New owners, new plans and a new direction for one of the city’s key engineering firms – that’s what the Council leader heard when he met the new owners of the saved Barden factory.

To find out more click here

With news that the creative art industry contribution in the UK has grown by £390m in one year to £10.8bn, Plymouth is set to tap into this and harness the power of creativity through the iMayflower Project which launched at the Ignite Festival of Creativity: Industry Night on the 13th June.

Supported with funding from the Cultural Development Fund through Arts Council England and DCMS, Ignite is the inaugural event, launching the three-year iMayflower Project. It aims to showcase the creative talent produced in the city, to encourage more potential students to think of a future in the creative industries, support the start-up of creative enterprises as well as highlighting the benefits of using these skills to current city employers and looking at ways to bring the city’s wider creative community together.

To find out more about Ignite click here. To out more about the iMayflower Project click here

The Marine Business Technology Centre (MBTC) has officially launched Smart Sound Plymouth, a proving area for designing, testing and developing cutting edge products and services for the advanced marine sector.

Using the facilities and expertise available within the MBTC, Smart Sound Plymouth is the first of its kind in the country with a wealth of assets to offer businesses. To find out more click here

Divers will be very glad of Rob Clift, the 24-year-old Babcock mechanical engineer currently testing out the first remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) to be used at Devonport Royal Dockyard.

But for the barnacles that have made their home on the hulls of submarines, his second project – limiting the structural damage caused by marine life – may be less welcome. To find out more click here

Plymouth City Council has pledged to take part in Co-op Fortnight 2019 and promote the ‘Acts of Co-operation’ being carried out across the City. Join us for two weeks of mass co‑operation from 24 June to 7 July 2019 to spread the Co‑op word and share the values that make our businesses different.  To find out more about making your own Co-op Fortnight pledge, please visit Co-operatives UK

To check the ‘Acts of Co-operation’ that are taking place in the City during Co-op fortnight click here

Plymouth City Council is part-funding a three year ‘European Regional Development Fund’ enterprise coaching programme which aims to help people develop self-employment opportunities as well as start and sustain micro and small businesses, including conversations around alternative business structures such as cooperatives and social enterprises . The city is teaming up with Outset to offer support to people from the more deprived and disadvantaged areas of Devon, such as Plymouth, Torbay and Torridge, and those underrepresented in enterprise. 
 
To find out more click here

A financial support package for small and medium-sized exporters has been announced by the Department for International Trade and UK Export Finance. The package is made up of the Small Deal Initiative, the General Export Facility and increased financial support for exporters' supply chains. The Small Deal Initiative will guarantee loans for overseas buyers of British-made goods to help make the UK more competitive. The General Export Facility will support exporters' overall working capital requirements.
Read more about the finance package here.

With the EU exit looming is your business prepared? Leaving the EU will affect your business-

• If you import or export
• If you provide services or operate in the EU
• If you transfer personal data into the UK
• If you sell manufactured goods
• If you employ EU citizens
• If you hold intellectual property
• If you receive European funding

To find out more about preparing your business for leaving the EU click here

There are a range of events hosted in Plymouth each month focusing on training, personal development and networking. From digital marketing to business fundamentals and beyond, you can find more information here

The Plymouth Jobs Fair is back at the Guildhall on Friday 5th July 2019. From 10am – 1pm candidates can meet recruiting companies face-to-face to discuss any exciting job opportunities that are available.

For more information and to stay up to date visit @TheJobFairs or visit their Facebook page.

Skills Support for the Workforce in Heart of the South West – Funded Training to Help your Business Progress.

Skills Support for the Workforce (SSW) is a programme developed to upskill employees within small and medium-sized businesses in Devon, Plymouth, Somerset and Torbay. SSW provides recognised accredited qualifications and bespoke training courses to enhance your employees’ skills, increase the competitiveness of your business and boost the local economy.

SSW is co-financed by the Education and Skills Funding Agency and the European Social Fund. This means you can access a wide range of training at no cost to your business (subject to availability).

For more information click here.

Are you an SME business (less than 250 employees) looking to take on a talented graduate?  There is funding support available for a 6-10 week Graduate internship, of £157.50 per week towards wage costs.  This could be a great opportunity to gain a fresh approach to a short term project from an enthusiastic and motivated intern or gain some talented staff to help your business grow!

For full criteria please go to www.plymouth.ac.uk/internships

Any questions please email studentjobs@plymouth.ac.uk 

Can the co-operative sector, alongside social enterprises and community organisations, help change the current status quo and create a new kind of economy? 
This year's Co-op Congress, the flagship conference for the co-operative sector on 21 and 22 June in Manchester, is themed around Building Co‑operative Places. And we are delighted that Oliver Bullough, journalist and author of Moneyland: Why Thieves And Crooks Now Rule the World And How To Take it Back, is speaking at Congress in a session titled Leading the Way for a Fairer Economy. 

To find out more click here

We are looking for employers to offer a 4–6 week project for our students in their summer holidays. Projects must have broadly scientific or technical content, but they don’t have to be based in a laboratory. They might be office-based or include a lot of fieldwork, or they might focus on engineering, data analysis or computer science.
We provide over 1,200 of these Nuffield Research Placements each year. We work with a wide range of employers, including universities and research institutes, local government and public sector agencies, tech and pharmaceutical companies, think tanks and market research agencies.
Some of these organisations employ thousands of people, and some have a single-figure headcount. What they all have in common is a research and development project in need of some attention and a commitment to sharing their passion for their business with young people from their local area.

To find out more click here

The South West Marine Careers Conference is looking for organisations to exhibit and provide talks at their event. The conference is aimed at 14 to 24 year-olds to demonstrate exciting and diverse range of careers in the South West. They are expecting over 2,000 young people and their families throughout the day.  Exhibitors can set up from 10am, the doors open to schools and the public from 12pm through to 8pm. The event is on Friday 12^th July (12pm to 8pm) at the National Marine Aquarium.

If you are interested in exhibiting please contact tina.brinkworth@plymouth.gov.uk.

The Department for International Trade has published advice for UK exporters if we leave the EU with no deal. Follow the links below for specific country guidance.

• Exporting to Faroe Islands after EU Exit
• Exporting to Suriname after EU Exit
• Exporting to St Vincent and the Grenadines after EU Exit
• Exporting to St Lucia after EU Exit
• Exporting to St Kitts and Nevis after EU Exit
• Exporting to Grenada after EU Exit
• Exporting to Dominica after EU Exit
• Exporting to Belize after EU Exit
• Exporting to Bahamas after EU Exit
• Exporting to Antigua and Barbuda after EU Exit
• Exporting to Zimbabwe after EU Exit
• Exporting to Seychelles after EU Exit
• Exporting to Madagascar after EU Exit
• Exporting to Fiji after EU Exit

Digital Marketing Bootcamp - in partnership with Cosmic Digital
Are you based in Plymouth* and looking to bring new focus and strategy to your digital marketing for your small to medium sized business? This high impact day of practical training will give you all the essential tools and techniques to reboot your digital marketing activities and create a more robust plan for 2019. These events are on Wednesday 19 June & Thursday 18 July. To find out more and book click here

We have a lot of useful information on our Invest Plymouth website to guide you in preparing for EU Exit. There is a helpful Government toolkit and latest publications. HMRC latest letter and sector factsheets.

We also have advice from the Growth Hub and EEF - The Manufacturers organisation.To find out more click here

A wealth of fully funded (yes free!), specialist support is available to businesses in Devon, Plymouth, Somerset and Torbay with aspirations to become the ScaleUp businesses of tomorrow.

We have categorised this support by the main challenges facing ScaleUp and aspiring ScaleUp businesses. To find out more click here

Attending overseas trade shows can promote your business overseas. Exporters can attend TAP's selected events, and get financial support to offset some costs. To find out more click here.

The voucher scheme has been changed from £3,000 to £2,500.

If you are a small or medium sized business, you may be able to get a gigabit voucher worth up to £2500 to upgrade your business broadband to a fast and reliable connection over gigabit capable infrastructure. Deadline: March 2021. Find out more click here.

Co-cars has a network of zero/low emission cars across the South West, all of which are bookable 24/7 using smartphone technology and can be hired by the hour or day for a fraction of the cost of owning or leasing.To find out more, click here

Please visit our Invest Plymouth website for some more exciting business news articles here.

Did you know we are on Linkedin? Join us here for more regular updates.

To find out more about the exciting business events coming up soon click here

Find out more about all the funding options available to your business, click here

Winning one of these prestigious awards in front of your industry peers can be a major boost for your company's profile. To find out more, click here

To make the process of finding appropriate support easier for businesses in the city, Plymouth City Council Economic Development Service produce and maintain two booklets focussed on helping start ups and existing businesses to find support locally available. Please click here for Existing businesses and click here for Start-ups.

Business help, advice and guidance in growing and exporting your business. To find out more, click here

Free Adult Cycle Training, cycle groups and Walk and Talk. Plymotion is working with companies to promote sustainable travel and encourage staff to be more active on their journey to work. Have a look at our web pages and our latest business newsletter which you can find here.

Please follow this link to find Plymouth City Council owned land and property to rent or buy click here

Address: 77 Mutley Plain, Plymouth PL4 6JJ

Size available: 497 sq ft, rent £21,000 per annum

To find out more contact the agents: Stratton Creber Commercial - Gavin Sagar 01752 907512 Gavins@sccplymouth.co.uk