Our total Business Support Service is designed to help you grow your business and to "unleash growth in coastal Furness" by helping people to take the plunge into self employment or to access jobs, strengthening company presence in supply chains, supporting innovation and attracting firms to coastal business parks.

All our services are delivered professionally to the Iso9001(2008) quality assured standard. Most are provided free of charge.

The Furness Enterprise local enterprise partnership assists

• inward investors,
• locally based businesses and
• entrepreneurs and their companies
• individuals seeking jobs
• people setting out to form new businesses

to realise their ambitions, access money and markets in a realistic way within the Furness Assisted Area.

We provide a job access service through our "employer -employment partnerships"  scheme which seeks to match the skills of unemployed people to the skills demands and jobs on offer by employers.

We promote opportunities for jobs throughout the coastal communities of Furness focusing upon those wards where most of the job opportunities are located - areas like

• Ormsgill's Park Road and Sandscale Park industrial areas;
• Hindpool's Furness Business Park;
• Central ward's town centre retail and commercial zone;
• Barrow Island's The Waterfront and Barrow Shipyard.

We also encourage firms to expand in Ulverston and rural areas.

Inward investment -for companies looking at moving into our part of the UK  we can:

• Arrange to either come and see you, or prepare an itinerary for you to visit Furness. Where you can then  meet with existing successful company owners already located here in Furness, view sites or premises and meet with labour and training providers.
• Help you to define your specific business requirements and finf you a suitable site or building.
• Identify sources of discretionary financial assistance. 
• help you match your skills needs with the labour resources available through our job access programme of jobsfairs, job matching to skills you are seeking.
• Guide you in delivering your project's development  by introducing you to construction and design specialists based locally
• support you once you have established here with a through life "aftercare" support service delivered in partnership with Invest in Cumbria,  UKTI  and UKTI export services. This is designed to help you prosper and reinvest in the Furness area once you have set up here. We keep in touch on a regular basis to provide help with:
  • Product development,
  • technology and innovation support.
  • Skills development assistance.
  • Advice on sites and premises availability.
  • Help with identification of new markets at home and abroad.
  • Preparation of grant bid cases to secure reinvestment.
  • Contacts with local/regional Government officials.

If you are an established business,

you will also be able to take advantage of all the above services. 

If you are looking to source a supplier or develop a new supply route overseas, then consider visiting the free to use website 'Trade Partners' which lists 50,000 exporters across the UK.

If you are considering starting a new business

We can help you to "Take the plunge into self Employment" by trying one of our Personal Enterprise events to see if being an entrepreneur is for you.

You can also participate in a BEST Basic Business Course after discussing your skills sets or business idea with one of our business councillors or coaches. Tell us about your idea for a new business and we will send you a start up pack about setting up a business, including a Business Opportunity Profile on the type of business you are considering.

You can also attend our regular business Masterclasses and entrepreneur evenings.