend more time on the things you enjoy doing, Thrive can help.
If you are a sole trader, micro business or limited company in Devon, Plymouth, Torbay and Somerset (excluding BANES), contact us now to see if you are eligible to access four modules of business advice, support and training. Funding from the European Regional Development Funds (ERDF) means this is completely free to eligible businesses in the Heart of the South West area.
We know that the needs of a sole trader working from home will be different from a SME with premises and staff to manage. As a business owner, you will have specific strengths and areas you would like to improve. Thrive is a bespoke service using specialist advisors who will work with you to identify what would most help your business.
You will be able to access four modules of support with each module lasting for 3 hours. Your four modules (or 12 hours in total) can be made up of a combination of the following to suit your needs:
• A 3-hour review meeting leading to a development plan for your business
• 1-2-1 sessions focusing on your particular needs
• Webinars on relevant business topics
Through Thrive, a business will typically receive one 1-2-1 session followed by attending several workshops and webinars. Sessions may be online (via Zoom, Teams or Skype) or in person at the discretion of the business advisor.
What will it cover?
Webinars and 1-2-1 sessions will cover a range of topics that will support your business and can include:
• Digital support, which aims to increase growth and business efficiency through digital means e.g. improving your website, SEO, how to make the most of social media, Google Analytics etc
• Leadership
• Finance
• Human Resources
• Innovation
• Marketing
• Business Planning
• Road to reopening
As part of this support package, you will also be signposted to external agencies, such as local and specialist business support organisations, training providers and trading standards.
Compliance & Customer Service Training
Somerset West and Taunton Council, West Coast 360 and Skill Up West Somerset are pleased to offer FREE training to employers, their staff and anyone interested in working in the hospitality and leisure industry. These courses are for West Somerset residents whether you are returning to work after furlough, wishing to gain more skills or looking to start a career in this sector.
To register for these courses please follow the links:
- Level 1 Food Safety & Hygiene. Duration 50 minutes – Level 1 Food Safety & Hygiene
- Level 2 Food Safety & Hygiene. Duration 70 minutes – Level 2 Food Safety & Hygiene
- Food Allergy Awareness Training. Duration 35 minutes – Food Allergy Awareness Training
- First Aid at Work Refresher Training. Duration 80 minutes – First Aid at Work Refresher Training
- Customer service Training. Duration 35 minutes – Customer Service Training
- Manual Handling. Duration 35 minutes – Manual Handling Training
Princes Countryside Fund
Free 1-2-1 digital mentoring support for farming businesses. The support is to help you understand the benefits of digital, introduce you to new software, apps and hardware and help you become more efficient and less fearful of future technology.
Support topics, depending on individual needs, could include:
– Basic Payment Scheme Support
– Benefits of Cloud
– Google Hangouts and Skype
– Using Social Media
– Connectivity: How it can be improved, costs and best price
Farming businesses based in Dartmoor or Exmoor.
Pub is The Hub
Inspired by His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales in 2001, Pub is The Hub operates as a ‘not-for-profit’ organisation dedicated to improving community services and activities. We offer advice and support to communities who are looking to relocate, re-open or introduce vital services and activities in their local pub, as well as to communities considering the options for acquiring their local pub and the range of responsibilities involved.
We facilitate projects by encouraging and helping communities, pub licensees and other interested parties to connect and share their experiences and work together to support and sustain their local services. We also try to help source local funding opportunities for projects.
HM Government: Help to Grow
Take your business to the next level with the Government’s new Help to Grow programme. The programme offers two distinct packages delivered through online learning platforms, 1:1 sessions with mentors and a peer network. The Help to Grow programme aims to support small and medium sized businesses to learn new skills, reach customers and boost profits.
Skills Support for the Workforce (SSW)
Funded training to help your business progress – Skills Support for the Workforce (SSW) is a programme developed to upskill employees within small and medium-sized businesses in the Heart of the South West LEP area; Devon, Plymouth, Somerset and Torbay. They provide recognised accredited qualifications and bespoke training courses to enhance your employees’ skills, increase the competitiveness of your business and boost the local economy. SSW is co-financed by the Education and Skills Funding Agency and the European Social Fund.
SMART SKILLS (Devon)
The SMART SKILLS programme is funded by the European Social Fund and will help businesses across Devon to upskill their staff and advance their business to the next level with a range of no-cost training solutions. We want to ensure as many local businesses as possible are aware of the valuable, fully funded training available to them, especially as we bounce back from Covid-19.
Step Up Somerset
A co-ordinated network of employment and skills support for individuals, employers and businesses seeking support and information in relation to employment, skills, careers and apprenticeships is being rolled out across Somerset under the Step Up Somerset brand to boost existing provision in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
