Thanks to funding from Cumberland Council, Westmorland & Furness Council and Enterprising Cumbria we’re able to offer a great range of fully funded training courses over the next few months covering a range of topics.
Do You Want to Grow Your Business through Public Sector Contracts? – 2nd December – 10am to 12noon – online – only for businesses in Cumberland Council area
Did you know the public sector spends billions every year with businesses of all sizes. Cumberland Council, for example spends approximately £380m a year on goods, services and works.
The challenge for most businesses is knowing where to find the opportunities and how to get started.
In this 2-hour workshop with bid writing consultant Tamar Reay, you’ll discover:
• Who the public sector organisations are and what they are buying
• How to spot opportunities that are the right fit for your business
• Where to find contract information more easily
• The first steps you can take to prepare for bidding with confidence
By the end of the session, you’ll understand where public sector organisations advertise what they are buying and a practical plan to start finding opportunities for your own business.
This workshop is ideal if you’ve never bid for a public sector contract before, or if you’ve only just started exploring this route and want straightforward guidance on what to do next.
Winning Business: How to Write a Strong Proposal – 3rd December – 10am to 12noon – online- open to any business in any area
Making grant applications and tender responses simple and effective
Looking to grow your business through grants or commercial contracts? This 2hr workshop will guide you through the process of creating clear, winning proposals.
After attending, you will be able to:
1. Know where to find grant opportunities—locally, nationally, and internationally
2. Improve your approach to writing grant applications that really stand out
3. Understand what reviewers are looking for when assessing your proposals
4. Learn the differences between grant funding and commercial contracts
5. Prepare and respond confidently to commercial tenders, understanding what’s expected both during the application and delivery stages
6. Follow a step-by-step approach to create proposals that give your business the best chance of success
The session includes practical tips, examples, and exercises to help you apply what you learn directly to your own business.
IP: What’s All the Fuss About? – 4th December – 10am to 12noon – online – open to any business in any area
Making sense of the ideas and assets that drive your business.
Every business has valuable ideas, creations, and know-how—but do you know how to protect them and make the most of them? This 2hour online workshop helps you understand the basics of
Intellectual Property (IP) and how it can help your business grow.
By the end of the session, you will be able to:
The workshop is interactive, with real-life examples, and opportunities to discuss your own business ideas.
Beyond Experience: Why Good Leaders Don’t Stand Still – Thursday 11th December – 10am to 12noon – online – only for businesses in Cumberland Council area
Experience is one of your greatest strengths — but it can also quietly hold you back. This interactive and thought-provoking session challenges leaders and business owners to reflect on how their past success shapes their current decisions. Through engaging discussion and practical exercises, you’ll explore where confidence can slip into complacency, how to recognise blind spots, and how to stay adaptable, curious, and strategically focused on what really matters.
You’ll discover how to move from being the expert to becoming the explorer — a leader who keeps learning, questioning, and thinking at the next level.
Ideal for experienced business owners and leaders who want to sharpen their edge, challenge assumptions, and develop the strategic mindset needed to stay relevant and effective in a changing business landscape.
To book your place email Lesley Robinson -lesleyr@cumbriachamber.co.uk
LinkedIn for lead generation – Strategies that actually work – 8th January – 1pm to 4pm – online - only for businesses in Cumberland Council area
Tired of collecting connections that go nowhere? This session focuses on building meaningful relationships on LinkedIn that lead to real results…no pushy sales tactics, no awkward cold DMs.
We’ll explore how to create a profile that invites conversation, craft content that opens doors, and develop a connection strategy that feels natural, repeatable, and aligned with your brand.
By the end of this session you will:
Growth and Opening New Revenue Channels - 14th January - 10am to 12pm - Online
In today’s dynamic retail landscape, growth requires more than just optimizing existing operations—it demands strategic exploration of new revenue channels. This training session is designed to equip you with the insights and tools to identify, evaluate, and activate new opportunities for your business.
What You’ll Learn:
Sales Confidence for Survival: Build Trust, Win Clients, Grow Resilience – 21st January – 1pm to 4pm – The Halston, Carlisle - only for businesses in Cumberland Council area
Selling doesn’t have to feel scary — and surviving shouldn’t mean selling yourself short.
Join us for Sales Confidence for Survival, a live, energising workshop designed to help you connect with more clients and generate more income — even in uncertain times.
This isn’t a lecture. This is real, practical sales support designed for small business owners, freelancers and entrepreneurs who want to:
You'll get:
Perfect for:
Win More Business through Public Sector Contracts – 22nd January – 10am to 12noon – online - only for businesses in Cumberland Council area
Delivering public sector contracts is one way you can grow your business, but you have to win them first!
This 2-hour online workshop with bid writing consultant Tamar Reay, will delve deeper into what public sector buyers expect from their suppliers and a successful tender
By the end of this session, you’ll have a practical understanding of:
A step by step guide to posting successfully on social media – 27th January – 10am to 12.30pm – Greenhill Hotel, Wigton - only for businesses in Cumberland Council area
Ideal for small businesses who want to use social media as a form of marketing their business. The course will focus on Facebook and Instagram and will demonstrate the process from start to finish.
By the end of the session, participants will know how to:
Boost Your Bookings: A 2-Hour Deep Dive to Grow Sales, Revenue & Repeat Business – 28th January – 10am to 12noon – online – open to any business in any area
Running a small accommodation business means juggling a lot — and marketing often gets pushed down the list. This practical, hands-on session is designed to help you take control of your bookings, revenue, and repeat business without overwhelm.
You’ll learn how to audit your business, identify growth opportunities, and create a simple marketing plan using easy-to-use tools — including AI and social media — to save time and boost results.
By the end of this 2-hour session, you’ll be able to:
