Business support, training and events

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Business support, training and events

Find support services, training and development providers for your business and see upcoming events.

Support for your business

Free recruitment service by Employment Links - available for any business in Rochdale borough.
Location help from Rochdale Development Agency - support to find the best property for your business.
Advice for starting your own business - help and support on offer to new businesses in the borough.
Co-operative support from The Hive - one-to-one mentoring and training specific for co-operative businesses.
Self-employment support - available for Greater Manchester residents who want to find our about self-employment. Support is also offered for people who have recently become self-employed or have recently started their own business.
Rochdale Development Agency (RDA) - tailored business support to help you find the ideal site or property for your business. RDA is a one-stop-shop service for potential inward investors and, as well as finding your ideal location, they'll help with the recruitment and training of new staff and wider business support.

Help finding the right support for your business

Not sure which of the organisations or programmes in the section above is right for your business? Then please contact us to arrange a one-to-one discussion with a member of our business support team.

During the discussion, we'll talk about your business and its goals. Then we'll refer you to one of the organisations listed above who we think will help you the most.

We aim to make it as easy as possible for you to access support and find new business opportunities.

Email businesssupport@rochdale.gov.uk to arrange a one-to-one discussion.

Library services to support your business

The library has a surprising amount to offer when it comes to business support.

Find business books - search our huge range of books to help your business or career development.
Search reference and information resources - as a library member you can access lots of online information resources that we subscribe to.
A place to meet clients - a local library can be a convenient, neutral place to meet clients. We have a number of meeting rooms available for hire at the Central Library, Heywood and Darnhill libraries. Contact the library to get hire costs.
Computers at the library - computers with free internet access are available in libraries. Photocopying and fax services are also available for a fee.

Security advice for businesses

Our Community Safety Unit work closely with partner agencies to reduce crime and the fear of crime throughout the borough implementing a range of initiatives including:

Advice on physical security and CCTV (Closed Circuit Television).
Guidance on solutions developed elsewhere.
Property marking.
Assistance with design.
Business Watch and other watch schemes.
Work with young people's groups.
Surveys and research.

Also available are free security surveys, advice on the best way to protect your business and crime prevention training.

For more crime prevention support, call 01706 924694

Join the Breastfeeding Welcome Scheme

Businesses such as shops, cafes, beauty salons and other public venues can sign up to the Breastfeeding Welcome Scheme and support mothers to breastfeed when out in the community, by helping them to feel comfortable on their premises.

Sign up is free and can improve your business’ customer service, attract new customers and provide free publicity. More information about the Breastfeeding Welcome Scheme

To sign up your business or venue must meet these basic criteria:

Provide a comfortable, public area for breastfeeding mums.
Understand that some women prefer privacy when breastfeeding and do all they can to help them.
Adopt a breastfeeding policy. Train their staff on how to implement the breastfeeding policy.
Display the scheme’s charter and sticker to tell visitors they welcome breastfeeding.

To join email breastfeeding@rochdale.gov.uk

Training and development for your business and your staff

The following organisations and programmes offer free services, support and training.

Provider	Details	Contact
Business Events Finder	Search for local business related training, workshops, networking events and seminars from a variety of organisations. Access free online webinars, including tax related topics presented by HM Revenue & Customs.	Search Business Events Finder
Digital Business Academy	Sign up for the world's first government-funded digital skills course. It's freeif you live in the UK.	Digital Business Academy
Domestic violence training for hair and beauty salons	Free training for hair and beauty professionals to learn how to recognise the signs of domestic abuse in clients and information on services you can signpost victims to.	Domestic violence training for beauty salons
Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce	Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce offers a range of training and networking opportunities for local businesses across a range of sectors. More information is available for each sector on the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce website.	Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce
Hopwood Hall College	With 2 campuses conveniently located in Rochdale and Middleton, Hopwood Hall College offers full and part-time courses in business related subjects such as bookkeeping and accounts, graphic design, electronic engineering and professional cooking. See the Rochdale and Middleton campuses on a map	Hopwood Hall College
Learndirect	Learndirect will help develop the skills and productivity of your staff by granting you access to the Learndirect courses or providing a fully managed, services and support solution. Courses include IT, word processing, databases and spreadsheets, while the business and management skills courses cover finance, marketing, personnel and health and safety. Job-specific courses can develop skills and knowledge in essential areas such as customer service, e-commerce and financial management, including official Sage courses.	Learndirect
National Careers Service	Find all the training and qualification courses you need for your type of business. Search the comprehensive National Careers Service database for availability within your local area or nationally, or browse the Business, Management and Marketing course category.	Search National Careers Service
Rochdale Training Association	The Association specialises in customising training to individual company needs throughout Lancashire and Greater Manchester. Courses are held at its centre in Rochdale, at your own premises or at a convenient location. A wide range of business development services are offered including IT, leadership and management, quality assurance and health and safety. In addition, apprenticeship training is available in engineering, business administration and warehousing. See Rochdale Training Association on a map	Rochdale Training Association
The Manufacturing Institute	The Manufacturing Institute deliver a range of education and manufacturing training courses to give manufacturers the latest techniques and thinking. Bespoke in-company manufacturing training courses may be developed so content can be tailored to support specific business initiatives and delivered on-site.	The Manufacturing Institute