News & Events

November Newsletter

Art for Art's Sake

Welcome to our November newsletter with information on help for new start up businesses, HM Revenue & Customs workshops, free management training, courses for women in arts and a new website for the leisure sector. There are also details about grants for small businesses and organisations in the North Pennines AONB and for promoting workplace health and welfare. Finally, we have news on current issues i.e apprenticeships, extra Carbon Trust funds, retirement and tractor safety.

HM Revenue & Customs Workshops
There are 3 workshops at Morton Park, Darlington - Self Assessment for the Self - Employed on 8th December, Paying Expenses & Giving Benefits to Employees on 26th November and Statutory Sick Pay also on 26th November. For more information on these and all their other free workshops ring on 0845 6032691 or go to their website www.hmrc.gov.uk

Carbon Trust announces £18m funding for clean technology start ups
The Carbon Trust has announced an extra £18 million worth of funding for start up businesses in the clean technology sector. The funding will be designated for firms that have "breakthrough ideas" but need money to get their technologies to market. The Carbon Trust will invest the money over the next 12 to 18 months in firms that develop various technologies, such as renewable energy sources. To read more on this story go to this website.

Government announces new Apprenticeship model for small businesses
The Government has launched a new Apprenticeship scheme model designed to encourage and help small businesses to take on apprentices. Apprenticeship Minister Kevin Brennan announced that £7 million worth of funding has been designated to help setup Apprenticeship Training Associations (ATA). These organisations act as recruitment agencies between apprentices and businesses. If a business is unable to continue employing an apprentice then they return to the ATA, which helps place them in another firm. The funding will also be used to set up Group Training Associations(GTA), which will help employers to share expertise and develop their own training schemes. For more on this story go to this website.

HSE launches tractor safety guide
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has published updated safety guidance on using tractors for anyone working in farming, forestry or horticulture. The new guidance comes after a recent spate of accidents involving tractors. The guidance is aimed at anyone who uses tractors or tractor-operated machinery and outlines nine steps for working with the vehicles safely. For more on the story go this website. To read a full guide go here.

Are you a carer thinking of starting a new business?
If you are a new or "soon to be" parent of young children, a carer or grandparent and thinking of the possibility of starting a business, or if you know of anyone in this position, there is up to £500 funding available to help you start up. Flexible Families funding can help with training, travel or childcare. You can also go along to one of our workshops where lunch is provided plus a £10 ASDA gift voucher. Ring us at the Agency on 01833 696600 for more details.

The Health Work & Well-being Challenge Fund
This is a grant scheme of £4million funded by the Department for Work and Pensions. Small and medium sized businesses and local partnerships can apply for grants of between £1,000 and £50,000 to set up new projects that improve workplace health and welfare. These projects can be for alleviating stress, providing healthy activities, ensuring work life balance or supportive management. For more information, please visit www.workingforhealth.gov.uk/challengefund or to book onto a 1 hour information session to be held in Newcastle City Centre 27th November contact carla.braid@dh.gsi.gov.uk

Art for Art's Sake
WIN's Art for Art's Sake programme is a range of hands-on arty activities and courses for women across the North East. It's a unique chance to develop new skills and networks that can create benefit in business as well as everyday life; but it's also an easy way just to enjoy and learn more about the arts from the region's most talented creative minds. There's also the added bonus that each course costs just £15+VAT (or free to WIN members). For more details of the range of courses they run visit www.womenintothenetwork.co.uk/arts

Website for the Hospitality, Leisure, Travel & Tourism Trade
If your business is in any of these sectors, visit the People First website. Their aim is to transform skills in the hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism industries by ensuring the development of world class qualifications in management and leadership, customer service and craft skills, and enabling public funds to be shifted to programmes that are needed and respected by industry.

North Pennines AONB Partnership Grants
The Sustainable Development Fund - Small Grants Scheme supports projects that bring social, environmental and economic benefits to the North Pennines AONB. Grants are available to Parish & Community organisations, parish councils, charities and sole traders or businesses, normally with fewer than 3 staff engaged in tourism, agriculture, other land management, heritage conservation or environmental education. For further information, contact Simon Wilson on 01388 528801 or e-mail him on simon@northpenninesaonb.org.uk

Reaching Out Management Development Course
At Morton Park Business Centre, Darlington - March 2010. PNE Development (part of PNE Group)are offering a FREE management development programme for managers working in rural communities. Applicants may be working in a paid or unpaid position and will be working with rural communities in the North East of England. This is a free programme thanks to funding from Capacity Builders. It is a programme of 12 one day workshops (with refreshments and a light buffet lunch provided) and participants will work towards an NVQ in Management(Chartered Management Institute) or NVQ Management of Volunteers (Institute of Leadership and Management), whichever is most appropriate. For more information call 0191 2616009 or email development@pne.org

Ministers call for businesses' views on default retirement age
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is asking businesses for their views on the default retirement age, which it will use when the law is reviewed in 2010.In particular, the DWP is looking for evidence from businesses on the reasons why firms use mandatory retirement ages, the impact on businesses of scrapping the default retirement age and how any costs of getting rid of the default age could be mitigated. The deadline for submissions is 1 February 2010. To read more on this story go to this website.