Aiming higher

Apr 23 2008 by Sue Scott, Evening Gazette

TEESSIDE students with ambitions to become the female entrepreneurs of the future have been given expert guidance on how to realise their dreams.

Middlesbrough College’s Aimhigher team hosted Women into Business workshops for the first time and the sessions were attended by would-be captains of industry.

The events were staged at the college by Business Link, as part of an ongoing drive to reverse a decline in the number of women launching their own ventures in the North-east.

Research shows that fewer people are working for themselves in the region than anywhere else in the country.

But the college followed up its recent International Women’s Day events by setting up the workshops that focused on critical areas for new traders.

Female students were given masterclasses in how to set up and run their own businesses, as well as being given an idea of the obstacles they may face along the way.

Sales and marketing sessions showed the students how to understand their target audiences, while finance workshops illustrated how best to manage their money.

Other themes were business formation, which included studies of the various legal matters involved in running a firm, and how to find new employees and premises.

Emma Clare, the college’s equality and diversity co-ordinator, said: “We thought these workshops would be a wonderful opportunity to give our female students an insight into what it takes to run your own business.

“The workshops were extremely useful in showing them how to get a new venture off the ground, what kind of grant aid is available, and how to make it prosper in the future.”