Recruitment support for leaders and managers.

Aspire2lead
Run by The Opportunity Centre, the Aspire2lead project can help you to attract and build a more diverse workforce. The project aims to tackle gender inequalities within the workplace in order to develop stronger businesses across York and North Yorkshire.
It can help businesses who want to lead by example to adopt gender inclusive policies and procedures by offering support with:
- Recruitment, retention, and progression of women
- Flexible working practices including return to work arrangements
- Gender pay gap analysis and tackling specific business challenges/barriers to reduce gender pay issues
- Sponsorship Programmes linking senior male colleagues with junior female colleagues to champion their progression within the business
- Tackling Gender Stereotypes to help increase the number of women within the workforce and in senior positions.

This Programme is part funded by the European Social Fund as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020.

Business Scale Up Programme
The Business Scale Up Programme can help SMEs realise their growth ambitions by supporting leaders and managers with flexible, tailored training and coaching. The programme can also help to develop and embed systems and processes that will enhance your business’ ability to meet regulatory requirements around inclusive and supportive working environments. This includes support with, for example, addressing workplace bullying and harassment, diversity training and effective approaches to performance management.
40% funding is available towards a range of training and/or consultancy.
In order to be eligible for support through this Programme the business must:
- have a business premises in the York, North Yorkshire, East Riding region (Craven, Harrogate, Hambleton, Richmondshire, Ryedale, Scarborough, Selby, York)
- be a Small to Medium Enterprise (SME): employ fewer than 250 full time equivalent staff and have either a turnover of less than €50 million, or a balance sheet of less than €43 million
Access more information on their website.

This Programme is part funded by the European Social Fund as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020.

T Levels
T Levels have been designed to prepare students aged 16-18 with the technical skills your business needs now and in the future. They combine classroom studies with an industry placement. The benefits for your business include:
- Cost effective channel for recruitment
- Solution for entry level jobs
- Develop young people into your industry/business
- Provide extra help with on-site projects
- Provide opportunities for existing staff to develop management and mentoring skills
- Provide fresh ideas and new perspective
For more information visit the official gov.uk page or for further employer resources, visit the CIPD’s page on T Levels.
For more information on these programmes, get in touch and we’ll connect you to the expertise and resources you need.
Articles
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Events
15th February 20239:00 am - 5:00 pmFREE
15 Feb - Harrogate Co-Lab: Business Support Drop-In Session
This free drop-in service based in Harrogate can help answer your questions and direct you to relevant business support, resources and programmes.
22nd February 20239:00 am - 4:30 pmFREE
22 Feb - Pitching Perfectly - To win new business
Are you a small to medium sized food or drink business that wants to win more business and need to plan the perfect pitch? This full day workshop will help you understand what buyers are looking for and give you the confidence to pitch to them.
01st March 20234:00 pm - 6:00 pmFREE
1 March - Ian Howard- The Enterprise Growth Roadmap
In this two-hour session, Ian Howard will introduce The Enterprise Growth Roadmap. Regardless of where you are at right now, whether you are just launching your business, trying to make sense of the number of opportunities available to you or looking to attract external investment, the Enterprise Growth Roadmap Planning Workshop will help you create a framework to develop your own growth strategy together with some simple steps to help you implement it.
Resources
Glossary of Climate Change Terms for Businesses
A free digital glossary defining the key climate change terms relevant to businesses, to help you understand and engage with sustainability resources and support.
2022 Seminar Recordings
We have recently hosted a programme of in-person seminars and other events, some of which were professionally recorded and can now be viewed on our website.
Seminar Recording : Access to finance: Funding growth
This workshop will provide guidance on cost based pricing, calculating your costs before deciding an appropriate margin, as well as covering market based pricing asking questions such as: What value do you add? What are you worth? How do you position yourself?