iTrust partners with The Business Village @BarnsleyBIC

Now in its sixth year, the iTrust start-up scheme continues to support Barnsley College, Barnsley Sixth Form and University Campus Barnsley students who are interested in setting up their own business.

To date, well over sixty students have received a start-up grant and over one hundred students have accessed business start-up support. The initiative has supported a wide range of businesses from a number of sectors. These include Loving Dot which is a graphic design business that was set up by college alumni Bethany Wood in 2014 and Connor Padgett, who is a completely self-taught blacksmith, runs the eponymous Padgett Ironworks.  Through bespoke support, all the businesses are provided with opportunities to not only develop their business, but also their entrepreneurial skills.

Initially a partnership between Barnsley College and The Barnsley Chronicle, the scheme has now expanded to include a third partner. The Business Village @BarnsleyBIC will significantly enhance the support on offer to entrepreneurial students, by providing additional mentoring and networking opportunities, access to business skills development and access to the excellent facilities at The Business Village’s Huddersfield Road site.

Jess Leech, Assistant Principal Students at Barnsley College, said, ‘this is an excellent opportunity for the businesses we work with to receive additional support from the team at The Business Village. We also see this partnership as a bridge between the support our students’ receive whilst they attend college and the continued support they can receive from Barnsley BIC when they are ready to take their business further.’

If you, or someone you know, attends Barnsley College, Barnsley Sixth Form or University Campus Barnsley and is interested in setting up their own business, then please contact enterprise@barnsley.ac.uk.