COMPLETED FUNDED PROGRAMME | CANTERBURY CITY COUNCIL & UKSPF
Accessible, Bite-Sized Business Training Across the Canterbury District
This funded programme has now ended. The information on this page is retained to provide an overview of the programme and training delivered. Courses and funded places previously offered through this programme are no longer available.
Historic overview
The Canterbury Business Skills Funded Programme 2024–25 provided free, practical business training for SMEs, start-ups, sole traders and entrepreneurs based in or delivering within the Canterbury district.
Commissioned by Canterbury City Council and funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), the programme was designed to strengthen local businesses through accessible training across finance, human resources, business strategy, marketing and business development. The original programme marketing reflects this broad offer and its focus on local business support.
Delivered by Social Enterprise Kent between May 2024 and March 2025, the programme used short, predominantly online sessions to make it easier for smaller businesses to access development opportunities without spending significant time away from running their organisation.
Status: This funded programme has now been completed.
About the Programme
Small businesses and entrepreneurs often need access to the same skills and expertise as larger organisations, but taking a full day away from the business is not always practical.
The programme was therefore deliberately developed around bite-sized training, with predominantly online delivery alongside selected face-to-face opportunities. Short sessions gave participants access to focused learning that could be applied directly within their business, while reducing the time and travel required to take part.
SEK was responsible for promoting and recruiting participants to the programme as well as coordinating and delivering the training. This included using established business networks, newsletters, social media and local connections to reach eligible businesses across the Canterbury district.
Who Could Access the Programme?
The funded training was available to:
- SMEs based in or delivering within the Canterbury district
- Local start-ups and new businesses
- Sole traders
- Entrepreneurs developing businesses within the district
Training was provided free of charge to eligible participants through UKSPF funding.
A Broad Programme of Business Support
Rather than focusing on a single area of business development, the programme provided practical learning across five core themes:
Finance | Human Resources | Business Strategy | Marketing | Business Development
The original programme offer included:
- Understanding & Improving Financial Management
- Managing Cash Flow
- Efficiencies: Controlling Back Office Costs
Helping smaller businesses strengthen financial understanding, manage cash flow and identify practical ways to control costs.
- Digital Marketing: Enhance Use & Achieve at Low Cost
- Sales & Targeted Messaging
- Marketing: Metrics & Measuring Success
- Winning Contracts from the Public Sector
Supporting businesses to reach the right audiences, strengthen their marketing and explore opportunities to generate new business.
- Business Planning
- Introduction to the Circular Economy
Helping business owners plan for the future, make informed decisions and consider more sustainable approaches to business development.
- Managing People Effectively
- Supervisions & Appraisals
- Having Difficult Conversations
Introducing practical BSL skills and building confidence when communicating with Deaf and hard-of-hearing people.
Helping local entrepreneurs explore opportunities for business development, investment and growth within the Canterbury district.
Designed Around Small Businesses
Accessibility was considered from the outset. For a sole trader, start-up or small employer, the person who needs the training may also be the person responsible for keeping the business running.
The programme therefore prioritised short, focused sessions and online delivery, helping businesses participate without committing to lengthy periods away from day-to-day operations. A mixture of delivery times and selected face-to-face opportunities provided additional flexibility.
This approach enabled businesses to access development in individual areas or return for further sessions as their needs changed.
Responsive to Local Demand
The programme was designed to remain flexible rather than delivering a fixed schedule regardless of engagement.
SEK monitored bookings and participation throughout delivery, repeating popular topics where there was additional demand and adapting the programme where engagement or external circumstances changed.
This responsive approach helped keep the training relevant to local businesses while making effective use of the funded opportunity.
What Participants Said
Participant feedback highlighted the practical and accessible nature of the sessions, with learners identifying useful tools, increased understanding and ideas they could apply within their own businesses.
“Getting back to the basics of the business that potentially get over looked as a business owner”
“Friendly, approachable, professional”
“Giving me more focus and direction on how to maintain the main business income”
Supporting Local Business Development
Across the programme, businesses engaged with a wide range of learning opportunities, with participants able to return for different sessions as their needs developed.
The breadth of the programme enabled SEK to support businesses at different stages, from entrepreneurs and start-ups establishing their foundations through to existing SMEs developing their financial management, marketing, people management and business planning skills.
Alongside direct training delivery, the programme demonstrated how funded learning can be structured around the practical realities of smaller organisations, making business development support easier to access.
Delivering Funded Programmes in Partnership
The Canterbury Business Skills Funded Programme demonstrates SEK’s ability to take a broad funding objective and turn it into an accessible programme of practical training for a defined local audience.
From programme planning and course development through to marketing, recruitment, coordination and delivery, SEK can manage funded training programmes around specific communities, sectors, locations and outcomes.
Looking to fund training in your community?
We work with businesses, commissioners and public sector partners to develop funded training programmes around identified needs, CSR, social value and community investment priorities.
Programme Completed
The Canterbury Business Skills Funded Programme 2024–25 has now been completed and these funded training sessions are no longer available.
This page remains available as a record of SEK’s contribution to the programme and the collaborative work delivered with Canterbury City Council to support local businesses across the district.