East Midlands eBusiness Club Funding Cuts
Funding for the eBusiness Club has been cut, and as a result no further free training for small businesses in the East Midlands will be arranged following the final courses in August.
EMDA has reviewed its budget commitments, and the axe fell on the eBusiness Club.
Literally thousands of businesses have benefited from eBusiness training courses, including the Web Academy, breakfast briefings, conferences, and grant support.
All of this is due to end in August.
Perhaps we could persuade EMDA of the value of this programme. I think money could be found to continue to offer this programme, and as we all know, the squeaky wheel gets the grease!
Please show your support for the eBusiness Club by signing this petition.
Alternatively, you might want to join the Facebook Group EMDA Petition: eBusiness Club Funding
I’m looking to reach as many businesses as possible to demonstrate support and evidence for the good work the eBusiness Club has delivered over the years. Please sign the petition, join the Facebook group, or leave a comment on this blog posting.
I will submit all the evidence of businesses supporting the club to EMDA on 3 August 2009.
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July 8th, 2009 at 4:43 pm
these courses have been of benifit to such a wide business base I don’t understand when it works well why the funding then ceases?
July 9th, 2009 at 11:54 am
[...] fact that the courses offered are free. It appears that this may be about to change in August as funding from EMDA is withdrawn. If you have benefited from the support of ebusinessclub in the past it would be a kind gesture to [...]
July 9th, 2009 at 9:48 pm
What a poor show to cut the very lifeline businesses need in these challenging economic times. A bit of budgetary re-prioritisation required please emda!
July 10th, 2009 at 7:05 am
i had a serious head injury which forced me to stop teaching. i had to start my own business as an entertainer. hence the website is invaluable. i was able to attend one of the optimization courses, which really opened my eyes. i thought my site was great but it wasn’t. susan explianed important points in a none technical way. how else can a new fledgling business get help. it cannot afford large fees? but beyond that it was a great course. i would like to do another
July 10th, 2009 at 7:24 am
I have found these courses to be of great benefit over the years; as well as providing valuable training they are also an excellent platform for getting to know what other businesses are doing – a true example of effective networking and bringing local businesses together. What are the reasons for withdrawing the funding other than “the cuts”? Maybe we should ask EMDA what funding plans they have in other areas to get a balanced view?
July 10th, 2009 at 8:01 pm
Looks like the car industry and ‘Homebuy’ are getting the dosh.
See http://tinyurl.com/dhcz9m
Spike