Job Fairs are a great opportunity for employers to speak directly to job seekers, giving you a chance to break down any barriers or myths people may think about your sector or the jobs on offer. 

The last job fair in Market Harborough, on Thursday 28 July 2022, attracted 273 job seekers and resulted in almost 50 on the spot job offers! 

Get in touch to secure your space at our future job fairs. Last few spaces available!

Lutterworth Job Fair - Friday 2 September 2022
When: 11am - 2pm
Where: Wycliffe Rooms, George Street, Lutterworth, LE17 4ED

Harborough Job Fair - Thursday 15 September 2022
When: 11am - 2pm 
Where: The Symington Building, Adam & Eve Street, Market Harborough, LE16 7AG 

Email: business@harborough.gov.uk 

Places will be first come first served, but local demand and a variation of sectors will be considered when confirming employer spaces. 

Meet with professional Business Advisers at the Harborough Innovation Centre on the last Tuesday of every month. Book now for next Tuesday 31 August 2022.

Advisers from the Business Gateway and NBV will be on hand to offer 1-2-1 advice.

Business Gateway
The Business Gateway offers free, practical support for business in Leicestershire. Rana is from the Business Gateway and is on-site the last Tuesday of every month and can provide free and impartial 1-to-1 business advice whatever size, sector or stage of business you are in. He can help you source funding/finance depending on your needs and signpost relevant support programmes and workshops to support your business growth.

NBV
Chris from NBV is also there on the last Tuesday of every month. Chris can offer practical start-up business advice including business planning and raising finance.

Email business@harborough.gov.uk to book a meeting. 

Harborough Innovation Centre
Airfield Business Park,
Leicester Rd,
Market Harborough,
LE16 7WB

The Business Gateway Grant Scheme has been created to support the growth and development of existing small and medium-sized businesses. Grants between £2,000 to £25,000 are available, providing 35% of total project costs for capital or revenue projects.

*These are examples of how you might use the grant:

• New innovative technology products or services that improve your business performance
• Premises improvement or expansion related business development
• New products or services
• Upgrading capital equipment to enable a more technical or automated approach, or to create low carbon emissions.
• Marketing or promotional activity or other revenue costs to help the business grow or create jobs.
• Software development

*please note these are suggestions, the eligibility and scope of each individual project will need to be considered.

You need to be:

• An SME in Leicester or Leicestershire with fewer than 250 employees
• Looking to grow, introduce new products, processes or innovate
• Trading for a minimum of 12 months
• Trading business to business
• Looking to create or safeguard jobs

British Food Fortnight 2022 takes place Saturday 17 September to Sunday 2 October 2022. This is a great opportunity to showcase British Food. Get prepared and discover how you can get involved with the suggestions below:

• Restaurants, cafes and pubs - run special menus during the fortnight, featuring British products and ingredients
• 'Meet the producer' events in local shops or restaurants
• Tastings or food/drink trails
• Fun activities, lessons and tastings in schools
• Live cooking sessions or classes, teaching people how to cook with British produce
• Other educational activities or promotions, to highlight seasonal produce
• Special menus in Care Homes and NHS settings

Are you getting involved? Let us know by emailing business@harborough.gov.uk so we can share across our channels! 

Ambition to Grow aims to help deliver a programme of support to high growth businesses in our LLEP region (covering Leicester and Leicestershire). This will help them to identify their own unique barriers to growth and guide them through a dedicated programme of support. This will be a mix of 1-2-1 coaching, workshops and peer support. Up to 60 businesses can be enrolled on this programme.

What you will get:

• Six growth masterclasses of three hours each
• Four hours of 1-2-1 coaching from Specialist Coaches
• A peer support network made up of businesses with the same sector or interests as you.

Eligibility requirements:
For your business to be eligible for the programme it must:

• Be a high-growth or Advanced Manufacturing business
• Have been a registered trading business for a minimum of 2 years
• Be registered in the Leicester and Leicestershire area
• Have previously grown turnover or staff in the last 12 months, or have the ambition and commitment to do so in the next 12 months
• Have a product or service in any sector, that can be scaled into new regional, national and international markets
• Have a minimum of 5 full-time staff and maximum 250 and be classified as an SME