Promoting your business, grant funding and workplace skills.
Discover more in Business@Harrogate
Open for Business : Shop Local, Shop Safe
Have you heard it yet?

Promoting the district's high streets and businesses, the council's Shop Local, Shop Safe campaign features on Stray FM radio station this summer.

Funded by the government’s Reopening High Streets Safely Fund, the radio advertising supports postings on social media and a promotional video.
Promote Your Business for Free with Visit Harrogate
Get your business noticed by over 800,000 websites visits a year, for free.

That's the offer from Visit Harrogate to shops, cafes, hotels, B&Bs, campsites and other tourism businesses, across the Harrogate district.

Throughout this year and next, your business can feature on the popular Visit Harrogate website free of charge as part of a district-wide initiative to support the visitor economy.

Consistently in the top three of search terms for the area, www.visitharrogate.co.uk can help promote your business.
Furlough: Key Dates for Employers
A reminder from HMRC of key dates for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, furlough.

31 July: final date for claims up to 30 June.

31 July: details of the Job Re tention Bonus, £1,000 per furloughed employee.

1 August: employers required to pay National Insurance and pension contributions for furloughed employees.

1 September : employers will start contributing to the wages of furloughed employees.

31 October : Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme closes.
Discretionary Business Grants: Phase Three Opening in August
The coronavirus discretionary grants scheme will reopen for applications from eligible businesses during August.

Further information on the third, and final, phase of the scheme will be published by 7 August.

Please check the council's website and Business@Harrogate for details of the discretionary grants scheme.
Support for Business from Harrogate College
Supporting businesses to adapt, innovate and grow in a time of great change, is the focus of a new skills offer from Harrogate College.

Offering industry recognised qualifications, with 40% funding available on some courses, the bespoke Business Support online training includes: compliance, leadership and remote working.
Grant Funding for Business Innovation : Local Success
Is your business looking to develop a new product? Would you benefit from grant funding and expert support, to take an idea to reality?

The PAPI (product and process innovation) programme has already awarded nearly £250,000 to businesses in the Harrogate district.

One local company awarded a grant is AudioSigns Ltd , Ripon, which invested in new machinery, increased production and met market demand generated by Covid-19.

PAPI is open now for grant applications, and businesses are encouraged to apply before the December deadline.
 
Work-Ready Skills with FastFutures
concentration-business-man.jpg
FastFutures programme is a new national offer for people aged 18-22, that opens for applications this week.

Providing a bridge from education to employment, the
12 week course is free to learners and offers practical,
business-focused skills training.

Applications for the first cohort of the programme close on 13 August.
What to Look Out for this Week
Business events in the next week include:

Using LinkedIn effectively and attract new opportunities, webinar, 30 July

Eat Out to Help Out opens on 3 August. Register your business at gov.uk .

what Covid-19 has meant to your business, 3 August

The next Business@Harrogate will be 12 August