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Practical employment law information to support your business, from Clover HR

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Establishing a successful recruitment process and clear written employment contracts for new employees can have a major impact on your business.

Every business needs to be aware of its obligations under minimum wage and equal pay laws, as well as recent pensions auto-enrolment changes.

You must comply with legal restrictions on employees' working hours and time off, or risk claims, enforcement action and even prosecution.

The right employment policies are an essential part of effective staff management. Make sure any policy is clear and well communicated to employees.

While sick employees need to be treated fairly, you need to ensure that 'sickness' is not being used as cover for unauthorised absence.

Most pregnant employees are entitled to maternity leave and maternity pay, while new fathers are entitled to paternity leave and paternity pay.

As well as undermining morale, illegal discrimination can lead to workplace grievances. Employee discrimination is covered by the Equality Act 2010.

Home, remote and lone workers are becoming increasingly commonplace. Key issues include communication and how to manage and motivate people remotely.

The right approach to consulting with and providing information to your employees can improve employee motivation and performance.

Disciplinary and grievance issues can be a major burden to employers. Putting in place and following the right procedures is essential.

Following the right dismissal and redundancy procedures helps protect your business and minimise the risk of a legal dispute at tribunal.

Employment tribunal claims are a worrying prospect for any employer. A tribunal case is a no-win situation – even if the claim is unjustified.

Fully-funded Skills Bootcamps available to sole traders and small firms

23 September 2024

Sole traders, freelancers and small business owners are being offered the chance to master the fundamentals of digital marketing alongside other business owners on a fully-funded Skills Bootcamp

The Digital Marketing Skills Bootcamps from Fareport allow individuals in England to gain specific skills relevant to a range of different sectors.

Each course equips small business owners and sole traders with the digital marketing skills to grow their business or side hustle, or develop the knowledge to run their marketing in house.

What are Skills Bootcamps?

Skills Bootcamps are short (lasting up to 16 weeks), Government-funded courses structured to help sole traders and small businesses achieve their professional goals with essential industry-specific skills.

Skills Bootcamps are available on a range of subjects from digital marketing to project management. Each practical bootcamp equips individuals with the skills and knowledge to succeed in the modern workforce.

If you’re looking to develop new skills for your existing role, acquire new skills to help you transition into a new career, or learn new skills that can help you run your own business, a Skills Bootcamp could be just what you’re looking for.

Why opt for a Skills Bootcamp?

Completing a Skills Bootcamp can turbo-charge your career by helping you bridge the gap between your existing skills and those you need in the modern workplace.

“I found the Fareport Digital Marketing Bootcamp course thoroughly engaging and highly informative. I feel more confident in the progression of my shop and feel inspired rather than disillusioned which is what I was becoming with my shop.” Tiffany Millington, Etsy shop owner

Each Skills Bootcamp course is structured in a way that allows you to fit the learning alongside your other commitments. You can:

  • learn from anywhere with live online group training (Bootcamp class sizes can be 50-100 people, however, Fareport’s typically only have 12 participants, so there’s plenty of time for questions)
  • get to know other small business owners facing similar challenges
  • take away practical tips, tools and ideas to improve your skills and business

How are Skills Bootcamps paid for?

Supported by the Government (DfE), the Skills Bootcamps from Fareport are designed to boost your career without financial stress. The level of funding depends on the size of your business:

  • qualifying sole traders, freelancers and business owners without employees are likely to receive full funding from the Government (DfE)
  • qualifying small and medium employers with less than 250 employees contribute 10% of the cost per employee, with the remaining 90% funded by the Government (DfE)

You can join one bootcamp per funding year (1 April to 31 March).

Do I qualify for a fully-funded Skills Bootcamp?

To be eligible for Fareport’s fully-funded Digital Marketing Skills Bootcamp (worth around £3,000), you must be:

  • living in England
  • aged 19 years or above on 31 August 2024
  • have the legal right to work in the UK
  • have maintained UK residency for the last 3 years
  • a sole trader, freelancer or business owner without any employees
  • have not started a Skills Bootcamp in the last 12 months

If you meet these criteria, you could qualify for the fully-funded Skills Bootcamp course.

Starting soon - Digital Marketing Skills Bootcamp

The next Digital Marketing Skills Bootcamps from Fareport are starting on Wednesday 9 October and Tuesday 15 October. Over 14 weeks, you can learn the fundamentals of digital marketing including audience definition, branding, content creation, SEO, PPC and email marketing. You can also develop your soft skills including presentation skills, stress management and time management.

You can register your interest today.

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