Free online training courses offered by Go Forth Stirling BID are leading to substantial savings for the city’s small business owners.
There have been more than 10,000 enrolments since the training platform was launched four years ago with Fire Training for Businesses proving one of the most popular courses.
And so far this year, 70 students have completed the range of courses which include food safety and alcohol licensing programmes aimed at the hospitality sector and options which benefit all businesses covering health & safety, safeguarding and GDPR.
Emma McConnachie, who runs award-winning footcare practice Stirling Podiatry, has found the training platform an invaluable resource which has saved her time and money over the past few years.
She and her team have undertaken various courses including Introduction to the UK GDPR, Safeguarding Children, Health & Safety in Reception, Fire Training, Equality & Diversity and Bullying & Harassment in the Workplace.
She said: “The training courses have meant a significant cost saving for me as I would have had to buy them in or deliver them myself otherwise.
“They allow me to ensure we are meeting our patients’ needs through safeguarding and data protection while also making sure staff health and wellbeing is looked after thanks to courses such as Mental Health Awareness and Bullying in the Workplace.
“So, there are two aspects to it for us and I’d advise fellow business owners to look and see what’s on offer. I initially thought the platform catered mainly to hospitality businesses and wish I’d realised sooner that there is an extensive range of courses which are useful for everyone.
“They also give employees the chance to complete them at their own pace – because they are broken down into modules – and they come in both audio and written format which is helpful.”
Emma provides her staff with a list of the mandatory courses they should complete and suggests they select any additional courses which may be of interest too.
She says: “Once completed I can obtain certificates for my records and staff are also provided with a certificate as a record of their own achievement which is great.
“The opportunity to access the platform helps make me a better employer as governance and policy can often get overlooked in small businesses because we have no in-house HR person. It’s fantastic to have this kind of resource at our fingertips and is one of several reasons I’m pleased to be a member of the BID.”
Since the platform was launched, a total of 10,218 enrolments have taken place with 687 students accessing courses. And in 2024, so far, there have been 241 enrolments from 70 students across 22 courses.
Amongst the most popular topics are Food Safety in Catering, Fire Training For Businesses, Alcohol Licensing Awareness for Scotland, Allergen Awareness and Introduction to Health & Safety.
Go Forth launched the free online platform in 2020 to support Stirling’s business community by covering the cost of key training courses for staff.
Danielle McRorie-Smith, Project Director at Go Forth Stirling, said: “We’re delighted with the success of the training platform. Business owners have really taken on board the wide variety of courses we offer and we can guarantee there will be a course which is useful for every business and organisation in the BID zone.
“More than 10,000 enrolments have taken place with nearly 700 business owners and staff accessing courses since the platform’s launch which is a real testament to its usefulness.
“And I would encourage any BID business owner who has yet to take advantage of the programme to check out the accredited courses on offer and see how much money they might be able to save by using our free service.”
Details of the courses and how to access them are available on the Go Forth Stirling website – www.goforthstirling.co.uk/online-training
The training platform is among the many projects and initiatives established by Go Forth Stirling which supports more than 600 businesses in the BID zone with a key objective of increasing visitors to Stirling and devising campaigns to make the city a more welcoming destination for businesses and shoppers alike.
