Stuart Anderson MP is urging entrepreneurs in South Shropshire to sign up for free business growth webinars. Starting on 5th March, the series of online sessions will provide small businesses with expertise on finance, sales, recruiting, marketing, branding, social media, and much more.
In response to recent written questions tabled in Parliament by Stuart, Ministers have affirmed their commitment to "supporting small businesses grow and export." Already this year, more than 3,700 micro-businesses have registered so far to attend the free training sessions.
The 'Fuel Your Business Growth' campaign is being offered by the UK Export Academy, which was launched in 2020. Funded by the Department for Business and Trade, the series of hour-long webinars are suitable for businesses at different stages in their growth journey.
The Export Support Service offers access to on-the-ground experts across the globe and a network of International Trade Advisers as well as the Export Academy - a free training programme for SMEs and their staff, designed to give businesses the confidence to sell overseas.
The UK Export Academy will deliver the series of brand-new webinars, exploring everything from how to find funding to grow your business throughout March and April 2025. The webinars aim to help businesses grow, upskill their staff, and increase profits. 12 webinars are on offer on a variety of dates and times.
Businesses can choose to attend all 12 or simply join those that are of interest. To join, businesses need to register for a free UK Export Academy account. Although the webinars are delivered via the Export Academy Platform by the Department of Business and Trade, they are not export related but are for UK businesses that want to grow domestically.
It is the latest addition to Stuart's Business Support Finder. This signposts a range of grants, tax reliefs, and competitions that local businesses may be eligible to apply for. South Shropshire is home to more than 5,000 small businesses and traders, defined as those employing up to 50 people.
Between 2010 and 2024, more than one million businesses were created. With 5.5 million of them, almost every business in the country is a small business. They support 27 million jobs and account for more than half (£4.5 trillion) of annual business turnover.
Stuart Anderson MP said:
"I want South Shropshire to become one of the very best places to start and grow a business. I will always do what I can to help businesses by improving access to finance, skills, business support and addressing barriers to trade. So, I am pleased to welcome the UK Export Academy’s ‘Fuel Your Business Growth’ campaign. Launched in 2020, the Academy helps UK businesses to grow, upskill staff, and increase profits. In March and April, they will deliver a series of brand-new, hour-long webinars for businesses that want to grow. More information on this and other business support schemes can be found via the Business Support Finder on my website."
