MONEY for businesses to “improve the bottom line of their business” is being made available by the county council

Essex County Council (ECC) has already supported 100 businesses through the Skills for Economic Growth scheme, which allows businesses to choose a training course for their employees and will enable them to grow their business.

Some of the courses which businesses have chosen to spend their funding on include accredited training courses such as Green Deal Adviser, ILM Level 3 in Leadership and Management, Solid Works and Prince2 Practitioner.

Uttlesford District councillor Graham Barker is encouraging businesses to apply for the money – which will fund 70 per cent of the cost of training.

“This is a chance for Dunmow to make ourselves cash rich because we can’t rely on state money. The more we get to help the local economy, the better.”

The grant is available to businesses employing less than 250 staff and should operate in one of the following sectors: advanced manufacturing and electronics; construction; creative; financial services; life sciences; low carbon and renewable energy; offshore energy and oil and gas; technology; or transport and logistics.

If businesses would like to discuss their training options they can also access specialist support from representatives from their business sector.

County Cllr Stephen Castle added: “This scheme has proved to be popular with SMEs in Essex as a training course can make a real difference to one or several employees in an organisation. It may have enabled them to develop their skills and improve the bottom line of their business.

“This scheme allows the business to select their own training provider and course. The leaders of our Essex businesses know what will work best for them, which is why such a flexible scheme could be such a great benefit to our businesses and overall, the Essex economy.”

For more information on the scheme and to make an application, visit essex.gov.uk/skillsgrowth.