Skill Up: Retrain and Upskill your staff with 7000 funded places
Why attend an Innovation Workshop?
TechNation Digital Support
Gift Card
28th June 2022
We're keen to get the right balance in how we communicate with you, our business community, in terms of frequency and content. Your feedback is greatly appreciated.
In partnership with The Queen’s Awards Office, Invest NI recently hosted an Information Session highlighting the Awards to local businesses. This video tutorial is a recording of the event.
"92% of UK 2021 winners were SMEs and of that, 44 of the 205 winners have less than ten employees. This should be encouragement to companies in NI who might think that these awards are only for very large businesses."
Her Majesty's Lord Lieutenant for County Antrim, David McCorkell KStJ
These are the most prestigious awards for UK businesses and are a globally recognised royal seal of approval for UK companies. The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise recognise outstanding achievements across four categories:
Innovation - recognises businesses which demonstrate strong commercially successful innovative products or services.
Sustainable Development - winners demonstrate sustainable products, services or interventions for more than two years and can provide evidence of the benefits or positive outcomes of their actions and practices.
International Trade - recognises businesses which have demonstrated substantial growth in overseas earnings and commercial success within their sector.
Promoting Opportunity through social mobility – recognises and rewards employers for their work in providing high quality social mobility initiatives and programmes that specifically reach out to and support people from disadvantaged backgrounds, in order to inspire and guide the best talent into their organisation and beyond.
Over 7,000 fully funded training courses available for the 2022-23 academic year
Skill Up is a fully funded initiative from the Department for the Economy and the Northern Ireland Office. The programme offers 20,000 further and higher education training places in over 250 subject areas for accredited qualifications ranging from Level 1 to Level 7.
How can Skill Up help my business?
The programme aims to help individuals boost their skillset. It also addresses skills gaps in the local economy to help businesses access talent with the skills required to grow their industry. Businesses can use this programme by encouraging their staff make use of the free training available to develop their skills.
How do I apply?
Around 7,000 places are now available to apply for in the coming academic year beginning in September 2022.
Innovation and transformative thinking are key drivers for business growth and efficiency improvements. The need to take a systematic approach to transformation (digital or otherwise) has become the new business imperative as we continue to respond to the unprecedented challenges thrown at us over the last couple of years.
This interactive workshop, which also forms part of the Digital Surge Programme, is relaxed, engaging, and inspiring, and is designed for SMEs who want (or need) to think differently as they look to transform their business. Additional follow up content is available as videos for all attendees to watch at a time that suits them.
The workshop will include proven, approachable, yet simple concepts that can be taken away and used to address business, operational and economic challenges faced by SMEs from all sectors.
Workshop Agenda:
Why now the right time for business transformation.
Why we find it difficult to change
What exactly IS innovation?
The critical role of ambition in innovation and transformation.
How can we look at business challenges differently?
By participating in this workshop, you will:
See how to apply innovative thinking to the creation or improvement of any service, product, or business model
Learn techniques to inform and clarify your transformation ambitions
Ensure ambitions are aligned to and support your broader organisational aspirations.
Attendees will have the option to apply to the free Digital Surge Programme which builds on this workshop through one-to-one mentoring, creation of an Innovation Roadmap, advanced technology masterclasses and the development of a Digital Acceleration Plan.
Forthcoming dates
(only need to attend one date, comprising 2 hours)
Causeway Coast & Glens Gift Card June special offers
The Causeway Coast & Glens Gift Card can be used in over 200 outlets and businesses throughout the Borough, giving the recipient the gift of choice.
Recipients can choose where to spend it while supporting our local traders.
The Gift Card can be redeemed in many different outlets, from butchers to local supermarkets, clothing and footwear stores, jewellers, cafes, hotels and activity providers - it's perfect gift that always fits!
Gift cards can also be purchased at Council’s Visitor Information Centres (VICs).
This month there is a very special offer running - if you purchase a Gift Card over the value of £25 through one of the VICs you will receive a cotton shopping bag or get a free jute shopping bag for every gift card you purchase worth £40 or more. Get your while stocks last.
