Tag Archives: Featured

Welcome to Boost Flying Start

If you are looking to turn your business idea into reality or take your new business to the next level, the Flying Start service, delivered by Selnet, can help you achieve your business goals.

The funded Flying Start service is part of Boost; Lancashire’s Business Growth Hub, and is created for pre-start businesses and those that have traded for less than three years. It is delivered by an experienced team of qualified business advisers.

Our advisers can help you navigate the ups and downs of starting a new business, through support, mentoring and activities, tailored to suit your business needs.

 

How we can help

Through Flying Start, you will have access to a dedicated relationship manager who you will work with to determine the support you need to help you and your business.

All support is tailored to suit the needs of your business and delivered by an experienced adviser who will be able to assist you to develop a Business Growth Action Plan.

The adviser will meet with you regularly to help you to keep your business moving forward. Your business advisor will come with a wealth of experience, knowledge and a strong network of contacts who can assist with your business’s development.

 

“The company thrives and has grown to a team of eight staff members who all work part-time between six and thirty hours per week”.
“Thank you for all your help”
Lucy | Spring into Action

 

How Flying Start works

Contact us either by talking to one of our team on 01772 200690 or emailing hello@selnet-uk.com 

Initially, contact us to discuss your needs and to arrange an appointment to speak with our team, you’ll then be matched with the perfect adviser to ensure success. Your adviser will then work with you to formulate a plan to work through your businesses goals and objectives and develop a robust strategy to ensure continued success.

Throughout, we will keep in touch with you to assist when you need us, as well as identifying further opportunities and activities which will help your business grow. All support is fully funded and available at a time and place to fit around your busy diary.

 

Do I qualify for support?

The Flying Start service is available to pre-start businesses and businesses that have been trading for less than three years.

You must have an ambition to succeed and be ready to take the next steps to creating a successful business. You must be based within a qualifying postcode area, to confirm your business eligibility get in touch! If you do not qualify, we will be able to assist in directing you to an organisation who can.

This service is available to businesses within the following partner local authority areas: Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, Burnley Council, Chorley Council, Fylde Council, Hyndburn Borough Council, Pendle Borough Council, Preston City Council, South Ribble Borough Council, West Lancashire Borough Council and Wyre Council.

If your business is based outside of these local authority areas, please contact the Boost Business Support Helpdesk on 0800 488 0057 and we can advise you on what support is available in your area.

 

Testimonial

Fashion brand Northern Tide is looking smart

Scott McClymont’s new clothing company, which launched in the pandemic and focuses on environmentally friendly products, has a new strategy, and focus after receiving support from Selnet’s Business Support team.

Scott, from Fleetwood, said: “Above all, getting individual support has given me lots of confidence.

“I’ve got lots of information from my adviser, Alistair, on areas to work on including sales and marketing, approaching retailers, improving my website, and using social media to better promote the business.

“I developed a 12-month action plan so I can continue to work on developing all aspects of the company.”

Scott loves clothes, football and music. During the second Covid-19 lockdown, he decided to set up his own brand Northern Tide, which incorporates all the things he is passionate about and reflects his cultural heritage.

Northern Tide clothing is focused on being sustainable for the environment whilst still holding their appeal for customers.

“I’ve got a brand-new range of autumnal colour sweatshirts available with a range of small and larger sizes, each made from 85% organic cotton & 15% recycled polyester.”

(Photographs from Fleetwood beach and Affinity Outlets)

 

From September 1 2023, Boost is funded by Lancashire County Council, Department for Business & Trade (DBT), and UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) contributions from ten Lancashire local authorities (Boost local authorities partners). UKSPF is part of the Levelling Up agenda and succession to EU structural funds.

 

About Boost

Boost is Lancashire’s Business Growth Hub and we are on a mission; to help Lancashire businesses thrive. 

Boost provides a range of funded services and support to help Lancashire businesses grow, scale and start, realising their growth potential, creating jobs and boosting the economy.

One of 37 Growth Hubs in the UK, Boost is led by Lancashire County Council and has supported over 14,000 businesses, helped create over 3,500 jobs while adding over £100m to the economy since 2013.

For further information visit www.boostbusinesslancashire.co.uk.

Boost local authority partners

 


 

 

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UK Shared Prosperity Fund Projects

Selnet has been commissioned for a variety of projects, funded by UKSPF and are bringing partners together to deliver these.

Information on each project is listed below
(you can scroll down or click on a project to go straight to it)

 

Invest in Youth – Preston

Invest in Youth is a new project in Preston providing employability for young people aged between 14 and 24 years old.

Invest in Youth (IIY) is specifically designed to support young people aged between 14 and 24 years who live in Preston and are furthest from the labour market, to help them overcome their personal barriers to economic activity.

IIY is delivered as an intensive Key Worker support project, linked with The Lancashire Colleges and will combine and continue some of the valuable and impactful successes that local delivery partners have achieved over the last six years through ESIF projects.

Eligible participants must live in Preston (within Preston City Council’s district) and must be economically inactive (individuals are those not in work and not actively seeking work – unlike unemployed individuals who are actively seeking work).

Click here for more information.

 

Move Forward – Pendle

In partnership with Active Lancashire, Move Forward is a new project supporting Pendle residents who are out of work and aged over 25.

Delivery partners working with Selnet will support eligible residents who are furthest from the labour market, helping them overcome their personal barriers to economic activity. The project will combine and continue some of the valuable and impactful successes that local delivery partners have achieved over the last six years through ESIF projects. Move Forward is an intensive Key Worker support project.

Eligible participants must live in Pendle (within Pendle Borough Council’s district) and must be economically inactive (individuals are those not in work and not actively seeking work – unlike unemployed individuals who are actively seeking work).

Click here for more information.

 

Move Forward – Preston

In partnership with Active Lancashire, Move Forward is a new project supporting Preston residents who are out of work and aged over 25.

Delivery partners working with Selnet will support eligible residents who are furthest from the labour market, helping them overcome their personal barriers to economic activity. The project will combine and continue some of the valuable and impactful successes that local delivery partners have achieved over the last six years through ESIF projects. Move Forward is an intensive Key Worker support project.

Eligible participants must live in Preston (within Preston City Council’s district) and must be economically inactive (individuals are those not in work and not actively seeking work – unlike unemployed individuals who are actively seeking work).

Click here for more information.

 

Fylde’s Voluntary, Community, Faith & Social Enterprises Baseline Study

Selnet were commissioned by Fylde Council to provide a detailed portfolio of organisations operating in Fylde.

This was to provide Fylde Council with a detailed record of all local Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprise organisations that are currently active in Fylde – it was a Baseline Study for better understanding of these sectors and the contributions they make (contributing to an Objective of Fylde’s Investment Plan ‘Communities and Place’).

This research is now completed – find out more here.

 

 


 

 

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Building Better Opportunities Lancashire

Lancashire’s Building Better Opportunities projects were delivered exclusively by social enterprises and community organisations. As Lancashire’s social enterprise network, we are proud to have led this specialist partnership whose work transformed lives of people across Lancashire.

Building Better Opportunities (BBO) was a national programme investing in local projects that tackled the root causes of poverty, promoting social inclusion and driving local jobs and growth. The programme was funded by The National Lottery Community Fund and the European Social Fund (ESF) 2014-2020. In Lancashire, this programme began delivery in 2016. Following two extensions to each of the 3 projects the delivery continued until March 2023 and the programme is now closed.

For the 3 partnership projects, over 7 years, Building Better Opportunities brought a total of £17.68M into Lancashire over the lifetime of the programme.

 

 

Selnet led three specialist partnership projects that delivered support across Lancashire, Blackpool and Blackburn with Darwen. There were other BBO programmes across the UK, but ours were unique in being delivered exclusively by over 30 Social Enterprises, Voluntary Community groups.

 


‘Age of Opportunity’
was designed and delivered to meet the needs of over 50s who were out of work and furthest from the labour market to improve their skills and employment opportunities.

 

 

‘Invest in Youth’ was designed and delivered to tackle barriers faced by young people between the ages of 15-24, and supporting them to move closer to employment, education or training.

 

 

‘Changing Futures’ was designed and delivered to support unemployed or economically inactive people who faced multiple and complex barriers to employment and at high risk of social exclusion, and move towards work and training.

 

 

The Building Better Opportunities programme was dedicated to improving the prospects and wellbeing of people who were struggling with the kinds of complex barriers that make them ‘hard to reach’ for mainstream employment and training support services.

Barriers included issues around low mental health, self-esteem and confidence, health problems or disabilities, caring responsibilities, debt, low or no skills, access to childcare, BME, LGBT, chaotic lifestyles and substance misuse. Participating in support from these projects was voluntary, free to access and did not affect rights to benefits.

Lancashire’s three Building Better Opportunities projects were designed and delivered to support participants by tackling complex barriers and accessing specialist services. This could take 6 months, to 2 years or more for participants to be in stable circumstances and able to look ahead.

Each partner brought specific expertise in supporting disadvantaged people, and combined to provide individually tailored support, helping each participant to understand, address and overcome a wide range of barriers that they identified would help them the most.

In 2022 we had short films made looking over our Building Better Opportunities programme delivery in Lancashire: on the Purpose, Partnership Working, Project Management, Emotional Support, Participants’ Perspectives, Flexibility and Life Changing Impacts of the projects. Click here to watch these.

 

Our ‘Job Search’ statistics show outcomes from a comprehensive journey:

Each participant included in our formal project targets of ‘Job Search’ had reached a key milestone from a comprehensive journey. A raft of interventions were enabled for participants who were ‘furthest from the labour market’ and held back by complex circumstances – including domestic violence, housing instability, physical disabilities, mental health barriers, PTSD, addictions and chaotic lifestyles.

The wide variety of skills and experience of our Project Partners’ staff teams enabled direct support to be tailored for individual participants. From their work to overcome challenges, participants could look ahead towards a fresh start, based on their interests: through coaching and mentoring, developing personal skills and building self-confidence, attending training courses and building qualifications and developing their CVs – altogether enabling participants to be able – and willing – to actively search and apply for jobs.

 

 

Progression from 2016

Initially, 3 years’ funding was secured for 3270 disadvantaged people to benefit from tailored support to overcome complex barriers and move towards work and training. Early in the programme we commissioned a social enterprise filmmaker to capture the impacts of the programme from the perspectives of delivery partners and participants: click here to watch these on YouTube.

As a result of the successful delivery of these 3 projects, in 2019 our funding was extended to 2021. Across the three projects, this allowed a further 1331 disadvantaged people to receive support through the programme in Lancashire.

In 2021, we had a further extension to each project, to continue support until March 2023. The overall target for Building Better Opportunities Lancashire’s was to support 5697 people who were furthest from the labour market to move closer to employment, education, training and job search.

At March 2023, when the programme closed, Lancashire’s 3 Building Better Opportunities projects had engaged and supported 6544 people with barriers to work. With this specialist support for each individual, and new skills, confidence and opportunities, 2407 people had started work or self-employment, entered education, started a training course or were able to actively search for work, to pursue their interests and fulfil their ambitions.

Here are some of the people whose lives have been transformed by the support they have received:

 

 

Selnet’s Role to enable our sector’s work

Selnet led a 12-month process of developing three Lancashire-wide partnerships to provide specialist employability and skills support to disadvantaged people. Two projects began in August 2016; the ‘Age of Opportunity’, supporting the over-50s, and ‘Invest in Youth’, supporting young people aged 15-24. The third project, ‘Changing Futures’, began in February 2017 and supported people with multiple and complex barriers to employment. 

Selnet’s work is to enable opportunities, secure funding and manage contracts, so that frontline organisations can focus on delivering their specialist services. In 2019, Selnet were successful in securing extensions to all 3 partnership projects – and again in 2021, bringing a total of £17.68M into Lancashire over the lifetime of the BBO programme.


Background Information on European Funding in Lancashire

The 2014-2020 European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) Growth Programme provided funds to help local areas stimulate growth. The funds supported investment in innovation, businesses, skills and employment to improve local growth and create jobs.

A single ESIF Growth Programme was set up to combine three separate European Funds. The Growth Programme provided funding to help projects in England that created jobs and economic growth.

 


 

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