Following The Startup Magazine’s first article on the City of London Corporation program to reduce unemployment, we wanted to find out more about further opportunities provided by the Corporation. After having a conversation with David Pack, the corporation’s partnership manager, we learnt more about the corporation’s activities and possible opportunities for you.
The City of London Corporation currently supports around 640 small businesses located in the city region. It’s programs aimed to reduce unemployment has provided training and learning opportunities for over 1,800 residents, and has introduced some 2,100 residents to ‘City-type’ jobs through aspiration-raising activities and taster visits to City businesses. The corporation has also managed to place over 100 school leavers into paid placements at City businesses through the City of London Business Traineeship (CBT) programme.
When speaking to David, we found out about the programs the City of London Corporation offers, some of the programs the corporations offers include:
- Enterprise support for start-ups – A programme partnered by the City of London. It offers aspiring entrepreneurs the opportunity to attend a series of free workshops that aim to test your reasons for starting up a business and whether it is the right move for you. The program offeres: A free 2-hour workshop, 4 hours intensive 1-2-1 business advice, up to 6 hours of mentoring support from a City business professional. To find out more about the program see Centa’s website, Centa is one of the program partners.
- Ready to Supply the City – Working with local enterprise agencies to support small businesses in the City’s neighbouring boroughs to become ‘fit to supply’ firms in the Square Mile. – to find out more see the ready to supply the city website.
- Innovation Warehouse – Is a business incubation centre above Smithfield Market that will provide high-growth start-ups with: a) incubation workspace; b) support to access financing; c) networking and training opportunities; and d) professional business advice delivered by experienced entrepreneur mentors – to find out more on the Inovation Warehouse, see the innovation warehouse website.
- Angels in the City – Is a programme to raise awareness of angel investing among individuals in the City, recruiting 125 new business angels by March 2013, and bringing them together with 45 early stage businesses from the City’s neighbouring boroughs through facilitated pitching events. The anticipated long term impact could be creation of up to 200 jobs and £10m per investment through the cohort of angels to be created. – to find out more on the Angels in the City program see the angels in the city website.
- Entrepreneur First – The City of London Corporation are a core sponsor of this Government endorsed programme supporting high-achieving graduates to pursue careers as entrepreneurs through training and on-going support from established entrepreneurs and other high profile partners. – to find out more see the Entrepreneur First website.
From all these programs it is clear that The City of London Corporation has put themselves in a strong position to help aspiring entrepreneurs, new businesses and to reduce unemployment in the City Square Mile. The Startup Magazine would like to thank David Pack and the City of London Corporation team for taking the time to inform us on the opportunities they offer to entrepreneurs in the city.
If you think any of these programs could help you, or you have any questions on the programs, please leave a comment below or follow the links to the program’s website.
Related articles
- City of London Corporation launches new schemes to aid self-employment in the City fringes (thestartupmag.com)
- Ways of Raising Finance for Start-ups (thestartupmag.com)
- The key advantages small businesses have over large competitors (thestartupmag.com)
