Council hosts first Craven Business Week

Thanks to funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), Craven District Council will be hosting a series of free inspirational business events this month.

The first week-long free festival of business-focussed activity to be held in the area, Craven Business Week runs from 17^th to 21^st October and promises to bring together local entrepreneurial talent to inspire newcomers into business and support established firms.

The 5-day programme will cover a cross section of themes to drive business innovation and help small business owners. Guest experts will be covering a range of topics including digital business from cyber security to e-commerce, HR from recruitment to leadership, and presentations from training and apprenticeship providers. The programme features an open visit to tour a growing young enterprise and a tour of the Passivhaus building designed to use very little energy. The week will culminate in the livestreamed York & North Yorkshire Business Summit hosted by the Local Enterprise Partnership.

The first event, from 2pm on Monday 17 October, will be an open day at Langcliffe Quarry Enterprise Centre, developed by Craven District Council to provide new state of the art business premises for SMEs in north Craven. Business people are invited to call in to see the facilities of this new enterprise hub which provides superfast broadband, co-working space, hot-desking workstations, meeting rooms and on-site business support.

Craven College will host Tuesday’s morning event Focus on Future Skills, with training providers from across the region showing how they can support businesses to ensure their workforce has the right skills now and in the future. Business owners can find out about free training courses, apprenticeships and grants to help with the cost of providing training. In the afternoon, Erin Wheeler, the Circular Economy Officer at the York & North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership will be helping businesses discover where and how they can reduce their energy use and save money. The session will conclude with a tour of the college’s ultimate carbon zero building, the Passivhaus, showcasing how new and existing buildings can be optimised to use very little energy for heating and cooling.

From 9am to 12.30pm on Wednesday 19^th, Diligence in the Digital World at Skipton Town Hall will feature free advice from a range of experts in the use of electronic technology. They will provide impartial advice covering website design, e-commerce, use of social media, how to protect businesses from the threat of cyber crime, and how to access grant funding for improving IT infrastructure and developing IT skills in the workforce. The session will include the opportunity for one-to-one sessions with the experts. In the afternoon, Fortem People at The Barn in Flasby invites Craven Business Week delegates to visit their premises. This is an opportunity to meet the team at one of Craven’s newest enterprises providing a fresh approach to recruitment, staff training and HR services and hear their top tips for finding the right candidates.

Thursday 20^th will be all about people, with events on offer at Langcliffe Quarry Enterprise Centre and online. The Art of Positive Networking will run from 11am to 12.45pm, showcasing the various networking opportunities currently available in Craven. Paula Richardson and Sarah Collett from Dales Business Women will share their insights into successful networking, including how to introduce your business effectively, nailing your elevator pitch and the art of the follow-up. This will be followed by an online HR session with solicitor Hannah Thomas from the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), guiding businesses on recruiting staff for the first time and growing existing teams.

In the afternoon, Inclusion and Diversity 2.30pm to 3.30pm is hosted by the Principal of Craven College, Lindsey Johnson, explaining how inclusiveness can grow businesses by attracting and retaining staff. From 4pm to 7pm Developing A Winning Mindset is delivered by Mo Usman from international leadership and management consultancy Sterling & Templar. The session presents a fascinating opportunity for delegates to understand their personal attributes and how they can utilise them to improve the performance of the business.

The York & North Yorkshire Business Summit will be livestreamed on Friday 21st from 1.30pm to 5.30pm, providing an interactive Q&A session for Craven Business Week delegates to pose questions and share views on the challenges and opportunities for growth in the region, and hear how devolution will benefit businesses in Craven.

Councillor Simon Myers explains “Craven Business Week presents an unprecedented free opportunity for bringing together business owners in the community to share knowledge, ideas and inspiration and we’re really pleased that Craven District Council has been able to lead on this initiative.”

Business owners and their teams are invited to join in any of the Craven Business Week activities by booking onto the free events online at cravendc.gov.uk/businessweek