Rural Enterprise News: 13 December

Self Employment and Entrepreneurial Development (SEED): Young people in Perthshire and Kinross can apply for support to start and/or grow their own business within this exciting programme. An opportunity to learn necessary skills, increase confidence, receive financial help and more. Find out more at https://www.growbiz.co.uk/seed

Ofcom Competition: 16-18 year olds are being invited to submit either a video or a written entry on the subject of how social media platforms can change to improve online safety for young people. You could win a £100 voucher and be published by the Financial Times. The competition closes 30 January 2022. Find out more here. TalentScotland Immigration Support: Run by Scottish Enterprise, TalentScotland offers support and guidance to help small businesses based in Scotland to navigate the immigration system. Find out about their immigration webinars and interactive tutorial sessions and see what other support is available here. Promoting Food and Drink Along the Fife Coastal Path: Funding has been secured to promote food and drink along the Fife Coastal Path. The project is being managed by Food from Fife and run with the support of Fife’s six local tourist associations, Fife Coast & Countryside Trust and Fife Council’s tourism team. They are keen to hear from businesses along the path who are interested in being involved in the campaign. Find out more here. Grey Matters - The Company Creation Programme: This fully-funded, 16-week programme is a joint initiative between Scottish Enterprise and Renfrewshire Council that has been designed for Scotland's ex-aerospace workforce. It aims to support start-ups or individuals who are looking to develop ideas and solutions to create businesses, increase jobs and boost the economy. Find out more here. Scottish Government’s Social Enterprise Census 2021: The 4th official stocktake of enterprising charities and social enterprises in Scotland is now underway. This official study helps inform policy and funding, and shows the impact of the sector. If your organisation has social or environmental goals and generates income through contracts or fees of any kind you can contribute here. Women Returners Data Skill Course: This course is designed as an introduction to data analysis, learning to clean, manipulate and visualise data. The course will be industry focussed with emphasis on using data to help businesses reach government targets on emissions. To be eligible you must identify as a woman, be aged 25 or over, have been unemployed for the last 6 months or more, have worked in the past and reside in Scotland. Find out more here. Becoming a Fair Work Nation – Public Consultation: The Scottish Government’s consultation on Scotland as a leading Fair Work Nation seeks views on the action that will be required to achieve the vision that by 2025, people in Scotland will have a world-leading working life, where fair work drives success, wellbeing and prosperity for individuals, businesses, organisations and society. This is an important opportunity to highlight issues for the self-employed in rural areas. It will run until 23 December, find out more and share your views here. GrowBiz Trustee Opportunity: Scotland’s leading independent rural enterprise support and development organisation is currently seeking to recruit new Trustees to join the Board. Interested candidates are invited to email their CV and covering letter to GrowBiz’s CEO Jackie Brierton at: jackie@growbiz.co.uk. If you would like to find out more about the role, please also email jackie@growbiz.co.uk to request an informal, confidential conversation.