Project: Inspiring Women’s Enterprise

Inspiring Women’s Enterprise offers a variety of courses, workshops, information, advice, guidance and ongoing support to help economically inactive women in the East of England region develop the confidence and skills to move into employment or start their own businesses.

Project interviews

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Project feature

The NWES Enterprise Agency has been helping pre-start, start-up and existing businesses since 1982. For the ESF-funded project, Inspiring Women's Enterprise, their team of experienced business advisers and trainers are delivering training courses across the East of England region to help unemployed women develop the skills and confidence to re-enter employment or start their own business.

The programme is a six-month journey, which includes:

• one-to-one meetings with a business adviser to identify the participant's needs, aims, level of confidence and training requirements
• a one-day course giving a broad introduction to employment and self-employment
• either a two-day employment course covering jobsearching, CV-writing and interview skills OR a three-day self-employment training programme covering starting a business and developing a business plan
• ongoing meetings and support with the business adviser.

Participants choose which route they wish to take. The self-employment route includes marketing, market research, forecasting sales, cash flow, profit and loss accounting, bookkeeping - all the skills you need to create a business plan and manage a business. The employment route includes confidence, jobsearch techniques, transferable skills, CV-writing, networking, completing application forms and interview skills.

Inspiring Women's Enterprise training courses are delivered locally throughout Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire, and upcoming course details are readily available on the NWES web site. The project has set targets of 1250 women coming into the programme of which a minimum of 910 will complete, with 400 resulting in self-employment or employment, and 165 in jobsearch or test trading (still receiving benefits).

One big challenge the project has faced is reaching those women who would most benefit from the programme - ensuring that women know about the project and what is available. The many channels through which women come to the project include The Prince's Trust, Shaw Trust, Twitter, a Facebook group and leaflets, and business advisers work closely with women's organisations and women's networking groups. By August 2009, however, less than a year into the 33-month project, they were already well ahead of target, with 431 women having started the programme, 81 completed, 12 in employment, 62 in self-employment and 10 test trading.

The project offers a comprehensive network of support. 'It's all about meeting their needs. We concentrate on soft skills first before going onto a course.' And after completion of the programme, advisers maintain contact with participants, becoming 'trusted friends' and women are encouraged to come along at any time for advice or a chat.

Richard Salmon, business adviser, spoke about the value of the business perspective, even for those who choose to go into employment rather than self-employment. 'It's a different way of looking at things when looking at things with a business outlook. [You become aware of] the way you are 'selling' yourself, the way you are presenting yourself - that can be quite useful for people in general everyday life. It's confidence building.'

John Clarke, business trainer for NWES, explains: 'The whole IWE programme is about just giving people the confidence, which can be applied at any level. And it's making a big difference. We try to make it as easy as possible. They are given this knowledge and you can just see the room light up with inspiration. It gives people the confidence that they can go out there and do it. It takes the fear away.'

This was echoed by several women who attended the three-day self-employment training course when they reflected on their experience.

'It's been the best thing that I've done. It's really helped me to get into my head exactly what I need to do and plan the stages and work it out, and it's not as scary. Now I know what's involved I can actually cope with it and manage and achieve all the things that I hope to. So I'm really pleased that I came on the course.'

Claire Wade

'Without coming here I think I'd still be at Stage One. This particular service here will prove to be beneficial. And the skills obviously are different now that you need, from thirty years ago.'

Jackie Reynolds

'Without the help of this scheme I wouldn't be able to [start my business]. I wouldn't have the training or the know-how on my own so the course has been excellent. I had the know-how to run the business once it was up and running, from my previous management experience, but not actually to start up the business myself.'

Sophie Baker

'It gives you the opportunity to know what you need to invest before you are actually going ahead and start doing it. It's been great.'

Maria Castellon-Perez

Contact details

Michele Stewart, Administration Manager
NWES
NWES, Bishops Lynn House, Tuesday Market Place, Kings Lynn, Norfolk , PE30 1JW
07810 697671
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