Last places remain on University’s creative business programme

27 September 2017

Calling all creative and digital small and medium sized enterprises

Creative and digital small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) across Lancashire are being urged to register for their places on a fully-funded course which has been designed to help businesses develop and grow.

The Lancashire Forum Creative Extra programme provides senior managers and leaders with a six-month intensive course which will equip them with the skills to think more strategically, grow in confidence and develop new problem-solving tools and techniques.

As a result of signing up for the fully-funded support, companies can become more sustainable, achieve growth and increase profits.

The in-depth programme is part of the Lancashire Forum Creative, a new business support initiative which has been launched by the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan).

The course, supported by Boost Business Lancashire brings together like-minded directors and managers of SMEs from around the county and provides them with activities and tools to stimulate self-development and business growth.

The initiative has been developed to meet the learning and development needs of the county’s creative and digital businesses. It is delivered by UCLan’s Centre for SME Development and is fully funded to eligible businesses.

"There’s still time for businesses to sign up to the Lancashire Forum Creative Extra programme, which can bring real benefits."

Laurie Smith, Programme Director, said: “There’s still time for businesses to sign up to the Lancashire Forum Creative Extra programme, which can bring real benefits. We know that in business, a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t always work, which is why the Extra programme offers a real alternative to a standard business growth programme. 

“Our team has more than 20 years of experience in working with SMEs to help them develop and beyond that a true passion for helping businesses to achieve their goals, whatever they may be.”

In order to qualify for support from the Lancashire Forum Creative or the Extra programme, companies must be Lancashire-based, employ fewer than 250 full-time employees, have an annual turnover less than £40milllion and have received less than £160,000 of publicly funded support in the last three years.

For more information, businesses can contact Sue Martin on 01772 892858 or lancashireforum@uclan.ac.uk