Sage joins Connectr’s mentoring initiative to provide ‘start-up support’

Uploaded

24th June 2021

Read time

3 minutes

Sage joins Connectr’s mentoring initiative to provide ‘start-up support’

Connectr’s purpose is to support people from underrepresented, and often disadvantaged, backgrounds to feel like they belong at work. Too many people are held back by a lack of both confidence and networks, plus have infrequent access to support and guidance.

New research published by Sage Group and The Entrepreneurs Network has highlighted the untapped potential and strong appetite within the UK’s most deprived areas to start up a business, and the significant role this could play in the post-pandemic recovery. To ensure no one is left behind, action needs to be taken.

Connectr is expanding its mentoring initiative with the Department for Work & Pensions (DWP) to support all underrepresented people who are either looking for a job or looking to start up a business. This latest addition of ‘start-up support’ is run in collaboration with Sage Plc, as we announce a multi-year partnership to support disadvantaged groups through training and mentorship.

This new partnership will help boost the wider economy by creating more businesses, and therefore jobs, across the UK which supports the Government’s ‘Levelling Up’ initiative to ensure equal opportunity to people of all backgrounds, particularly during the recovery from COVID-19.

By knocking down the existing barriers unemployed people face, the partnership will offer support and advice on how to start a business to up to 4.2 million people over three years. These future business owners will also have access to mentors, who will be on hand to pass on their personal experience and expertise to support any start-up success.

With the Government looking to ‘Build Back Better’ after COVID-19, Connectr and Sage Group are pleased to be supporting this movement by helping hundreds of thousands of people start their own business, getting them and others back into employment. As people become more economically active, the reliance on Government support decreases and the UK economy grows, making this partnership crucial as we emerge from the pandemic and Brexit.

The national reach of the mentoring programme ensures that no one in the UK is left behind.

“The most deprived communities in the UK have taken a huge hit over the last 12 months. I passionately believe that everybody should have the opportunity to thrive and have seen first-hand the long-term benefits individuals, families and communities experience when given that chance. Our partnership with Connectr will provide real support, the right tools and quality mentoring so that people can build and own their own businesses and be part of an inclusive recovery.” – Steve Hare, CEO, Sage 

“We are thrilled to have joined forces with Sage for the ‘start up support’ element of our wider mentoring programme, designed to support all underrepresented people who are either looking for a job or looking to start up a business. We want to ensure no one is left behind and this collaboration is going to go a long way to doing just that!” – William Akerman, Managing Director, Connectr

To find out more about Connectr, get in touch.