Business support and upskilling opportunities available in the Kirkby and Sutton areas

Funded by the Government's Towns Fund, Enterprising Ashfield is offering a comprehensive package of support that will support entrepreneurs to establish and grow new businesses, provide existing businesses with funding and advice to recruit talented graduates and embed apprentices within their business, and offer courses for local people to enhance their skills and boost future employment prospects.

Two women discussing products to be sold at their company

Businesses and individuals in the towns of Kirky and Sutton-in-Ashfield area now able to benefit from a comprehensive package of support.

Earlier this year NTU announced the launch of the Enterprising Ashfield project, a £3.8m programme that has been designed to boost the local economy by almost £19m over the next 10 years.

Our courses

NTU is now pleased to be able to offer the first cohort of courses available for booking:

Understanding Client Needs (starting 10 June)
Digital Skills for Marketing and Communications (starting 17 June)
Social Media and Digital Marketing for Professionals (starting 18 August)
Writing Skills for Professionals (starting 19 August)
Digital Skills for Fashion and Textiles (dates TBC, enquiries welcome)

These courses are all delivered from the Summit Centre in Kirkby, and do not require any prior experience or skills. The only entry criteria is that you must live or work in the Kirkby-in-Ashfield or Sutton-in-Ashfield area.

If you don’t meet this criteria, you can find further professional and short course opportunities on our website.

Our support for businesses

Businesses in Ashfield can now also benefit from a £1,250 grant towards funding a recent graduate for a minimum of 6 weeks placement with the potential to expand this into a permanent role.

If you’re interested in a long-term investment in an individual, we can advise on apprenticeships at Level 4 and above in areas such as healthcare and science, construction, leadership and management, and digital skills.

Our support for entrepreneurs

Through our enterprise offer, we can work with individuals to help establish new businesses, and support existing businesses to grow and scale-up through mentoring, advice, workshops and funding opportunities. We can also support specific research and development activities by making connections with NTU experts and providing access to our state-of-the-art facilities.

Find out more and get in touch

For more detail about package of support on offer through the Enterprising Ashfield project, visit our website.

You can also get in touch with us by emailing EnterprisingAshfield@ntu.ac.uk, or calling us on 0115 848 8899.