BOSSES from more than 80 small businesses across Cumbria demonstrated their backing for a new scheme to improve staff training.

The firms signed up for assistance under the Small Firms Initiative, which is making £425,000 available to help the county's small firms boost profits and productivity by stepping up efforts to develop their staff.

More than 6,000 small and medium-sized firms in Cumbria employing between five and 49 people are eligible for a £1,250 share of the funding.

The first 83 to have expressed an interest attended an introductory event at the Rheged centre, near Penrith, earlier this month.

The Small Firms Initiative a partnership between Business Link Cumbria, the Learning and Skills Council and Investors in People UK is tapping into government money to encourage small business to sharpen the skills of their workforce.

Some of the firms that sign up will be expected to achieve the Investors in People standard, while others will take up alternative schemes designed to help maximise the potential of their workers.

Brian Lightowler, Business Link for Cumbria chief executive, said it was a great opportunity for businesses, and he expected the grants to be in great demand.

Project manager Isabelle Scholey said firms could choose which parts of the available programme to adopt. "Our first job is to make them familiar with all the systems open to them, and then help them decide which are the most appropriate to suit their own objectives.

"People are the bottom line the ultimate aim is to enable small and medium-sized businesses to engage people in some form of staff development and then, through those people, to boost their productivity."

Mick Farley, Learning and Skills Council for Cumbria executive director, issued a plea to small businesses to take up the offer of help. "Through raising standards and investing in our employees, Cumbria can significantly drive up its productivity and profitability. This is the key to the future of the county."

l Business Link for Cumbria has at least £3 million to give away to help the county's firms become more inventive. The money mostly from European funding is available to help firms with bright ideas to do everything from research to prototyping, and from marketing to patenting.

May 29, 2003 16:00