Cover your apprenticeship training costs

Did you know there is financial support available to Oxfordshire businesses to take on an apprentice?

As part of the OxLEP Skills ‘Grow Your Own’ apprenticeship levy pledge initiative, there is currently £1.8m available to cover your apprenticeship training costs. This is open to any business looking to take on an apprentice.

Additionally, OxLEP Skills has recently facilitated a pledge for £100,000 from the BBC from its apprenticeship levy fund, which will allow people who want to work in the creative and
digital industries to earn whilst they learn. SMEs across
Oxfordshire can now apply for the funds to recruit apprentices and upskill current employees.

Further details can be found via OxLEP's website.

Free energy app for Oxfordshire residents

Energy Saver App is a new, free mobile app from Oxfordshire County Council.

The technology analyses your smart meter data and understands your energy use. It then gives you highly personalised insights that your smart meter can’t, so you can make informed choices about your energy use and efficiency.

The app contains personalised, actionable tips, efficiency upgrade predictions, monitors trends, tracks CO2 reductions, pinpoints power-hungry appliances and more.

If you’re interested in using the Energy Saver App to reduce the amount of energy you use, you can now register your interest via Oxfordshire County Council's website.

'Do we need a local fund for social businesses in Oxfordshire?'

It is well known that start-up social businesses are often under-capitalised, but there is also a shortage of smaller-scale finance options accessible to early stage or growing socially trading organisations.

This gap has led to innovative and collaborative models to be developed in other regions, such as the Kindred Fund in Liverpool, that provide repayable finance such as loans or share investment.

The Oxfordshire Inclusive Economy Partnership (OIEP) team are hosting a free, in-person event to explore the demand for social finance locally and introduce the concept of a local fund.

Wednesday 17 July   |   6pm - 8pm
Old Fire Station, Oxford

The event will feature:

• Andrew Beattie (Engagement and Impact Lead at the Kindred Fund) – presenting Kindred as an innovative example of how cross sector collaboration has enabled £2 million of loan finance to 44 socially trading organisations
  
  
• Alice Hemming (Co-operative Futures) – introducing the feasibility study and share more about how a local fund for Oxfordshire could work, as well as the evidence of need
  
  
• An opportunity for attendees to have a discussion and input into the consultation.

Register for your free place via Eventbrite.

Thame Business Breakfast: Decarbonise your Website

Did you know that the internet contributes to 3.7% of global carbon emissions?

Using their UKSPF funding, Thame Town Council has partnered with Pentangle Technology Limited to host a free, in-person business breakfast to learn about how to decarbonise your business’ digital footprint.

Friday 12 July   |   9am – 10.30am
Thame Barns Centre

The session is suitable for people at all levels of the business who have any involvement in their company website, and will give you plenty of ideas to take away and implement.

Topics include:

• making your website use less carbon at a server level
  
• reducing the load on your user’s browser
  
• best practice sustainable web design.

Register for your free place here.