Ilkley BID teams with Virtual College to provide free online training

Ilkley BID has partnered with Virtual College to provide free online training to all its levy-paying businesses.

More than 300 Ilkley businesses now have access to over 50 online training courses free of charge, including:

• Food and Drink, including Level 1 Food Safety and Hygiene

• Business Compliance, including GDPR and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

• Health and Safety, with RoSPA-assured courses

• Leadership and Management

• Personal and Professional Development

The initiative means every member of staff working within an Ilkley BID business can access high-quality online training designed to develop skills, improve compliance and support professional development, while potentially saving businesses thousands of pounds in external training costs.

Sarah Brookfield-Almond, Ilkley BID Manager, said: "Ilkley BID is delighted to be working with Virtual College to offer such a wide range of easily accessible training courses to our members. In these economically challenging times, enhancing the benefits of BID membership in this way will save businesses both time and money.

"We are always looking for ways to support our local businesses, and this initiative is another example of how we are delivering practical benefits that help businesses thrive."

Access to the online courses is quick and straightforward, allowing businesses to register and begin learning on the same day and every course includes a CPD-accredited certificate on completion.

Based in Ilkley, Virtual College is one of the UK's leading providers of online compliance and professional development training, Jamie Ashforth is the Director of Business and Strategy: "Ilkley is where we started, so supporting the businesses on our own high street has always mattered to us beyond the usual customer relationship.

"The pressures on small businesses haven't gone away, they've just changed shape. Every levy-paying business in Ilkley, whatever its size, can give its staff access to the same quality of compliance and development training as a large national employer, without the cost or the admin. We're glad to keep that door open for the town."

For more information, Ilkley BID levy-paying businesses should email: info@ilkleybid.co.uk