Harborough Jobs Week is back from Monday 15 - Friday 19 May to provide support to both job seekers and employers. 

What's on:

• Interview Skills Workshop

• VAL: Multiply and Volunteering Information Event

• Job Fair in Market Harborough

• Business in the Spotlight: Jobs Week Special

• Free information and resources

Get involved in the below events for employers!

Harborough Job Fair - Thursday 18 May 2023

Do you have open vacancies? Book a free space at the next Harborough Job Fair to speak directly to local job seekers about your opportunities. 

This is a great opportunity to meet potential candidates face to face, enabling you to break down the barriers which could be stopping people from applying to your roles. 

The Job Fair usually attracts between 150 - 300 job seekers and there is limited space for employers so if you are interested, please secure your space asap. 

Email business@harborough.gov.uk to secure your place.

Local businesses looking to grow their business still have a chance to apply to the Invest to Grow programme. 

The programme provides grants and loans of between £15,000 and £250,000 to support private-sector businesses across the East Midlands to innovate, grow and create jobs. The programme is now funded by the repayment of loans awarded to successful applicants.

The types of project that Invest to Grow may support include:

• Development or improvement of products and related services

• Expansion or upgrading of business premises, machinery and/or equipment

• Innovation in products, processes and systems that will result in business and supply chain efficiency, growth and profitability

For your project to qualify for Invest to Grow funding, you will need to demonstrate that it meets the following criteria: 

• It will create new jobs or safeguard existing positions in your company

• It will increase the scope or scale of your company activity

• It will improve the company’s performance

• It has not commenced and will not be achievable in the timescales proposed without Invest to Grow support

Businesses are making significant strides forward towards becoming more environmentally friendly after attending the Harborough Go Green Business Convention in March.

Over 40 companies attended the event organised by Harborough District Council at Bruntingthorpe Proving Ground to learn and share some of the things they can do to tackle climate change and become more sustainable.

Guests heard from a range of speakers including Cox Automotive, Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership, Leicestershire County Council, Harborough District Council, University of Leicester, Shrinker Digital, Zellar and a green energy panel, all of whom provided information and resources to help attendees reduce their carbon footprint.

David Wright, Head of Economy and Business at Harborough District Council, said: “Local businesses learnt about the impact of their digital activity on the environment, how funded university placements can help with green projects, and more. It was great to give organisations opportunities to participate in activities across the day and take away new ideas and actions to implement. Thank you to all who attended this informative and inspirational event.”

A delegate from a local business who attended said: “I found the convention both really interesting and useful and have come away with plenty of new ideas and actions to help us moving forward.”

At the event, Leicestershire County Council conducted a short business survey to gather information on the steps businesses are taking to reduce their carbon emissions, any barriers they may be facing and what future support may be needed. You can have your say by completeing the survey here. 

The Employment Hub apprenticeship graduation ceremony celebrates the achievements of Leicester and Leicestershire based apprentices.

The next ceremony will be on Friday 30 June 2023 and will be open to any apprentice who has completed, or will complete their apprenticeship before 30 June 2023.

The ceremony will feature great entertainment and the chance to step up on stage to be recognised as a graduate. Friends, family and local businesses will also be present at the event.

Nominations are now open for the Apprenticeship Awards which will be presented at the upcoming graduation ceremony. Make your nominations now for:

• Apprentice Employer award 

• Apprentice of the year 

Are you interested in taking on an apprenticeship? Get in touch with the Economic Development Team at Harborough District Council to have an initial chat to establish how they work and what funding you may be eligible for. Email business@harborough.gov.uk 

Engaging employees to give a great customer experience 

Date: Tuesday 16 May 2023

Time: 9:30am - 4:30pm

Your business will probably spend a lot of money on acquiring new customers, in fact as a rule of thumb apparently it costs up to 6 times more to win a new customer than to get more business from an existing one, and a retained customer has more value over time.
If your employees are fully engaged, you will retain more customer value. Leaders need to successfully engage employees, so they are happy in their workplace and strive to deliver customer satisfaction. In turn, you will reduce staff turnover and increase customer engagement.

Getting started with marketing

Date: Wednesday 17 May 2023

Time: 9:30am - 4:30pm

Marketing. You’ve heard about it, and you know it’s important for your business, but still, you may find the task of growing your business and getting its name out there an overwhelming one. This workshop is ideal for those who are new to marketing or have a basic understanding of marketing but need help getting more targeted with their messages and delivery.

Accelerated Marketing

Date: Tuesday 6 June 2023

Time: 9:30am - 4:30pm

This engaging, fun and practical workshop is designed to strip back marketing and demonstrate how you can adapt and employ new methods to help your business survive and prosper in a challenging and overcrowded marketplace.

HR Essentials for SMEs

Date: Tuesday 13 June 2023

Time: 9:30am - 4:30pm

This full day action planning workshop explores common HR headaches across the employee lifecycle. It will explore the most effective contracts and employment status to engage staff. How businesses build an ‘employer brand’ to win the war for talent. You will look at the various alternatives to managing performance, before turning to more specific HR challenges.

Developing sales through customer service and negotiation

Date: Thursday 29 June 2023

Time: 9:30am - 4:30pm

This session aims to help participants see how they can work well with customers to maximise results and relationships, whilst developing a culture of involvement and cooperation when negotiating.

The East Midlands Chamber's Leicestershire Business Awards 2023 are now open for entries.

Awards are a brilliant way to showcase your business successes, recognise your hardworking staff and to promote your business. 

Applications will close on 17 July 2023. 

Award categories: 

• Business Improvement through Technology

• Community Impact Award

• Outstanding Growth Award

• Environmental Impact Award

• Commitment to People Development Award

• Apprentice of the Year

• Entrepreneur of the Year

• Education and Business Partnership Award

• Excellence in Customer Service

• Excellence in International Trade

• Small Business of the Year

• Excellence in Innovation

• Excellence in Collaboration

• Business of the Year