Mark Garnier MP has today welcomed a new range of initiatives by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, which aim at helping small and medium sized enterprises prosper.
The Department offers a wide range of opportunities from business mentoring schemes, to promoting apprenticeships, to helping accelerate growth and offering loans for start-ups.
Mark Garnier commented: "I am absolutely delighted to see such a wide range of opportunities for small and medium enterprises. This should come as great news not only to the existing business owners in our constituency, but also to those who are interested in starting a business but lacking access to the necessary finance to realise their ambitions.
"I am especially pleased to see that the business mentoring scheme already has a number of mentors across the West Midlands, offering professional support for their less experienced counterparts. I would like to encourage businesses across Wyre Forest to contact these mentors directly via the Mentorsme website, and make sure that you make the most out of this innovative opportunity.
"I would also like to take the opportunity to remind local businesses that The Queen's Awards for Enterprise are now taking online applications for 2013, the closing date is 30th of September, and I would therefore urge local companies in our constituency to participate in this contest. This is the single most prestigious business award in Britain, which will ensure that your company is globally recognised as a leader in its field."
To find your local business mentors, go to www.mentorsme.co.uk and select your region. Entry and nomination forms for the Queen's Awards for Enterprise are available at www.queensawards.org.uk. For more information about the Government's support for SMEs, please visit the website of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.