European Social Fund in England

Breckland rural innovation and training enterprise

Funded by: Alternative Bidding, Policy Field 2.3, Target Group: SME's

Region: Government Office East

Project Start Date: 01/05/2003

Project End Date: 31/12/2005

Details of the Project

The project was designed to assist SMEs within the Breckland area and was to offer training, business support and advice to those businesses.

This ESF project was supported by EEDA, Norfolk County Council, Breckland District Council, Business Link for Norfolk and the LSC.

The range of training and advice offered ranged from one-to-one tuition on ICT at a very basic level to NVQ Level 3 in Management.

Additional several Business Seminars were organised whereby specialist s were brought in to deliver concise information - over a two hour period - on relevant matters. These included VAT, IHT and Trading Standards.

Delivery was very flexible as training could be carried out either at the employer's location or at our South Green Park Centre - depending on what was most beneficial to the beneficiaries.

The Breckland area has a large migrant population consisting of Portuguese, Hungarian, Lithuanian, Albanian and Polish workers. The project was able to deliver this training to these people via a translator.

Key Achievements

• Total off 213 companies assisted.
• 59% of the company's assisted employed less than 10 employees.
• 1985 beneficiaries assisted.
• 21% classed themselves at not 'White - British' with 13 different Ethnic groups were involved.
• 1634 externally accredited qualifications were awarded
• 917 internal qualifications
• 33, 400 hours of training and advice was offered.
• 3322 individual course place were attended

For more information contact:

Ade Shaw

Business Programme Manager

Tel: 01362 850983