Our employment and training team run a range of courses throughout the year to help our residents and communities develop their skills, find work and access training opportunities.
The ‘Mums into Business’ course is a new initiative developed by the team to help mums in Swanley set up and run their own business. Several local mums recently attended the course, which led them to come up with a business idea, logo, and products to sell at Swanley Market. The team had their first outing at the end of November and generated over £200 of sales at their first market day!
Amy shared her thoughts on the course; “I now feel more confident and want to run my own crafts stall. The course got me out of the house and meeting other people. It has taught me a lot and I now plan to do craft sales in person and online. I would encourage others thinking about a course like this, just to do it!”
The course covered a range of topics including setting up your business, marketing, tax, benefits and developing products. The attendees had a practical component on the course as they came up with branding for a Christmas market stall and developed products to sell.
Russ Banner, Employability and Training Officer at West Kent said; “The mums were very keen to get involved in promoting their products at the market and learning how to sell. It was fantastic to see them chat to customers, trade their products, grow in confidence on the day. It was a fine end to the course and our thanks to Swanley Town Council for getting us the pitch.”
Although the course ran in the autumn, the positive feedback means some additional sessions are planned for 2023.
Our employment and training team help people across Kent access a range of courses and development opportunities. To find out more, please visit our employment and training pages