15mins Cost Savings Skills course

Guardians of Grub have refreshed their 15 mins Cost Savings Skills course which is suitable for all staff across any hospitality and service business.

It’s a great way to bring the whole organisation along your journey to Net Zero and upskill your team to the ambitions of the Food Waste Reduction Roadmap.

As 18% of all food purchased in the sector is wasted, this course is a valuable step forward and investment in time that will help you to reduce your costs and get more value from the food you’ve purchased.

Cost Saving Skills Course • Guardians of Grub

SME Support Package Announcement – Apprenticeships and Female Led Businesses

The Government is investing a further £60m to boost apprenticeships, increasing opportunities for young people, and equipping businesses with the skills they need to thrive. This additional funding demonstrates our commitment to meet increased employer demand for apprenticeships and support the provision of high-quality training.

New measures announced include:

• From 1 April, SME employers who do not pay the levy no longer have to contribute to the cost of apprenticeship training for 16–21-year-olds – government is fully funding the training costs for these individuals.
• From 6 April, levy-paying employers can transfer up to 50% of their funds to support apprenticeships in other businesses – double the current 25%.

This is great news for SMEs. Removing the co-investment charge for 16-21 year olds will reduce training costs for smaller employers and eliminate some of the co-investment bureaucracy that employers and providers encounter. The increase to the levy transfer limit will boost flexibility for large employers, ensuring levy payers can support other employers locally and in their sectoral pipeline, including SMEs.

Taken together, these new changes will create opportunities for young people and in smaller businesses, while ensuring large levy payers have the flexibility needed to effectively maximise their available levy funds.

A new taskforce is also to be established to boost private investment in women-led businesses and make the UK the best place in the world to be a female founder.

£500 funding towards consultancy costs for land based businesses

228 land based businesses in the old Eden and South Lakeland District Council areas can apply for £500 towards consultancy costs as such as surveys, accountancy, legal and planning costs.

This voucher scheme supports land-based businesses in the Westmorland & Furness area to access advice to help:

• overcome the challenges facing them and respond positively to opportunities, for example through cost reductions, productivity enhancements and growth
• respond to the phasing out of the Basic Payment scheme, as well as the wider challenges and opportunities, including diversification

The term ‘land based’ traditionally relates to farming and industries connected to the land and environment, including, for example horticulture, forestry, conservation, landscaping, equine (horses), country sports, land management and agricultural contracting. It can also include some support services to these activities and some food production. If you’re not sure please contacts to check.

To register your interest in applying for the voucher scheme please email info@cumbriagrowthhub.co.uk