DORSET BUSINESS FOCUS / INTERNATIONAL TRADE
Free International Trade Training extended – yes, you read that correctly, FREE!!! Business are being urged to sign up for free International Trade training as we prepare for 31st January 2021 We are delighted to see that the government has extended the deadline to apply for customs support training to 31st January 2021. When this extension was announced in February 2020, only around 70% of the original funding had been claimed leaving almost a third still available. That’s over £7 million ready and waiting for you to use for International Trade preparations. What grants are available? You can apply for grants to help with: •
Recruitment
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Training
• IT Improvements Many companies in Dorset have successfully secured funding to support training for their International Trade staff. The grants were originally introduced as part of the government’s support for businesses in preparing to leave the EU. Although we are now in the transition period, we still need to prepare for the changes that will take place at the end of 2020. Details of these changes are being provided all the time but will certainly include the need for customs declarations for goods exported to countries that remain in the EU. But we don’t do our own customs declarations – could we still be eligible? Absolutely! As part of preparing for the end of the transition period, you will have to consider how customs declarations will be completed for your exports to countries that remain in the more news online - www.dorsetchamber.co.uk/news
EU. Dorset Chamber have a full programme of training courses that can help you plan for these changes and put the processes in place that you will need. In addition, Dorset Chamber can provide bespoke courses for your company. Do you have an example of a company that has successfully applied for a grant? Albion Stone PLC in Portland received some bespoke training earlier this year. The day was structured around their needs and they were able to bring people together from different areas of the business. Julia Sparrow from Albion Stone explains how pleased they were with the decision to book bespoke training. “We spoke with the trainer in advance of the day and were able to include topics that were relevant to us. After the training, the team here felt they had gained more from the course than they expected, and it was an enjoyable and interesting day”. One of the attendees described it as a great learning experience and valued how interactive the day was. They found it straightforward to enlist the help of the Chamber in applying for a grant and organising the training. They spoke directly to the trainer in advance to ensure the training met their needs. The training day ran very efficiently at their premises and feedback from the attendees was excellent. The whole team now understands what is needed for international trade in their company generally, as well as preparing for the end of the transition period.
We’re only a small company – we’re not sure we could put together enough people for our own training. That’s no problem – there is a full programme of public training courses provide by the Dorset Chamber which can be used to ensure the people in your company that work on International Trade understand what is needed. How do I find out more? Contact the International Trade Team at the Dorset Chamber. They have successfully helped numerous companies in Dorset secure grant funding for the training they need. Grants do not need to be paid back and provide valuable funds to invest in the training of your staff. The team at the Chamber has built up experience with the application process so will be able to quickly tell you if you are eligible and how the process works. There may be no such thing as a free lunch (as the saying goes), but many companies have already discovered that free international trade training exists and is available now. What are you waiting for?
International Trade Team 01202 714814 International@dcci.co.uk 41
