Charity helps over 50s in Oswestry explore self-employment
A national charity dedicated to helping the over 50s explore self-employment is coming to Oswestry to host a series of workshops to help people start up their own businesses.
The Prince’s Initiative for Mature Enterprise (The Prince’s Initiative) will be holding the first workshop on Tuesday 23 April 2013, offering advice and mentoring help to develop budding enterprises.
Recent figures provided by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) showed that self-employment is gaining popularity, with 4.2 million (14%) self-employed workers nationwide, an increase of 367,000 in four years.
The entrepreneurial climate in Oswestry is positive, with 178 companies being were formed in the area in 2012, a 19.5% increase compared to 2011, and a record year for company registrations in Oswestry.
There are currently 3,300 self-employed workers n Oswestry, and The Prince’s Initiative promotes self-employment as a viable route into sustainable employment, which could be a possible alternative for the 1,600 economically inactive 50- to 64-year-olds in the area.
The workshops facilitated by The Prince’s Initiative will be delivered over six to eight weeks, including three classroom days, and the course takes people over the age of 50 through the challenging process of preparing to run their own business, covering areas such as researching a business idea, planning finances, and how to market and sell a product or service.
Mark Pembleton, Shropshire Council’s enterprise and growth service manager, said:
“The work being done by The Prince’s Initiative is fantastic to see. The support and guidance they give to those they work with is outstanding, and opens their horizons to another employment path they may not have considered or felt confident enough to try otherwise.”
Nick Bunting, The Prince’s Initiative’s Chief Executive, said:
“Mature workers face a perfect storm of longer working lives, a pensions’ crisis, economic downturn and the uphill struggle to find employment once it is lost. Their experience is often sacrificed against cost.
“We help people respond positively and all the evidence shows that they make a success of it, still running businesses at the key one year and three year stages.”
Further details can be found at www.prime.org.uk/courses or by ringing 0845 862 2023.
Further information
The Oswestry workshop will be held at The Centre, Oak Street, Oswestry, SY11 1LW.
Stats
National self-employment statistics from the ONS, click here.
The number of self-employed and economically inactive in Oswestry sourced from ONS’s nomis database: http://www.nomisweb.co.uk/reports/lmp/la/2038431947/report.aspx
The number of companies being formed in the area sourced from Duport: http://www.duport.co.uk/oswestry/2012/Q4
Prince’s Initiative for Mature Enterprise
The Prince’s Initiative for Mature Enterprise (The Prince’s Initiative) is the only national organisation dedicated to supporting business creation by the over 50 entrepreneur.
The charity was founded by HRH The Prince of Wales in response to the letters he was receiving from mature people desperate to find work, but unable to find anyone to employ them – because of their age.
The Prince’s Initiative is partially funded by Senior Enterprise which has recently been approved for support by the EU through INTERREG IVB NWE, and is specifically designed to encourage a greater involvement with enterprise by those aged over 50.
The Prince’s Initiative for Mature Enterprise (PRIME) is a registered charity (No.1138233) and a company registered in England and Wales (No. 4184314). Registered address: Tavis House, 1-6 Tavistock Square, London, WC1H 9NA. President: HRH The Prince of Wales. Go to www.prime.org.uk for more information.
