General business support - Print version

Business support in Coventry

We will work with you to help secure your future in an increasingly competitive environment. Our comprehensive business support package is designed to help your company succeed.

Please contact us and find out how the Council's Business Investment Team can help in terms of:

• Access to finance support [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/business-finance-funding]
• General Business Support Programme [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/business-finance-funding/funding-programmes]
• Decarbonisation Net Zero Programme [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/dnz]
• Commercial property search facility [/commercialpropertysearch]
• Investment and relocation support service [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/info/1284/support_for_new_and_existing_businesses/3931/general_business_support/2]
• Free recruitment and skills support [/info/153/employment_support/1881/employer_hub]
• Thrive at work [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/thriveatwork]

Investment and relocation support service

Identifying a location to establish or invest in a new business or relocating an existing one can seem like a huge decision and we are committed to providing a dedicated support service for your business. We offer the following free and confidential services to businesses:

• We are here to help businesses invest and expand smoothly, efficiently and with the minimum of disruption. We offer a full investment and relocation support service, flexible enough to meet all your business needs.
• To help you keep your workforce and save on costs, we also offer a unique package to support your staff. It's our aim to make it as simple as possible for your company and employees to make the decision to relocate to the area.

Business support

For your business needs we can help you with:

• Commercial property searches [/keyinvestmentsites]
• Accompanied site and familiarisation tours
• Recruitment support [/info/153/employment_support/1881/employer_hub]
• Skills and workforce development programmes
• Access to apprenticeship and placement schemes
• Advice on transport connections and communication links
• Local labour market information
• Business contacts through active networks including ICT / Digital, Business Finance and Professional Service companies
• Connections to a wealth of internationally recognised innovation, research and development centres of excellence [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/info/1286/coventry_a_first_choice_for_your_investment/3926/innovation_research_and_development]

Employee Relocation

For employee relocation needs we can help you find the right information on:

• Employee relocation advice
• Help with the local housing market
• Recruitment support for accompanying family members
• Local transport and commuting advice
• Culture and leisure activities
• Childcare and education information (including school locations, catchment areas, Ofsted reports, costs etc)

Make an enquiry [https://myaccount.coventry.gov.uk/service/Business_finance_and_support_enquiry]

Supply chains and networks

Businesses are encouraged to join one or more of the area's networks to look at issues such as funding, new product development, skills and training, procurement and joint commercial ventures.

Coventry and Warwickshire Aerospace Forum (CWAF) [http://www.cwaf.co.uk/]

CWAF is a group of world-class manufacturing businesses working together and collaborating with leading UK Universities and Associations that brings together over 500-years of combined engineering knowledge and manufacturing expertise.

Coventry & Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce [https://www.cw-chamber.co.uk/]

Set up as a business too, so has the knowledge of what it takes to be successful. The Chamber understands that you need access to a range of money-saving services, effective business support and, critically, superb networking opportunities to raise your profile and start bringing in the business.

Coventry and Warwickshire Champions [http://www.coventry-warwickshire.co.uk/champions/]

The Coventry and Warwickshire Champions scheme unites businesses, organisations and individuals across the area in a powerful network to help develop and promote Coventry and Warwickshire and raise its profile. Champions are proactive advocates for the area who want to help influence how the area is perceived and portrayed, and make sure the area is talked about in the right places and by the right people.

Green Business Network [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/decarbonisation-net-zero-programme-coventry/decarbonisation-net-zero-programme-coventry-info/7]

The Green Business Network allows businesses to come together, share ideas and promote energy efficiency. The network is free to join and open to any business. By becoming a member not only will you improve your green credentials, you will be able to access a range of additional benefits including:

• Expert technical assistance.
• Free workshops 
• Networking and supply chain opportunities.
• Access to grants and funding up to £100,000.
• Quarterly newsletter.

Join the network now [https://myaccount.coventry.gov.uk/service/Sign_up_to_the_Green_Business_Network]

Coventry and Warwickshire First (Professional services) [http://www.coventryfirst.co.uk/]

Coventry and Warwickshire First is a forum for bringing together professional and financial service providers, to raise the profile and address the needs of the sector.

Coventry & Warwickshire Growth Hub [https://www.cwgrowthhub.co.uk/]

The CW Growth Hub is a single gateway to navigating the best private and public sector business support available. Whether you want to raise capital, increase your workforce, ramp up production or identify export or supply chain opportunities, you can access tailored, commercially focused and joined-up advice that’s free, impartial and delivered with one goal in mind: growing your bottom line.

Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) [https://www.fsb.org.uk/about-us]

As experts in business, the FSB offer its members a wide range of vital business services including advice, financial expertise, support and a powerful voice in government. Our mission is to help smaller businesses achieve their ambitions. We are a not-for-profit organisation, led by a team of our members, which exists to serve the small business community across the UK.

Midlands Aerospace Alliance [https://www.midlandsaerospace.org.uk/]

The MAA is a not-for-profit company, limited by guarantee, governed by its own Board of directors [https://www.midlandsaerospace.org.uk/maa/directors] and representing all segments of the Midlands aerospace industry. There are currently more than 300 companies who subscribe to MAA membership, making us the second largest aerospace regional membership organisation in the world after Aerospace Valley (Toulouse – Bordeaux in France).

Motorsport Industry Association [https://www.the-mia.com/]

The Motorsport Industry Association is the world's leading trade association for the motorsport, high performance engineering, services and tuning sectors. As an industry that is constantly having to deal with rapid development, it’s our role to globally represent the specialised needs of our members.

West Midlands Green Business Clubs Networks [https://www.sustainabilitywestmidlands.org.uk/networks/west-midlands-green-business-clubs-network/]

Research by SWM on competitive low carbon places indicates that a key factor for success is the ability of local businesses to rapidly share ideas, good practice, and resources in order to deliver action. Local green business clubs are vital for this, and have a role distinct to that of national or regional business networks. In addition, national investors (such as the Carbon Trust, Innovate UK, the Environment Agency, and Climate UK) are more likely to engage with a locally focussed network and the businesses they represent.

Thrive at Work [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/thriveatwork]

Growing healthier, happier workplaces - Thrive at Work is a workplace commitment with criteria and guidelines on creating a workplace that promotes employee health and wellbeing, focusing on key organisational enablers such as health and safety, manager training etc. in addition to health areas such as mental, musculoskeletal and physical health and promoting healthy lifestyles.

Employer support

The Coventry City Council Employer Engagement Team [/info/153/employment_support/1881/employer_hub] provides a free bespoke recruitment, training and wellbeing service. The Employer Engagement Team can assist recruitment by:

• Supporting growth through employment grants
• Redundancy support for business [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/employment-support/employer-engagement/4]
• Supporting with job description and advertising creation
• Multi-platform advertising of vacancies
• Sourcing suitable candidates against the job description, making use of the Coventry City Council Job Shop's pool of over 25,000 registered customers
• Pre-screening to ensure candidate suitability
• Carrying out all required pre-screening activities such as any tests, pre-interview activities and telephone interviews
• Sourcing suitable pre-employment training to meet employer needs
• Arranging final interviews as required
• Supporting with work trials, work experience and general employment opportunities

In addition to recruitment activities, the Employer Engagement Team can support employers to increase their productivity through evaluating their employee wellbeing, with support to sign up to the Thrive at Work [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/workplace-wellbeing-charter-awards] Charter.

Thrive at work

Find out about growing happier, healthier workplaces with Thrive at Work [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/thriveatwork].