NewsWomen President's Organization launches in London Major women's procurement initiative launched in Commons PM announces women in business mentoring scheme Gordon Brown marked International Women's Day by announcing a new mentoring scheme designed to encourage more women into business. At a Downing St reception for 40 of the world's most successful women, Brown invited guests to mentor young women through 3-6 month work placements to inspire them to realise their potential in a business setting. The businesswomen and the mentees will be invited back to Downing St to discuss their experiences once the placements are over. http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/Page14944.asp Female entrepreneurship skyrockets in US - find out why The US saw a 14% growth in its number of women-owned firms between 1997 and 2006 and now boasts over 10 million female-led companies. RDA representatives, policy makers, business support providers, entrepreneurs and corporations are invited to join Prowess for our 4th US Study tour to San Francisco to learn from this phenomenal growth. The Government's new Enterprise White Paper makes it clear the US is the gold standard we need to emulate, this is an opportunity anyone involved in enterprise policy cannot afford to miss. Participants on the tour will meet cutting edge thinkers, leading policy makers, entrepreneurs and business support providers in a comprehensive and hardworking five-day programme. Places are strictly limited to ensure maximum value for money, early booking is advisable. For full details and to make your booking today visit: http://www.prowess.org.uk/about/training.htm or contact Ann for more details at: a.nicholls@prowess.org.uk or on 01603 762355. EEDA announce £800,000 fund for women entrepreneurs Speaking at the 5th Annual Prowess Conference, Richard Ellis, Chair of the East of England Development Agency announced that EEDA will be investing £800,000 specifically to support women to develop the skills needed to run successful enterprises. The tender for the delivery of this ESF initiative will use the Prowess Flagship quality standard as a criteria for selecting suppliers and delivery partners. A record number of new Flagship Awards were presented at the conference, with 15 new organisations joining the fleet. For further news and information about the sell out Prowess conference visit: http://www.prowess.org.uk/conference/Conference2007.htm Passion driving female entrepreneurship Eighty-one per cent of women are starting a business to pursue something they are passionate about according to a survey of 700 women compiled by the National Council for Graduate Entrepreneurship (NCGE). The survey was conducted with women who had participated in the NCGE's 'Women's Flying Start Programme'. When asked about their motivations for going into business the top answer was 'passion'. Other strong motivating factors included 'wanting to achieve something fulfilling' and 'wanting to make a positive contribution'. Push factors such as 'cannot find a job' and 'I had no other option' scored lowly with 5% and 1% respectively. Full details: http://www.ncge.com/files/41.pdf A glass ceiling reinforced by concrete A new report suggests that whilst women come up against a glass ceiling when aiming for leadership positions for black and minority ethnic (BAME) women it can be even harder to reach the top. A survey of over 300 BAME women leaders found that over three quarters felt the leadership style of white women is more positively perceived in the workplace and 80% felt that the communication style of white women is more positively regarded. The report calls for the Minister for Women to establish a strategic forum where BAME women, business and community leaders can shape the issues impacting on their communities. The report also calls for employers to design development programmes tailored to the needs of BAME women leaders. http://www.differentwomen.com/83682-FinalExecSummary.pdf Women hold key to corporate success "Figuring out the gender issue isn't an option. It is do or die" says a senior executive of pharmaceutical firm Johnson & Johnson, who joins the chorus of voices calling for companies to respond to the low levels of women in the boardroom. An article for Guardian finance reports that 60% of graduates in the EU are now women and that 80% of consumer spending decisions are made by women. Progressive companies are waking up to the idea that it makes commercial sense to have women in their leadership teams. Read the full article at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/feb/05/business.genderissues Government launch National Enterprise Academy A new qualification in enterprise will be made available to students over 16 as part of the Government's plans to open a National Enterprise Academy early next year. The academy will have a broader remit of raising awareness across the entire population with a specific focus on women entrepreneurs according to the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform. The first Academy will open in the South East of England followed by another centre in the North West. A national roll out of satellite academies will follow. http://www.wired-gov.net/wg/wg-wlabel-dti.nsf/wfArticle?ReadForm&unid=D65C6712B5F05E6A802574090038EE7F Renewed call for gender disaggregated enterprise statistics Evidenced based policy making regarding women's enterprise is severely hampered by limited and ambiguous data according to a new report by consultancy firm Tribal for Yorkshire Forward. The authors state information relating to the growth orientation of women owned businesses is near non-existent. This is further complicated by confusion over 'the definition of what constitutes a female entrepreneur and a female owned business'. The report renews calls for 'central government and the Office for National Statistics to make gender disaggregated information available via the main business surveys and datasets produced nationally'. For a copy of 'Women's Enterprise and Business Start-up: A Strategic Framework for the Yorkshire and Humber Region' contact: Vanessa.Sammut@Yorkshire-Forward.com |
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Prowess Member's NewsWomen's Wisdom join forces with City Council to encourage women into enterprise Prowess Flagship organisation Women's Wisdom has joined forces with Southampton City Council to provide a series of free enterprise workshops for women in the region. 'The Empower Programme' covers four modules designed to introduce women to self-employment through a new personal development training programme. For further details see: http://www.womenswisdom.co.uk/ From Wi-Fi to Wellies - calling rural female business owners Rural business women are invited to attend the annual Women in Rural Enterprise (WiRE) conference in Shropshire on 18 March. Dubbed 'Wi-Fi and Wellies' to reflect the sheer diversity of female rural entrepreneurship the conference is aimed at business owners at all stages of development, from new/potential start-ups to high growth companies. For further details see: http://www.wireuk.org/ Publicly funded business support not meeting women's needs A new report from Women's Electronic Village Hall says women business owners do not feel they receive enough support after the start-up phase. The Manchester based ICT training organisation says women need more support to ensure the survival and growth of their business. They recommend the need for ongoing support encompassing small group seminars, networking, mentoring and one-to-one advice surgeries. Download, Motivating Success, Achieving Ambition at: http://www.wevh.org.uk/ EMDA hold series of business support simplification update events EMDA are holding a series of events to update regional stakeholders on progress to date on business support simplification. The events, taking place throughout the East Midlands in March, will give participants a chance to input into the development of their Business Support Strategy. For details and registration visit: http://www.absolutecorporateevents.com/business_support/default.aspx Small local firm pips multinationals to post The Jan Cavelle Furniture company run by Women's Enterprise Ambassador Jan Cavelle won the Customer Service Team category in the prestigious British Institute of Sales and Marketing Award, pushing Vodaphone and Royal Mail into the position of joint runners up. http://www.jancavelle.com/ SWRDA hold 2012 procurement diversity event The South West Regional Development Agency is partnering with the Ethnic Minority Business Task Force and the Women's Enterprise Task Force to encourage South West businesses to get involved in the Olympic 2012 procurement opportunities. Local businesses attended an equality in business event in Bristol and are now being encouraged to register their business on the national website at: https://www.competefor.com/london2012business/login.jsp |
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Social Enterprise NewsPM announces £37m investment in Social Enterprise Gordon Brown has announced an additional £37m will be ring fenced for social enterprise ventures. Speaking at Voice08, the annual Social Enterprise conference Brown announced £10m was to be put into a new Risk Capital fund for Social Enterprises. Also announced was an additional £27m for the Social Enterprise Investment Fund in health and social care. http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/third_sector/news/news_stories/080227_riskcapital.aspx Innovative finance scheme for East of England Social Enterprises The East of England Development Agency (EEDA) is investing £750,000 in a new region-wide loan scheme available to businesses and social enterprises with viable propositions that wouldn't normally be able to get funding from banks. The contract to deliver the service has been awarded to Foundation East, a Community Development Finance Institution (CDFI). Further information: http://www.eeda.org.uk/press_pub_3811.asp Female Social Enterprise Ambassadors step up to inspire others Leading female social entrepreneurs took part in a highly rated workshop at the Prowess Conference to inspire others and debate the future of social enterprise in the UK. Panellists included Claudine Reid, Director of PJs Community Services Ltd, Karen Lowthrope, Director of Hill Holt Woods and new start-up social entrepreneur Jo Rheam of Mummo Ltd. A lively debate focussed on women's motivations for entrepreneurship and how to raise the profile of Community Interest Companies. Promoting the role of BAME social enterprise The Social Enterprise Coalition is holding an event aimed specifically at BAME social enterprises and those with an interest in this sector. The event will focus on raising awareness of BAME social enterprise and identifying what needs to happen to support their growth. The event will take place on 26 March in Leeds. To register contact James Yabut or Alexia Everett-Kerrigan at events@socialenterprise.org.uk Register for a free listing in new social enterprise directory Social entrepreneurs, social enterprises and enterprising charities from across the UK can now register to be listed or search a new social enterprise directory online – you can search by over 30 sectors including; Arts, Consultancy, Disability, Housing, Transport and youth. Register at: http://www.can-online.org.uk/social_enterprises_directory.php The Edge Upstarts Awards 2008 nominations are now open These awards recognise excellence in all aspects of social enterprise, including providing a rich learning environment for the young and disadvantaged. The Upstarts Awards began in 2001 to encourage and reward extraordinary vision, ethical business practice and social responsibility. They aim to showcase businesses that offer innovative and sustainable solutions to social issues. Categories include Social Entrepreneur of the Year and Social Enterprise Mentor of the Year. The closing date for nominations is 18 May 2008. http://www.edgeupstarts.org/2008/rules |
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EventsProwess Study Visit 2008: Innovation in enterprise, San Francisco 15-19 June The rest of this section is restricted to Prowess members. For information on how to join Prowess visit: http://www.prowess.org.uk/about/apply.htm For details of events aimed at women entrepreneurs taking place in your area click on the map below, members remember you can add your events to the Prowess online clickable map quickly and easily at no cost:
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AwardsThe Prowess Awards 2008 - now open for nominations These unique awards honour individuals from right across the business community who are changing the face of UK enterprise by championing female entrepreneurship. Now in their 4th year, the Prowess Awards have gone from strength to strength, last year attracting over 300 high calibre nominations. HSBC and Yell.com are sponsoring the awards for a second time heading the much coveted ‘Outstanding Contribution to Women’s Enterprise Development’ and ‘Inspirational Business Mum’ awards respectively. New categories this year include the ‘Social Entrepreneur’ category supported by the Office of the Third Sector and the Ethnic Minority Business Woman Award supported by the Women’s Enterprise Centre of Expertise (WECOE) and Advantage West Midlands. Nominations are invited from across the UK. The closing date is Friday 11 April and the Awards will be presented at a high profile Awards ceremony in Birmingham on 6 June 2008. For further details about the awards and the nomination process visit www.prowess.org.uk/awards/aboutawards.asp The rest of this section is restricted to Prowess members. For information on how to join Prowess visit: http://www.prowess.org.uk/about/apply.htm |
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New ResearchThis section is restricted to Prowess members. For information on how to join Prowess visit: http://www.prowess.org.uk/about/apply.htm |
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This section is restricted to Prowess members. For information on how to join Prowess visit: http://www.prowess.org.uk/about/apply.htm |
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MembersNew members of Prowess include: The British Library Business and IP Centre www.bk.uk/bipc Join Prowess and become part of the UK alliance helping women to start and grow businesses: Click here for details of Prowess membership |
Prowess – The UK association of organisations and individuals who support women to start and grow businesses.Please send comments and news or information sources to a.kent@prowess.org.uk by the 28th of the month. If this newsletter has been forwarded to you and you would like to be kept informed about Prowess please e-mail your contact details to a.kent@prowess.org.uk . Let us know too if you want to be taken off the mailing list at any time. This newsletter is produced for information only. While we believe the content is accurate we can accept no responsibility for any errors or omissions. Prowess is happy for recipients to forward and redistribute items in this Ezine, however we ask that Prowess is credited as the source and that where appropriate there is a link to our website. © Prowess Ltd 2008. Lion House, 20-28 Muspole Street, Norwich NR3 1DJ Tel 01603 762355 Fax 01603 227090 www.prowess.org.uk - the UK-wide gateway to local women friendly business support |
