The Humber Business Growth Hub is hosting a number of fully-funded, free to access online webinars offering businesses expert advice about reopening after Covid-19 and the steps to take to ensure their staff and customers stay safe.

As part of the #GrowMySME scheme, the webinars will focus on businesses across; factories and warehouses, offices, remote working environments such as construction sites, and retail, leisure and hospitality.

Led by specialists in each area, SMEs will get valuable advice and guidance on what they need to do to follow Government guidelines, and details of how they can apply for grants to work with a Health & Safety consultant to create a plan for reopening their workplace. As well as specialists, SMEs will hear from other local businesses that have already re-opened whilst successfully implementing safe working practices, such as Hull-based PPE supplier ARCO, and Immingham-based training provider CATCH, who will provide first-hand advice and tips on best-practice.

In addition, Grants are available to cover 40% of the costs of working with a consultant to create plans, strategies and measures to ensure safe working practices to re-open the workplace.

More details on how to apply can be found here: www.growmysme.co.uk/grants

The webinars are here

Jon Brunton, Growth Hub Manager at the Humber LEP, said:

“We know from the huge volume of business enquiries over the last 11 weeks that concerns remain about how to safely – and compliantly – re-open the workplace to both staff and customers alike.

“We also know that the government guidance and measures needed vary depending on the working environment; for example the measures needed in an office environment are completely different to those needed on a factory shop floor. We are therefore really pleased to be able to provide tailored webinars to cater for each of the different working environments that are the more prevalent across our region; from shops, to offices, and from warehouses to construction sites.

“We are also delighted to welcome both ARCO and CATCH as expert industry insight speakers, who will talk about the plans and measures they’ve taken to safely reopen their businesses, which we hope will both inform and inspire others to do the same.

“Finally, to accompany the webinars we also have a grant fund available that businesses can access to help part-fund the costs of working with health & safety consultants and other specialists needed to re-open place of work.”