A MAJOR bank is giving a helping hand to support new and growing enterprises across Kirklees.
Lloyds Banking Group has partnered with the Small Firms Enterprise Development Initiative to launch the High Five campaign.
The aim is to recruit and train thousands of mentors UK-wide small , medium and micro-businesses during November.
The scheme also aims to raise £10,000 for Britain’s largest enterprise charity, Young Enterprise, by making a £5 donation for every aspiring business mentor that completes fully-funded mentor training with the Get Mentoring Initiative during the month.
Research from the National Federation of Enterprise Agencies which found that 70% of small businesses who received mentoring survived for five years or more – double the rate compared with non-mentored entrepreneurs. In addition, 20% of mentored businesses are more likely to grow and expand when compared to non-mentored companies.
Once trained, mentors will offer objective support and guidance to aspiring entrepreneurs and growing businesses across the UK.
By donating £5 to Young Enterprise for every person who completes the Get Mentoring online training, Lloyds aims to boost the number of volunteer mentors available for new and growing businesses in the UK and nurture new entrepreneurial talent.
Jackie Jenks, mentoring manager at Lloyds, said: “The UK is home to a real wealth of potential business mentors who may not be aware that the skills they have developed throughout their own careers can easily be translated into valuable guidance for other aspiring business people.
“Our partnership with SFEDI aims to unearth this talent by encouraging as many volunteers as possible to train as mentors, equipping them with the skills needed to turn their own knowledge and insight into constructive guidance that can really benefit UK entrepreneurship.
Visit www.getmentoring.org
