Enterprise Rent-A-Car has joined forces with Skills4Stem and WEConnect to support women-owned businesses.
The car rental firm has funded £45K from its Apprenticeship Levy Transfer Programme this year, to support a 12-month leadership development programme for up to 10 female-owned firms that aim to grow their turnover to £1m and beyond.
As part of its core diversity and inclusion strategy, Enterprise says it is ‘committed to a diverse employee and supplier base’, and investing in this programme will ultimately help to build a more diverse supplier base in the UK.
Six UK companies have already been selected for the leadership programme. They include communications agency Cerub PR (High Wycombe); Santane (Edinburgh), a technology and consulting company; Nix & Kix (London), a soft drinks manufacturer; brand consultancy Keystone Marketing (St Neots); Arc Management Consulting (London); and BX Merchandise (London). Funding is still available to recruit one more business to the programme, confirms Enterprise.
INSPIRING FUTURE GROWTH
All six businesses are registered with WEConnect International, a global network that connects majority women-owned businesses to qualified investors/buyers around the world. “The six companies selected have a clear vision of how they will grow their businesses and how the training will help them to achieve their goals,” commented Sarah Davis, CEO of Skills4Stem. “Working together with Enterprise and WEConnect International, we hope to make a real difference to the impact that female-owned businesses can make as suppliers, employers, exporters and corporate citizens, in the UK and beyond.”
This is the second development and training programme that Skills4Stem has created through WEConnect International. The leadership development programme, designed and delivered by Skills4Stem, has three development streams, focusing on growth strategies, business operations and leadership. The sessions are designed to inspire future growth and development, and are mapped into the Institute of Leadership and Management Level 3 Diploma for Managers, according to Skills4Stem.
VITAL FUNDING
“Partnership is vital to accessing funding for important development programmes such as these, which are tailor-made for women-owned businesses and designed to maximise the business impact,” stated Maggie Berry, Executive Director for Europe at WEConnect International. “Enterprise has been a valued partner for WEConnect International over many years. We hope their willingness to use their apprenticeship levy to support growing female-owned businesses will act as a catalyst for other organisations that may not be aware that this offers a vital access to funding for smaller organisations.”
As a large organisation, Enterprise has contributed to the apprenticeship levy since 2017 when it was introduced, and has offered a ‘growing number of apprenticeship opportunities’ across its UK operations. “We are delighted to be partnering with WEConnect International and Skills4Stem to use the surplus from our apprenticeship levy to support women-owned businesses,” said Leigh Lafever-Ayer, HR Director for Enterprise UK.
“Diversity of our employee and supplier base is a core strategy for Enterprise. We have been a Times Top 50 Employer for Women for the past 14 years and a corporate member of WEConnect International since 2014. We look forward to seeing these businesses thrive over the next 12 months and beyond,” she added.
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