Metro Mayor launches new business support programme
Sustain is a new six-week online programme that will provide business leaders with the practical strategies and tools they need to boost their resilience in challenging times
Liverpool City Region Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram has launched the latest support programme designed to help business leaders navigate the unprecedented shock to the local economy of coronavirus.
Sustain is a new six-week online programme that will provide business leaders with the practical strategies and tools they need to boost their resilience in challenging times. With the first intake of business leaders starting in June, Sustain will be rolled out to 240 city region businesses in six waves.
The programme is aimed specifically at businesses in the advanced manufacturing, clean growth, health and life sciences, professional and business services, and supply chain and logistics sectors.
Mr Rotheram said: “We know from our surveys that 95% of businesses are undergoing huge challenges right now as a result of unprecedented circumstances. It is clear that the scale of the immediate and long-term financial support required for our economy, which will run to the hundreds of millions, cannot be met from local resources alone.
“As a Combined Authority, we are doing everything in our power to support the local business community, and to limit the risk to local jobs and livelihoods. With cash flow the greatest challenge facing our business, we have been working intensively with our local partners to help business get access to the finance they need from Government schemes.
“We are now working on the development of a comprehensive recovery plan for the city region that will help our businesses emerge from this crisis, and I have established an Economic Recovery Panel, to help us build back better.
“Sustain is the latest of our support programmes for business and one geared towards helping businesses adapt to the seismic economic changes they and we are facing.”
Sustain offers business leaders a space to strengthen their pipeline, rebuild their business plan and create clarity across the business. Its aim is to support and connect business leaders, many of whom will be currently facing similar challenges as the local economy responds to the global pandemic.
The course will be made up of three modules over six weeks. Each module includes an interactive online workshop and collaborative breakout sessions, followed by access to digital resources and workbooks to support leaders to keep their team on track.