A business programme which offers Black Country companies the chance to access free expert advice is looking for senior business leaders to sign up to its latest sessions of focused industry support.

IBD Business Advice Group is running two new cohorts of its fully funded Peer Networks programme. The groups are specifically aimed at larger and established Black Country businesses. It is now looking for company decision makers to take up the places in the new business groups which get underway on November 17 and 26.

Chris Gough of IBD said the aim of the new Peer Networks groups was to offer larger and established businesses across the Black Country expert advice and specialist support in key areas of business development to help them grow and prosper after the disruption caused by the pandemic. He said:

“This is an exclusive Government funded scheme for larger and established business. It offers free expert business advice for each company. Our existing Peer Networks members have already benefitted from group and individual sessions with our experts and we would like to see more Black Country companies taking the opportunity to do the same.”

The specialist advice sessions take place virtually once a fortnight over nine months in structured, small-group sessions, led by professional facilitators. Each member of the network also gets separate one-to-one mentoring sessions from trained professionals.

To be eligible to join businesses must have been trading for over one year, have had at least the equivalent of five full-time employees before the pandemic and have a turnover of at least £100,000 in one of the last three years.

Further information on the Peer Networks Programme is available at bcgrowthhub.com, by contacting the Black Country LEP Growth Hub business support team at 0333 070 5805 or by emailing enquiries@bcgrowthhub.com.