Entrepreneurial event to bring businesses together

BUSINESSMEN have been invited to a meeting in Barnsley next month, which will be the final event in a year-long drive to promote entrepreneurship in the town.

More than 300 local companies and organisations have been invited to the round table forum at The Core on Wednesday, March 3, by the Barnsley Work and Skills Board.

The meeting is the last event in the board’s “Barnsley Needs You” campaign, which has so far concentrated on creating more employment opportunities and a better trained workforce.

However, the emphasis has now turned to what can be done to help employers survive and thrive.

At the event, the Barnsley Work and Skills Board will also be announcing the winner of Barnsley’s “Best Employer” competition and awarding a cheque for 200 to the winner.

Best Employer is the last in a trilogy of Barnsley Needs You competitions, sponsored by the board, to encourage all sectors of the community to do their bit for the town’s economy.

Barnsley Work and Skills Board chairman John Foster, of Barnsley-based Foster’s Bakery, said that almost 5,000 businesses, job seekers and local organisations have visited the Barnsley Needs You website so far.

He added that there had been an “excellent response” to the previous two competitions in the campaign. The “Best Apprentice” award was won by Claire Hampshire of the Barnsley Primary Care Trust, while Michael Pointon of injection and thermoforming company Moorland Plastics picked up the prize for “Best Mentor”.

Mr Foster said: “The response to the Barnsley Needs You campaign so far has shown that there is a fantastic determination within the community to build a better future for Barnsley and we don't want that momentum to falter.

“Barnsley needs a better trained and highly skilled workforce, however, without a strong local economy there will not be the jobs to fill.

“The forum is an opportunity to work out where we go from here and what we can all do to create an economic environment in which we all can thrive.”

For more information on the Barnsley Needs You campaign, visit the website at www.barnsleyneedsyou.org.