The New Entrepreneur Scholarships Programme (NES) helps people living in disadvantaged areas to start up in business. It is funded by the Learning Skills Council (LSC) and managed by the National Federation of Enterprise Agencies (NFEA), the Prince’s Trust and the Association of Business Schools (ABS). The programme is tailored to the individual’s needs, breaking down the barriers to business start-up by offering flexible long-term support and financial assistance to targeted groups across the country.
First you need a business idea which you are dedicated and passionate about pursuing, but have not yet been able to put into practice. Subsequently, if you are over eighteen and have lived for at least six months within one of 1250 of the most disadvantaged wards in Britain, you can be considered for the NES programme. Naturally every potential scholar must show commitment to the programme and their business idea, and be prepared to complete any written assignments, business plans, etc, within their spare time.
1. Skills to help you run your business
Designed to help the student learn how to take their business idea forward, the NES programme provides a minimum of 90 hours of part-time business and personal skills training to be completed over four to six months. Although the session content is flexible with a variety of teaching methods, the course covers essential business skills such as marketing, business planning and bookkeeping, as well as motivation, presentation and selling abilities.
2. Financial Assistance
To encourage applications from groups who have traditionally found it difficult to access business support, a small expenses allowance is available to those scholars who need financial support for childcare costs, sign language interpretation, large print materials, etc.
Naturally setting up your own business is costly, and scholars who have completed the business support phase of the programme and prepared their business plan are welcome to apply for financial support of up to £1,500 for items essential to their business.
3. Expert Advice
The NES is unique because of the support provided throughout the entire process of launching a new business. Having completed the business support training each scholar is designated a mentor, who provides up to nine months of ongoing support and advice. In addition services such as networking sessions, business exhibitions, further workshops and business clubs are available.
Research has shown that just over 90% of people concluding the programme, have either successfully established a business or are actively engaged in doing so. More than 2,350 people have completed the course over the past three years.
You can fill out an application on line at www.nesprogramme.org and follow the link “Is it for me?”
