Pathways to Enterprise

Introduction

Our initial project which focused on establishing an Enterprise Hub in Newtown came to an end in early 2019, due to a similar but larger Welsh Government funded project being established in Newtown, which would duplicate many key aspects of our project.   

After reviewing what support would be provided through the new WG/Business in Focus initiative, we started to look at where the gaps were in training and support.  

We identified that there were individuals that would be interested in self-employment or joining together and working as a small collective that aren’t being supported by the existing services, which aim to offer highly informative workshops focusing on

specific issues such as writing a business plan/keeping records/marketing.    There was little available to help someone who is attracted to flexible working to help them to think through what areas of work might be accessible and enjoyable, taking into account their own background and skills, as well as the local economy. 

The challenge

We saw the first step as being concerned with getting people out of their homes for a few hours with others at a similar stage, bringing them together in a small group around a table to discuss ideas and identify obstacles and opportunities.  Each session would be built around a workshop, but the workshop would only be part of the focus.  We would look to identify particular barriers that individuals had or were common to the group, and look to see if through our own contacts, we could help to solve or minimise these.  There would be unstructured coffee breaks and lunch served at the table, all with the idea of encouraging the group to share ideas and break down barriers and make connections. 

We planned to run a series of workshops that we hoped would attract a small cohort that would stay with the program and become a supportive community to each other.  

Our priorities were:

• Introduce those that had perhaps not taken part in education or training for a number of years, back into a communal learning environment.
• Encourage engagement around developing an enterprise which builds on existing skills and experience.  
• Facilitate group discussion, encouraging people to listen and support each other in their endeavours.
• Where appropriate, making introductions to individuals/businesses that could advise and provide support around specific areas of work.
• Identify what other support is available which is relevant to individuals or the group.
• Provide entry level business workshops aimed at building confidence and enabling individuals to plan their next steps.  

The revised programme also sought to extend the principles of enterprise to non-financial, cooperative, volunteer-led activities which met the needs of communities without necessarily becoming a ‘business’ in the strict sense of the word.  A concept which we tried to capture as ‘volunteerpreneurism.’  

We researched Self-Reliant groups whereby a number of individuals with a common bond come together.  The bond could be geographic, physical impediments, or other challenges in life that have limited opportunities for employment through traditional routes.   Collectively they develop a small enterprise that builds on their strengths and skills, meeting a need in the local community and brining in a small amount of income for the group to decide how to spend.  

Our research

We spoke to other business support/education services in Newtown to gauge what was on offer and where there are gaps.  We also spoke to organisations supporting individuals with specific needs to get their views on what support could help move individuals that were currently not undertaking any type of work.

Organisations that we consulted with:

•         Kaleidoscope (addiction support service)
•         NPTC – local further education college
•         Job Centre staff
•         Pont Hafren – mental health charity
•         Refugee support workers

Kaleidoscope and the refugee support workers identified specific barriers that were making it difficult for their client group to move beyond benefits and into some kind of work.  

Refugee workers expressed frustration that there was a lack of support for those with minimal English language to gain basic qualifications practical qualifications in a language that they could communicate in, or to be able to market their skills in the local community.  

For those leaving addiction services a gap was identified between the work that they did with clients and that coming to an end, with no one other than the job centre to really continue with them and help them into work.  They felt that the jobcentre didn’t have the resources or skills to provide the help that was needed.  The jobcentre being under pressure to assist users in securing employment quickly, that if not a good fit could be detrimental to service users.  They felt that a better outcome could be achieved if more time could be taken to help individuals in developing an enterprise where they are in control and have a degree of flexibility.  

What we did

We constructed a series of workshops, designed to provide basic skills and information relating to starting a business or social enterprise.  
Initial workshops covered topics including:

• Business planning essentials
• Growing an income
• Fundraising essentials
• Working with and attracting volunteers
• Good Governance

Initially we ran the 3 workshops that were more targeted at individuals developing a small enterprise, rather than those designed around social enterprise.

We ran the workshops mid-week on successive weeks in the small hub space in the Pryce Jones building in Newtown.  

We asked individuals to sign up for the full set of workshops.  

We designed the initial sessions to be relatively light but informative remaining flexible so that they could go in a direction and at a level appropriate to the group.  We scheduled workshops to start fairly late in the morning, so that those that had children to get to school or caring responsibilities had a chance to attend.  

We provided lunch and scheduled coffee breaks with the workshop continuing on for another hour and a half afterwards.  We could easily have completed a workshop in a morning or afternoon, but by straddling lunch-time and providing good food, we hoped to encourage people to relax and discuss their circumstances and aspirations with each other. 

Marketing

We marketed through social media, mainly Facebook, we also put posters with the schedule of events in shop windows in Newtown in order to attract people that might not be on social media.   We also set up a stand-alone website, providing more information about the workshops, under the Pathways to Enterprise name with an online booking system.  

Benefit

We attracted between 6 – 10 people to each event, with a number of people attending all workshops, getting to know each other and ROCBF staff.  

In certain cases, as with a small number of refugees, we were able to help them in solving specific problems, around language and skills marketing.  

We also introduced other attendees to businesses/individuals that had relevant skills and experience and were willing to help them. 
As our workshops were in the room next to the newly established WG funded Enterprise Hub, we were able to introduce them to hub staff who in turn were able to discuss follow on workshops that would help with next steps towards self-employment.  

Result

Due to the pandemic our program did not proceed beyond the initial round of workshops due to successive lockdowns.  We did not believe that this would work as a digital project as the value was very much in people meeting and spending time in a group setting.  

The workshops that we ran were successful and resulted in several participants progressing to more formal courses and setting up small enterprises.   

We were less successful in supporting those coming out off addiction services because their case worker left prior to them attending workshops. 
Individuals signposted by the Jobcentre tended to be less engaged, which is probably because they and jobcentre staff were under pressure for quick solutions – which didn’t really fit with the program.  

Learning from our project

Given that our project ran for a very limited time, we viewed it as a success, in getting people into a social setting and thinking about enterprise development, and progressing into other educational environments.  

The most successful element was where we had the connections and resources to solve some practical problems around language and marketing, and to make introductions that hopefully moved people forward.  

We see a gap in provision around supporting people with specific challenges around mental health and physical challenges.  We believe there is a lot more that can be done in this area in conjunction with other support services who’s purpose is to enable individuals into a functioning and happy life, but not equipped to deal with the challenges of finding work and becoming financially sustainable.    

Due to lockdown we also did not thoroughly explore the opportunities of self-reliant group and how viable a route that could be for certain individuals.  Although this is a type of enterprise that is gaining traction in other areas of the UK.