John Paul Phelan, T.D. Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government with special responsibility for Local Government and Electoral Reform launches the Local Enterprise Office (LEO) Kilkenny’s autumn training and event programme on Friday 8th September at the Abbey Business Centre. With 20 training programmes along with 3 free seminars and National’s Women Enterprise Day Conference, there is plenty on offer to entrepreneurs and small businesses.
The LEO Kilkenny has developed a range of courses and workshops aimed at improving the knowledge and skills of small business owner-managers, so their businesses have an increased opportunity for success.
Since its inception in April 2014, the LEO Kilkenny has run over 200 training programmes across a wide spectrum of business disciplines; finance; sales and marketing, human resources, food safety and development, etc. One of our flagship programmes the Owner Manager Development Programme for businesses established more than 3 years has been developed to assist build the management capacity of the small business. Speaking at the launch past participant Jennifer McCreery, McCreery Contract Cleaning advised that “the Owner Manager Programme delivered by Blaise Brosnan help address in a very practical way, issues that are hindering the business development and growth”.
The Autumn 2017 schedule commences next week with a free seminar for people who are considering setting up their own business or in the early stages of start up development. This free Seminar entitled “Supports and Funding Opportunities for Start-up Businesses” provides entrepreneurs with an opportunity to find out more about the services provided by various local, regional and national organisations and funding agencies. There is also an opportunity to hear from a panel of local entrepreneurs, their real life experiences, the challenges and the opportunities. For those considering self-employment as a career option, the Start Your Own Business Course is highly recommended for anyone considering setting up a new business. The overall aim is to help a new entrepreneur become ‘start-up ready’. The LEO Kilkenny will be running free Business Idea Generation workshops and 2 Start Your Own Business Programme throughout the Autumn. Over the last 10 years, the Local Enterprise Office Kilkenny (formerly known as the County Enterprise Board) has organised 60 start your own business programmes with over 1000 participants.
The Local Enterprise Office Kilkenny offers a number of financial management courses including basic book-keeping course for those will little or no book-keeping experience but interested in acquiring the necessary skills to set up a simple book-keeping system. Also taxation courses for entrepreneurs to understand the key elements of the Irish taxation system and how to file a tax return. Online marketing continues to attract interest from businesses participants and there is a wide range of courses available including the main social media tools such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.
The LEO Kilkenny has introduced a new programme into the Autumn schedule for entrepreneurs and people involved in social/community based enterprises designed to help develop their expertise in core areas such as Management and Corporate Governance, Sales, Marketing and Finance.
The Local Enterprise Office is conscious of the time constraints on small business owner managers and their employees, so the schedule is designed to include a range of programmes including day time, evening, full day workshops and half-day seminars across the full spectrum of business functions.
Speaking at the launch the Minister Phelan said “I am very impressed with the comprehensive programme of events organised by the LEO Kilkenny this Autumn. I would encourage entrepreneurs, small business owners and their staff to check out and participate in the training and events taking place. It is important that anyone starting or growing a business is fully aware of the extensive range of enterprise supports that are available to them. The LEOs are the first-stop-shop on hand to help entrepreneurs and small business owners embark on this journey.”
‘The Local Enterprise Office Kilkenny aims to ensure continued growth and development of start-up and micro-enterprises throughout the County’ commented Fiona Deegan, Head of Enterprise. She further added ‘In order to achieve this, we provide a range of business support packages along with the training programmes including business information and advice, mentoring, financial assistance and networking opportunities at our seminar and conference events.
The full training and events programme is now available to view on the LEO Kilkenny website and online booking is available www.localenterprise.ie/kilkenny
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