Cork County Council’s Local Enterprise Office (LEO) Cork North & West are focused on supporting women in business to ensure that women have an equal opportunity to reach their full potential, launching a female specific training programme on Wednesday week last, September 27 in the Charleville Park Hotel.
The focus of this programme in on working with women to develop key skills that will help them grow their business and create jobs within the region.
The programme covers business skills such as business planning, financial planning, marketing and sales, human resource management, leadership skills and building a team. The programme will run for 10 consecutive weeks in the Charleville Park Hotel.
Siobhain Steele, of Siobhain Steele Ceramics, Rathcormac, set up her ceramic studio at home in 2013. Four years on her business has steadily grown and her ceramics are now available in over 28 stores nationwide and she has recently secured stores in New York.
For Siobhain she realised her dream of starting and growing her own business while being able to achieve personal quality of life and work from home, having been a participant on the programme.
Kevin Curran, Head of Local Enterprise Office Cork North & West said, “The LEO offices of Cork County Council are at the heart of the business community assisting in generating sustainable jobs. This programme will encourage and support dedicated female entrepreneurial activity in the area. There are some wonderful and dedicated female entrepreneurs in the area and we in the Local Enterprise Office are delighted to assist them through the various training, mentoring and business development support programmes. It is our intention to continue and support all business the best way we can”.
Joan Kelleher, Business and Training Advisor of the LEO Cork North and West commented, “We are very proud of all of our clients. They provide excellent role models to women in business in the region and are excellent examples of female entrepreneurs. Very often through these training and support programmes, business ideas are unlocked and the capacity of the participants is developed so as to provide for a strong foundation for success and further engagement with the vast array of supports offered to small business opportunities through our LEO’s”.
