West Yorkshire female entrepreneurs receive digital business support

Business women across West Yorkshire are set to receive a boost in their social and digital marketing skills with the launch of new programme in September 2015.

Superfast West Yorkshire was awarded the project along with several other delivery projects across the UK as part of a national Women and Broadband Challenge funded by the Government Equalities Office, part of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

The business support programme will focus on helping women-led businesses develop a digital presence and use social media to improve competitiveness, productivity and profitability.

Furthermore, the programme will establish a network of female digital champions who have used digital technology to transform businesses and can now provide guidance and support to others.

As well as including activities and events that boost the knowledge, skills and confidence of female entrepreneurs, the programme will also offer practical solutions on expanding market share, increasing customer satisfaction and improving productivity and efficiency through the use of digital technology.

Caroline Dinenage, Minister for Women, Equalities and Family Justice, said: “The government is doing more than ever before to ensure that women have equality in the workplace. I am delighted to hear that West Yorkshire has been awarded funding, so more female entrepreneurs can take advantage of superfast broadband.

“If women set up businesses at the same rate as men there would be 1 million more female entrepreneurs – I hope that this fund helps women in West Yorkshire take their first step in to the business world.”

Ian Gray, Chair of the Superfast West Yorkshire Project Board, added: “This is a great opportunity for female entrepreneurs to find out how they can enhance their businesses through digital platforms and new skills.

“Our business support programmes have proved very popular in the past and it is great to be able to focus a programme on helping female entrepreneurs put these skills into action to benefit their businesses.”

The programme, which will start in September 2015 and run for six months, will see a number of events around social media and marketing taking place across the various cities and areas in West Yorkshire. The project is projected to support 100 female led enterprises across West Yorkshire.