A series of free, half-day practical hands-on workshops have been scheduled to introduce the Women’s Business Centre Quality Standard and assist delegates in identifying how they can meet the standard in the North West of England. Aimed at Directors and Quality Managers of Business Support Provider organisations, as well as stakeholders and other policy makers in the region, the content and format of each event will be the same – simply choose which location is most convenient for you. Space at each event is limited and demand is expected to be high so reserve your place now by completing the on-line booking form at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/WBCWorkshops before 9 March.
Dates and locations are:
Warrington: Thursday 18 March – Village Hotel
Liverpool: Friday 19 March – Blackburne House
Manchester: Monday 22 March – Palace Hotel
Penrith: Tuesday 23 March – Roundthorn Hotel
Preston: Wednesday 24 March – University of Central Lancashire
Supported by NWDA, the Women’s Business Centre Standard is the first and only international standard for women’s enterprise support.
The Northwest Regional Development Agency is funding the pilot of the WBC model in the North West of England. As a pilot region of the National Enterprise Strategy, the NWDA recognises the importance and potential of WBCs across the region and the introduction of WBCs will form part of the region’s natural progression.
Steven Broomhead, Chief Executive of the NWDA, says: “Women are currently significantly under-represented in business in the Northwest and the UK and it is vital that we work to address this imbalance – it has been estimated that if women started businesses at the same rate as men, the UK would see 150,000 more business per annum.
It is therefore vital that the right business support, advice and guidance are available to ensure female entrepreneurs can achieve their potential. The WBC standard is a clear symbol of the quality of female-targeted business support offered by organisations in the Northwest, which we hope will create a step change in the number of women accessing support and ultimately starting up their own businesses.”
