Invest in West Lothian - April Newsletter
Welcome to the April edition of the Invest in West Lothian newsletter! In our newsletter, we will be sharing the latest news stories, funding opportunities, and events for businesses in West Lothian.
Here at Invest in West Lothian, we are committed to helping businesses in West Lothian grow by providing confidential and impartial advice, highlighting funding opportunities, and sharing helpful resources. We can help new and established businesses that are currently based in West Lothian, or are looking to relocate to the area. You can learn more about the support we offer by visiting www.investinwestlothian.com .
Celebrating Good News Stories in West Lothian
Start Up Event Inspires New and Aspiring Business Owners in West Lothian
On Tuesday, the 18th of March, Business Gateway West Lothian hosted its 3rd successful ‘Simplifying the Business Start Up Process’ event for new and aspiring business owners.
It took place at West Lothian College in Livingston and was well attended by local residents that have recently started, or are thinking of starting, a business. A wide range of topics were covered during the event, including, the self-employment support available, funding opportunities, how to implement sustainable working practices, and the importance of building a strong brand. An exciting panel also took place with three local business owners sharing their stories and lessons that they have learned since launching.
You can read the full story here.
Funding for Businesses in West Lothian
The Invest in West Lothian team have extensive experience of preparing funding packages for local businesses of all sizes. Each month, we will highlight a new funding opportunity that is currently available to eligible businesses in the area.
The Employer Recruitment Incentive (ERI)
Applications are now open again for the popular Employer Recruitment Incentive (ERI)!
Successful applicants will receive funding to cover 50% of the salary of a new employee (based on the employee receiving at least the Real Living Wage), for a maximum of 40 hours per week, up to 26 weeks. This is open to businesses and third sector organisations (including social enterprises) that are based in West Lothian and have fewer than 250 employees. Anchor organisations (for example, educational institutions, healthcare institutions, etc) currently operating in West Lothian are also welcome to apply.
To qualify, the new employee must be:
- A West Lothian resident
- Employed for 16-40 hours per week
- Paid at least the Real Living Wage
- Currently unemployed or underemployed (e,g, on a zero-hours contract)
To view the full eligibility criteria and to submit an Expression of Interest Form, please click here.
Upcoming Events
We are delighted to be hosting the following free event in April:
Mastering Canva Pro for Creative Marketing
Join us for this exciting webinar to learn how to utilise Canva’s Pro tools, with topics covered including, how to streamline social media management with Canva’s scheduling and quick creation tools, using AI powered features to create content, and creating video content at half the speed. This is taking place from 10:00am – 12:00pm on Wednesday, the 30th of April.
To learn more and book your free space at any of our events, please click here.