Cumbria Business Growth Hub offers a great range of reasonably priced training courses covering a variety of topics. We deliver a mix of in-person and online training through a range of trainers and have started the year well but there’s always room for more new bookings and enquiries.
Running during March and April we’re running:
Microsoft Copilot Training (only 4 places remaining)
Date: Wednesday, 18th March 2026
Time: 9am to 1.30pm
Price: £55 +VAT members / £70 +VAT non members
Venue: Cumbria Chamber of Commerce, Broadacre House, 16 - 20 Lowther Street, Carlisle, CA3 8DA
Join us for an exciting session where we will delve into the world of Artificial Intelligence and how it can enhance your experience with Microsoft Products. From productivity tools to cloud services, discover how AI is revolutionizing the way we work and interact with technology.
This training delivered by Lorraine Millican of Lake Mill Consulting covers:
• Introduction to AI in Microsoft 365
• AI in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
• AI in Microsoft Teams and Outlook
Find out more and book your place here (only 5 places remaining)
Excel for Beginners – DATE CHANGE
Date: Wednesday, 25th March
Time: 9am to 4pm
Price: £135 +VAT members / £215 +VAT non members
Venue: The Roundthorn Country Hotel, Penrith, CA11 8SJ
This course is suitable for delegates who are new to Excel or are self-taught and wish to ensure they make the most of the basic functions. There are no prerequisites however, you must have a basic understanding of using a PC, including keyboard and mouse familiarity.
The aim of the course is to provide you with the skills to create and print a spreadsheet containing text, numbers and simple formulae and calculations.
Find out more and book your place here
Unlocking Global Growth: How Trade Missions and Export Support Can Accelerate Your International Expansion
Date: Monday 30th March 2026
Time: 10am to 11am
Price: £25 +VAT
Venue: Online
This session introduces Cumbrian SMEs to a high-impact program of trade missions designed for 2026. We are moving beyond simple event attendance to a 'fully curated' experience, focusing on mandatory mentoring and 'wraparound' activities that reduce risk and maximize commercial success in 'near Europe' and beyond.
What the Webinar Will Cover:
• Why export now: The strategic value of international markets for growth and resilience
• How trade missions work: What they are, how to join one, and what to expect
• Export support available: A bespoke, curated experience focused around an industry event in Europe
• Preparing you for the mission: Mentoring, logistics, cultural considerations, and readiness checks
• Success stories: Real examples of companies that expanded internationally through trade missions
• Q&A: Your chance to ask experts about your export ambitions
Find out more and book your place here
Excel - Intermediate
Date: Wednesday, 15th April
Time: 9am to 4pm
Price: £135 +VAT members / £215 +VAT non members
Venue: The Roundthorn Country Hotel, Penrith, CA11 8SJ
The aim of the course is to provide delegates with the skills to use functionality that will make formulae easier to work with, to create formulae using data from multiple worksheets, and to apply more complex formatting.
Find out more and book your place here
Making Tax Digital for Income Tax
Date: Thursday, 16th April 2026
Time: 10am to 10.30am
Price: £10 +VAT
Venue: Online
Are you prepared for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax (MTD for IT)?
With new requirements from HM Revenue & Customs coming into effect, sole traders and landlords across the UK will need to change how they keep records and report income. Our 30-minute information session will give you a clear, practical overview of what MTD for IT means for you and how to stay compliant.
Whether you're a sole trader, property landlord, or support small business clients, this session will cut through the jargon and give you straightforward, actionable guidance.
Find out more and book your place here
Future-Ready: How Small Businesses Can Thrive (Not Panic) in the Age of AI
Date: Wednesday, 22nd April
Time: 10am to 1pm
Price: £75 +VAT members / £95 +VAT non members
Venue: J36 Conference Centre, Crooklands, LA7 7NU
This course is designed to help small business owners understand the real impact of AI, remove the fear factor and show them how to use AI tools safely and effectively to save time, grow their business and stay future-ready.
Delegates will learn:
Delegates will be required to bring a laptop or tablet to work from as this will be a practical training.
Find out more and book your place here
Your Voice, Powered by AI - Create content with ChatGPT that sounds like you, not the robot
Date: Tuesday 28th April 2026
Time: 10am to 1pm
Price: £65 +VAT members / £85 +VAT non members
Venue: Online
This practical session shows you how to use ChatGPT to create consistent, on-brand content without staring at a blank screen.
We’ll focus on clarity, tone and confidence, so your content actually sounds like you, and speaks to the right people.
In this session with DigiEnable, you’ll learn how to build a simple audience avatar, train ChatGPT to understand your brand voice, and use it to generate social posts, emails and ideas you can reuse again and again.
We’ll also briefly explore what’s possible with ChatGPT Pro, including how to build your own custom bot if you want to take things further.
This is a live demo and follow-me session. You’ll see exactly how prompts work, how to tweak outputs, and how to turn rough ideas into polished content in minutes.
You’ll leave with:
Find out more and book your place here
Our current programme can be viewed here – if there’s training you need that doesn’t appear please reach out and let us know – lesleyr@cumbriachamber.co.uk
If you don’t receive our training emails you can sign up by scrolling down the home page, signing up and selecting your preferences - https://cumbriagrowthhub.co.uk/
