TRAINING PROGRAMMES
for
Local Enterprise Office Westmeath
for the period January 2015 – December
2016
To Cover Periods:
Spring & Autumn 2015
Spring & Autumn 2016
Invitation to Quote for Delivery of Training
Programmes/Workshops and Clinics
November 2014
Invitation to Submit Quotations for Training
This document outlines the type of training courses Local Enterprise Office Westmeath plans to run
throughout Westmeath over the coming 24 months. By receiving this document your training
organisation is invited to submit a quotation for one or any number of courses outlined.
I have provided a broad outline of our requirements, but please note we are interested in receiving what
you the Trainer offers in current thinking, recent trends, new techniques etc or anything else you consider
maybe appropriate. If your organisation has developed a unique training course significantly different to
any outlined here for the micro-enterprise sector, please include a proposal for same in your submission.
Durations listed are suggestions only and not confirmed.
Local Enterprise Office Westmeath reserves the right to run or not run any of the listed training courses,
as demand and budget dictates.
Training organisations submitting a quotation are requested to fix their prices for 24 months.
Local Enterprise Office Westmeath runs training courses either during week days (e.g. 9:30am – 5pm) or
in the case of six week start your own business course, evenings (e.g. from 6pm – 9pm); we reserve the
right to stipulate the specific dates and course times, at the time of scheduling the course. Courses can
take place either in our training room onsite in Mullingar or conference venues in Athlone and Mullingar.
Key Guidelines:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Please submit a fully completed course outline for each course you are quoting for (template
document attached – please do not leave any section blank).
Please also ensure that tenders are not bound and that programmes are priced individually with
a price listed per programme.
Trainers maybe required to complete a pre/post course questionnaire via telephone or email
with participants.
Contracts will be awarded based on consideration of the following:
a. Knowledge/Understanding of Proposal (30 marks), Approach/Content/Methodology (40
marks) Price (30 marks).
b. The background of the trainer and a minimum of 3 years experience in delivering
training to the micro-enterprise sector, as well as personal experience of selfemployment or running a business themselves and a training qualification. Please see
attached sheet with details of qualifications required by trainers.
c. Compliance with Health & Safety Questionnaire attached
Term of the Contract (“the Term”): Any Contract that may result from this public procurement
competition will be for an initial period of 12 months from the date of award, unless the Contract
is terminated earlier or extended as per the provisions of the Contract. Westmeath LEO reserves
the right to extend the Contract for a further period of twenty four (24) months, bringing the
Term of the Contract to a total of three years but not guaranteed to be three years
Completed course outlines will be made available to the public on www.localenterprise.ie/westmeath
1. Please note that hard copy of your submission will be required no later than 5pm on
Thursday 27 November 2014.
Post your proposal to:
Tender Submission, Local Enterprise Office Westmeath, Aras An Chontae, Mullingar, Co
Westmeath. Please note that late submissions will not be accepted.
List of Programmes to Go to Tender
Section 1: Training for Start-UPs
1.
2.
3.
4.
How to Investigate your Business Idea & Get Started
Start Your Own Business
Start Your Own Food Business
Start Your Own Online Business (Workshop)
Section 2: Programmes & Courses for Small Businesses
5. Finance for Small Businesses (4 modules)
6. Increasing your sales by excelling at customer care
7. Perfecting Your Pitch
8. How to Start Exporting
9. E-Tendering – a Guide to Public & Private Sector Procurement
10. HACCP Training in Food Safety for Handlers
11. HACCP for Management
12. Food Academy Start Programme
13. Planning & Developing Your Website
14. Compiling & Marketing Newsletters
15. SAGE Instant/SAGE Line 50
16. How to maintain a set of books using Excel
17. Revenue Online System
18. Write & Maintain a Safety Statement
Section 3 : Social Media Workshops for SmaLL Business
19. LinkedIn for Business
20. You-tube for Business
21. Face book for Business Beginners
22. Face book for Business Advanced
23. Twitter for Business Beginners
24. Twitter for Business Advanced
Section 4 : Business Clinics
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
Marketing
Website
Patent
Branding
Finance/Health Check
Possible Seminars for Small Business
Taking Care of Business – Health & Safety in the Workplace for Contractors/NonContractors.
Business and the Law (New Business Laws covered)
Using Technology/apps for your Business
Online Trading Voucher Seminars
Debt Re-structuring
Computer training courses take place in either Athlone Education Centre, Moydrum Road,
Athlone, or at our premises in Aras An Chontae, Mullingar, Co.Westmeath.
Section 1
Business Training Courses for Start Ups
1. How to Investigate Your Business Idea & Get Started
The aim of this workshop is to arm participants with tools required to take their new idea
through various investigative stages of research. The methods of evaluating and interpreting the
results to determine the viability of the business should also be covered.
The workshop will cover how to prepare basic income and expenditure projections and will
introduce participants to the legal aspects of setting up a business, tax registration for sole
traders, financial supports that are available and the basics of marketing principles.
Participants should be able to conduct a preliminary assessment of their business to see if there
is any potential in their proposed idea and have a basic awareness of the steps they will need to
take to start a business.
Please Note: How to conduct Market Research should form an important part of this
programme.
Estimate: Up to 8 workshops per annum.
Duration:
Time:
Places Available:
Suitable for:
One Day
09:30am – 5.00pm
25
Anyone with a new business idea they need to investigate.
2. Start Your Own Business Course
The objective of the Start Your Own Business programme is to assist participants in assessing the
viability of business ideas and in understanding the essential elements required to start up and
run their own businesses. Please note that a 3-month follow-up with each participant is
included in the delivery of this programme. The follow-up is conducted via telephone, in order
to establish how many businesses actually started up on completion of the programme.
Please supply a price for the delivery of a 3 day Training Programme
Please supply a price for a one day follow up where participants are met on a one-to- one
basis if required.
Topics covered:
- Self-Assessment
- Legal Issues
- Preparing a Business Plan
- Marketing for the Small Business
- Researching the Market
- Finance & Taxation
- Sources of Funding
- Basic Bookkeeping
- Sales
- Using IT in your Business
Please refer to attached full course brochure for further content information.
Duration:
Places Available:
6 evenings 6.00pm to 9.00pm or 3 Days 9.30am to 5.00pm.
Up to 25 places per course.
3. Start Your Own Food Business
This stand alone programme is intended to be a complement to a full Start Your Own Business
Course and the more advanced Food Academy Programme, but handle specific issues relevant
to the food sector.
This course will cover information required to set up a Food Business:
Market Research & Sources of information
Awareness of legislation governing food businesses
Consumer law
Packaging and labelling
EHO requirements
Planning permission
Insurance
Food Marketing
Agencies supporting the food industry and their programmes
Innovation, Trends & Food Awards
This one day course is designed to give participants an opportunity to fully explore all issues that
they will need to address and also to raise awareness of supports that are on offer from all
agencies.
Duration:
Time:
Places Available:
Suitable for:
One day
09:30am – 5:00pm
14
New entrants to the food sector or those considering opening up a food
business.
4. Start Your Own Online Business Workshop
These stand alone workshops are intended to be a complement to a full Start Your Own
Business Course but handle specific issues relevant to the online / e-commerce sector.
This course will cover information required to set up an Online / Web based Business:
Market Research
Legislation governing the sector
Operating Costs
Marketing strategies
Income generation possibilities
Trends, Innovation
Pitfalls
Successes and Failures
This one day course is designed to give participants an opportunity to fully explore all issues that
they will need to address and also to raise awareness of supports that are on offer from all
agencies.
Duration:
Time:
Places Available:
Suitable for:
Section 2
One day
09:30am – 5:00pm
14
Those starting an online business.
Business Training Courses for Small Business
5. Finance for Small Businesses (4 modules) (5 days in total)
The aim of this course is to provide each participant with a clear understanding of their financial
responsibilities as a self-employed person and will instruct them on how to manage and
interpret their financial situation. The course is aimed at those in their first year in business or
those who have never learnt how to manage the financial aspects of their business. The four
modules could take place over a six month period.
Module 1 : Tax, VAT and Manual Payroll for Small Businesses (2 days)
Module 2 : Basic Book-keeping and Cashflows (1 day)
Module 3: Pricing, Costing & Debt Collection (1 day)
Module 4 : Completing your own Tax Return (1 day)
Module 1 Tax, VAT and Manual Payroll for Small Businesses (2 days)
This module is designed to give the entrepreneur a firm understanding of the taxation system
highlighting options to minimise tax liability. The module content will include :
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How to register your business with the Revenue Commissioners
The Self Assessment tax system
Introduction to VAT, and Employer’s taxes,
Calculating Taxable profits and looking at allowable expenses
Capital Allowances – what are they and how are they calculated
Payroll. Basics of wage calculation and how our Tax Deduction, Universal Levy, Holiday
Pay etc works, understanding the true cost of employing people.
Calculating your Income Tax liability
Social Security taxes (PRSI & Levies)
Practical examples of calculating your Income Tax liability.
The advantages & disadvantages of setting up as a limited company, sole trader or
partnership. Participants will learn how to make a VAT return and how to complete selfassessment as a self employed person.
Revenue online.
Module 2 Bookkeeping and Cashflows for Small Businesses (1 day)
The aim of this module is to provide participants with an in-depth understanding of basic
accounting principles as well as a comprehensive working knowledge of their obligations to
Revenue. Topics covered will include Debtors & Creditors, Bank Reconciliation, Expenses,
Assets, Liabilities, Profit & Loss Accounts and Balance Sheets, amongst others.
This module will also give participants a good understanding of the basics of good cashflow
management. Variances between planned performance versus actual and the monitoring of
same should be reviewed. The material should enable the owner/manager of an SME to learn
techniques and systems that can be implemented in the workplace to improve cashflow.
Practical cashflow templates should be provided.
Module Three Figure Out your Pricing Strategy & Debt Collection (1 day)
Tackling your pricing strategy for either a product or a service incorporates two schools of
thought. In addition to ensuring that your prices cover your costs and include a margin for
profit, the challenge is to tie that in with your competitors and market demand. This one-day
course should cover Pricing as a subject from both angles, ensuring that you are pricing yourself
as competitively as possible while maximising profit potential.
This module will also instruct businesses on how to collect debts or avoid debts accumulating.
Credit Management techniques will include: Handling new accounts, proper documentation,
third party and legal options, draft credit applications forms, terms & conditions. This module
will give participants the skills to help them get paid quicker, improve cash flow and reduce the
likelihood of bad debts.
Module 4 Completing your Tax Return and Reviewing your Year in Business (1 day)
The final module of this course will take participants through all the steps in calculating their
income and expenditure for the year and completing their own annual tax return as a sole
trader.
This module will also review with participants how their year in business has progressed and
how to analyse their finances to prepare for their next year in business.
Suitable for: This course is designed for owner-managers of start-up businesses or those in
existing businesses who need to understand the financial basics of their business. It is
anticipated that all participants will be sole traders and currently employ less than 10 people.
Upon completion of the course participants should have a thorough understanding of how to
manage their finances in business, keep proper accounts, manage their own VAT and payroll
returns and complete a tax return. They should also have an understanding of how to interpret
their financial situation at all times and analyse if they are operating a profitable business or not.
Duration : 5 days (over a six month period)
Places : Max. 14
6. Increasing your sales by excelling at customer service
This course will teach businesses on how to retain and grow their customer base by excelling at
customer care and sales. Following completion of this course, businesses should have reviewed
their sales and customer care strategy, be aware of the actions they should be taking in their
business to improve customer care, learn new sales and customer care techniques and learn
how they should motivate staff to improve their customer care and sales techniques.
Businesses should assess the effort they are putting into their sales approach and how poor
approaches can let their business down. The course should cover setting sales targets for staff,
sales incentives, and skills to help you and your staff close a sale.
Duration:
1 day
Places Available:
14
Suitable for:
Sales Staff and/or owners of businesses
7. Perfecting Your Business Pitch- Pitching for Business
The content of this programme will cover how to make a pitch really effective and memorable
and help win business. What makes a good pitch/presentation and giving participants the
confidence and professionalism to succeed. This programme will possibly linked to one to one
mentoring sessions to perfect the pitch dependant on the audiences.
Duration:
Places Available:
Suitable for:
1 day
14
Key staff and owner-managers of businesses based in Westmeath
8. How to Start Exporting
Before embarking on an export strategy, businesses need to ensure that every area of their
existing internal infrastructure is ready for possible rapid growth. This day course aims to
inform and prepare participant companies for exporting, including: how to approach market
research in a new country, how to prepare for cultural differences, what the support network
overseas is like for Irish businesses, what the best tools are for getting your business ready.
(Participants should be able to compile a structured export plan on completion)
Duration:
Places available:
Suitable for:
1 Day
14
Owner-managers & business development staff of existing businesses
who believe they are ready to commence exporting
9.eTendering – A Guide to Private & Public Sector Procurement
Increasingly both private and public projects are awarded by using the competitive tendering
process.The majority of public projects are awarded by using an online tendering process on
www.etenders.gov.ie. Tendering, correctly utilised, can have a significant impact on the growth
of your business. This course should be a practical programme, the aim of which is to
significantly improve participants’ abilities to prepare and submit winning tenders.
Duration:
Places available:
Suitable for:
1 Day
14
Owner-managers & business development staff of existing businesses
who are ready to bid for public projects
10. HACCP for food handlers
The aim of this training course is to ensure participants understand the importance of primary
food hygiene. FETAC Certificate of competence to be provided on completion.
Duration:
Approx. 2 days training
Places Available:
Suitable for:
businesses.
14
Owners and/or primary food handling staff of Westmeath based
11. HACCP Management in Food Production/Catering
The aim of this training course is to ensure participants understand the importance of food
hygiene. It will include the development of effective food safety management systems and a
guide on how to implement and manage appropriate procedures for their businesses, in
accordance with current Irish and EU legislation. FETAC Certificate of competence to be
provided on completion.
Duration:
Places Available:
Suitable for:
businesses
28 hours
14
Owners and/or primary food handling staff of Westmeath based
12. Food Academy Start Programme in conjunction with Bord Bia and Musgraves.
The programme objective is to provide participants with the knowledge required to establish
successful food production businesses, working to a standardised format as established by Bord
Bia, City and LEO’s and Musgrave Retail.
The programme is targeted at those individuals who have an idea for a food or drink business or
who have already set up and are in the early stages of running a food or drink business.
Module 1
1. Understanding the Irish Consumer
2. Overview of the Irish Market
3. Understanding Research + Data
4. Marketing Strategy and Segmentation
Module 2
1. Introduction to Finance
2. Pricing
3. New Product Development
4. Food Production + Legislation
5. Packaging
6. The Human Cost of Growing Your Business
Module 3
1. Branding and Packaging Design
2. Routes to Market
3. Preparing to Meet the Buyer
4. Marketing Planning
5. Being confident with Promotions
Making the Most of PR
Section 3 Workshops for Small Business
13. Planning & Developing Your Website
This workshop is aimed at those thinking of building their business website or optimising their
existing one.
To help businesses develop a website specification document, enable businesses to use their
websites more effectively and to optimise web-design and communication with web developers.
Develop an understanding of website management and maintenance options. Participants will
also be shown how to develop a digital marketing strategy which integrates with business
general goals.
14. Compiling & Marketing Newsletters
15.SAGE Instant/SAGE Line 50
Using the very popular Sage Instant/Line 50 software, this course covers all aspects of setting up
a computerised accounting system from scratch, including the production of sales & purchases
ledgers, nominal ledgers, credit control and VAT management. It is recommended that business
owners or accounts staff attend. A basic understanding of bookkeeping principles is required.
Day 5 – Sage Payroll to be covered if required
Duration:
5 Days
Places available:
14
Suitable for:
Owner-managers or accounts staff of established businesses which are based in
Co. Westmeath & currently employ less than 10 people.
16. How To Maintain a Set of Books (Using Excel spreadsheet)
This course is aimed at those who wish to learn Basic Bookeeping and how to keep a set of
books using an Excel Spreadsheet. It would be imperative that participants have a basic
knowledge of operating excel spreadsheet before undertaking this course.
Day 2 would progress to taking key meaningful information from your records and compiling,
Profit & Loss, Balance Sheet.
Duration:
Capability Required:
Places Available:
Suitable for:
2 day
Familiarity with Excel and a basic knowledge of Bookkeeping principles
14
Owner-managers or accounts staff of established businesses which are
based in Co. Westmeath & currently employ less than 10 people.
17. Revenue Online System
Programme Aim
To introduce businesses to the benefits of ROS. This facility offers businesses a host of services
allowing you to view your current tax position for various taxes and levies, file tax returns and
forms and participants will learn how to make online payments for all taxes including VAT, PAYE,
RTC etc. You can also use this facility to view details of your Payments made, Returns filed or
due, Registration information or Charges and liabilities.
Programme Content
 Registering online
 Making Returns online
 Making Payments online
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Returning P35 online
Updating employee tax details online
18. Write & Maintain a Safety Statement
Objectives: to assist participants in developing an understanding of the relevant health &
safety legislation & preparing a Safety Statement for their business
Suggested Content: overview/review of relevant Health & Safety legislation, near misses,
accident reports, new processes, chemical reports, PPE, physical condition audits, hazard
analysis, risk assessments, development of safety auditing skills, how to write &
implement a safety statement.
No. of participants: 10 (max.)
Duration: 0.5 Day Group Workshop, &one 3 hour 1-1 onsite session per participant.
Section 4 - Social Media Workshops for Small Business
19. LinkedIn for Business
This workshop is to inform participants how best to leverage LinkedIn for your business.
Duration:
1 afternoon
Places Available:
10
20. You-tube for Business
This workshop is to inform participants of how YouTube can be used as an online marketing
channel and how video marketing can be used to promote business online.
Duration:
1 afternoon
Places Available:
10
21. Face book for Business Beginners
This workshop is to inform participants how facebook can be used in business to promote and
sell their products and services.
Duration:
1 afternoon
Places Available:
10
22. Face book for Business Advanced
The advanced option will be to inform participants that are already familiar with social media
how to build brand awareness and research the market through their facebook business page.
Duration:
1 afternoon
Places Available:
10
23. Twitter for Business Beginners
This workshop is to inform participants how twitter can be used in business to promote their
company, research the marketplace and why it is such a useful tool in Business.
Duration:
1 afternoon
Places Available:
10
24. Twitter for Business Advanced
This workshop is to inform participants of the more advanced features of twitter and other tools
which can improve their experience of using Twitter for Business.
Duration:
1 afternoon
Places Available:
10
Section 5 – Business Clinics for small Business
Business clinics are one to one sessions with individual businesses which will take place
in the offices of Local Enterprise Office Westmeath in Mullingar. Business clinics will be
delivered on the following individual topics.
25.
Marketing
26.
Website
27.
Patent & New Product Design
28.
Branding
29.
Finance/Health Checks including Business Viability/Cashflows
It is planned that up to 6 businesses per day will attend each clinic, with each session
being 1hour-1.25 hours. Please provide a daily rate to include compilation of report on
completion.
Topics covered will vary depending on the needs of each particular client but
questionnaires will be completed prior to each clinic and these will be made available to
relevant consultants.
Those tendering for each clinic should have extensive experience of their chosen topic as
content covered on clinics will be varied and wide ranging.
Seminars for Small Business – Please Register your interest in delivering.
Taking Care of Business – Health & Safety in the Workplace for Contractors/NonContractors separately.
Business and the Law
Using Technology/apps for your Business
Online Trading Voucher Seminars
Debt Restructuring
PLEASE SEND QUERIES ON ANY OF THE ABOVE LISTED TRAINING
PROGRAMMES VIA EMAIL TO tracey.tallon@leo.westmeathcoco.ie