Project aim  
To increase participants’ ability to become self-employed, to increase confidence and self-esteem, and to provide networking opportunities for participants to meet likeminded people. Improve participants' quality of life, create positive role models and make them less likely to re-offend. 

Those who decided to take part in the intervention were expected to attend six supervision sessions with their probation officer and three group sessions with Enterprise Exchange. 

Barriers faced 

• Offering the self-employment training immediately after release meant it was competing with other matters around housing and family. 
• Whilst designed to be non-academic, the project still required basic levels of education especially around English and Maths. More could be done to provide additional support for participants prior to the workshops.  

Solutions 

• Participants commented on the ability of the Enterprise Exchange workshop facilitator to break down practical information in an effective way and be realistic about the chances of success.  
• Focusing the training primarily on practical knowledge as well as providing support materials for participants helped to directly address and overcome this key barrier to self-employment.  
• Many ex-offenders did not feel comfortable attending large group sessions or group sessions at all. By keeping the groups small, Enterprise Exchange was able to engage with all participants on a one to one basis.  
• Regular follow-ups and support offered to participants post workshop completion was identified as a key enabler by participants and wider stakeholders alike. 

Impact of the project 
A positive indication that the project has contributed towards an increased ability to manage money and an increased ability to start a business/become self-employed. As of early June 2020, all participants remained engaged with the project and had not yet re-offended, strongly suggesting a positive change in attitude.  

Participants did mention repeated positive reinforcements from the workshop facilitator, suggesting that this might be the case. By running group sessions for individuals who were thinking about self-employment, Enterprise Exchange successfully provided networking opportunities and the opportunity for participants to build relationships with likeminded people.  

One participant mentioned staying in touch with another person and although their relationship is currently more social rather than business focused, this suggests that those who wanted to take up networking opportunities were able to do so. Sustainability, replicability and scalability is the future goal. The extent to which the Probation project can continue is dependent on future funding opportunities. 

“He [the workshop facilitator] thought I was very knowledgeable and complimented my understanding of things. He commended me quite a lot actually. He would always encourage me. He was a brilliant teacher.” Testimonial from participant. 

To conclude 
This is one of our projects, but we also love to support women over 50, those with additional barriers and soon we will have an online self-employment courses aimed at everyone who is interested in starting a business. 
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In September-October 2020, Thames Valley Berkshire Business Growth Hub ran a Pre-Accelerator Programme for 16 participants, which we, at Enterprise Exchange delivered online through live interactive workshops on Zoom and one-to-one mentoring sessions. Each attendee also received an interactive course workbook to further enhance their learning experience, offering them self-employment support. 

The below info is taken from the Thames Valley Berkshire Growth Hub evaluation from the participants.

• 100% felt staff were helpful, flexible and professional. Some of the feedback from delegates included: “I’d absolutely recommend the Pre-Accelerator Programme – I’d do it all over again if I could – it was very helpful and really helped shape my ideas and help me identify areas of focus”

“This really was a life changing programme for me. The facilitators were great – especially Phil. Thank you!”

“Phil is a fantastic course leader – full of knowledge, enthusiasm and encouragement. The course worked really well on Zoom and made it far more accessible to me as a mum of two young children. Thank you.”

“Thank you for putting together a really good programme. What is covered is just right and the supporting workbook we were given has masses more information that we can now go back to and use when we need it. As a trainer Phil was excellent. Doing a programme like this online is not easy but he managed it brilliantly and it was a pleasure to log in every Friday morning to see everyone and hear how peoples’ ideas and plans were progressing. A great group of colleagues on there who I will keep in touch with. All in all well done to everyone who pulled this together!”

“I would highly recommend the Growth Hub and Enterprise Exchange to anyone who needs to be taken on their business journey. The staff are helpful, relatable and no question is too small or too big. It has been really helpful for me and came at the perfect time!”

“The whole programme was amazing and extremely useful. Being able to learn from mentors like Phil and Tony was a great opportunity. I was also amazed at how much interacting with the entire group, despite how different our business ideas were, inspired me to create new services and change my company vision.”

“I am happy with the workshop as it gave me a clearer insight on the benefits of cash flow forecast and also the much needed information that I could possibly get funding. May I also use this avenue to thank the organisers and the hub.”

“The Pre Accelerator Programme was really useful. I feel I now have a framework to think and develop my idea through. It brought home the importance of really understanding the scope of one’s idea and planning properly before jumping in.”

“Phil Ashford is an excellent mentor and we have learnt so much under his guidance. His teaching style is brilliant, making scientific concepts easy to understand in a logical and clear way. Thank you.”

“The course was very good at making more forensic examinations of a business concept and preparing attendants to feel more confident in how to make presentations.”

​“I enjoyed the course and particularly the resources you gave. The book you sent before the start of the programme is great and gives a good/strategic approach to starting a business.”

“The program particularly helped me identify types of business to register, financial support resources and tax preparation in the UK.” 

“I will focus on testing the concept of my business with much lower start up costs than I originally thought. The programme has helped me to focus my planning and my thoughts to have a clear vision of how to launch my business. Before I started the course I was unclear as to how to make my ideas a reality.”

“I am in the early stages and in that sense it came at the perfect time. Going through the different steps on the Programme has been very helpful in breaking it down into manageable chunks so it doesn’t seem too overwhelming. There is still lots to learn but that is part of the fun.”

“I am planning to start trading in November and secure the future of my business by developing strong relationships with at least two universities and three electronics providers over the next 12 months. The Pre-Accelerator Programme gave me the idea of targeting the universities and colleges. Phil’s advice and training I received during the course allowed me to prepare a targeted presentation which I am already successfully using in pitching my products to the potential customers. Connections made during the programme will help me acquire the necessary funding and improve my chance of succeeding in my enterprise.”

“I have now created a business plan I would not have done it without the Growth Hub. This time next year I will have my own online coaching business.”

We couldn't have been more thrilled to have supported such amazing participants to start their own business.