The following sets out the level of commitment required from both Wigan Council (Our Part) and businesses (Your Part) when signing up to the Believe in Business Charter.
Our Part
| What we will do | How we will do it |
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Connecting businesses with local, regional and national opportunities
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Providing a facility so businesses can connect with community groups through Community Notice Board
Publicise funding / grant opportunities
Signpost to business courses
Signpost to exporting opportunities
Publicise procurement opportunities and deliver training events
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Facilitate a business-to-business support network
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Develop a mentoring service
Share best practice from others
Connect with networking groups
Create business to business support groups
Create the environment for collaboration between businesses
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Raise the profile of Wigan
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Regularly share posts and promote business achievements and successes on social media platforms and utilise #BelieveInBusinessCharter to celebrate business achievements
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Membership level support
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The Invest in Wigan team will support your businesses to identify and access relevant support required to develop your membership
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Provide an online business directory
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Maintenance of an online business directory with search function
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Provide world class business support
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Providing a free independent service tailored to your business needs incorporating digital support, growing your business, including expanding internationally, improve environmental performance and employee health and wellbeing to boost productivity, help to become an approved council supplier, employment and skills support e.g. apprenticeships, traineeships, recruitment and training, as well as connecting with partner organisations for specialist support
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Invest in infrastructure
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Communicate information on infrastructure, connectivity, and regeneration projects, and working with partners to help develop and create better connectivity across the borough
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Identify business opportunities
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Notifying member businesses about new opportunities
Highlight procurement opportunities through the Wigan Council website and The Chest (external link) and provide training / advice around procurement
Promote opportunities to work with and support charities, organisations and schools
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Publish a monthly e-bulletin
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Publish a newsletter highlighting the latest support, opportunities and offers available to businesses
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Connect residents and employees to training opportunities
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Matching your employees with the right courses to gain relevant skills and qualifications to upskill residents and employees
Support the take up of apprenticeship and traineeship opportunities
Support to provide opportunities for students on T-Level courses
Notify businesses of training / funding opportunities
Train local people to meet business needs and promote initiatives to invest in your workforce
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Support businesses with recruitment of local residents
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Identify skills gaps and promote initiatives to invest in your workforce
Support you in employing residents with additional needs
Support with recruitment in partnership with Job Centre Plus and other partners
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Support businesses to embrace digital
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Our Digital Growth Officer will support digital innovation, leverage the power of digital in your business, develop digital skills, ensure your IT set-up supports your business needs and look at how your customers and employees interact with your business
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Community Wealth Building
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Facilitate an environment to help put control of our economy back into the hands of local people, businesses and communities. We can all make a huge difference to grow an economy that works for all the people of our Borough.
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Your Part
| What you can do | How you can do it |
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Pay business rates on time
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Keep up to date with business rates and contact the business rates team as soon as you can if you are unable to make a payment
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Create a healthy workplace
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Partner with our Workplace Health Team to promote healthy working in your workplace
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Think local when recruiting
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Employ locally where possible. However, if you're struggling to recruit, contact the Invest in Wigan team. Working with our partner organisations we can support your business with recruitment and investigate potential gaps in skill levels
Work towards paying National Living Wage (external link) to at least 50% of employees
Work towards paying the Real Living Wage (external link) to at least 50% of employees
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Invest in people
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Support residents, including young people Not in Employment, Education or Training (NEET), to gain valuable skills and employment by offering apprenticeships, traineeships and work placements
Support people with a disability or long-term health condition to gain and sustain paid employment
Support our younger generation / schools, through a work experience programme, and mentor a student and / or support Careers Fairs
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Give back to the local community
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Utilise the Community Notice Board and engage with the Wigan Borough Communities Team for support and links with local community groups
Give back to the local community, this could be through volunteering, donations (e.g. old monitors / laptops), financial support or mentoring
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Go digital #digitalwigan
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Embracing Digital Technologies
Support the Council’s Digital Strategy
Develop your online presence
Use #BelieveInBusinessCharter in good news stories on social media (Twitter and LinkedIn)
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Recycle more, recycle right
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Design and implement an environmental policy for your business - support is available from Business Growth Hub (external link) and Wigan Council’s Climate Change Officers
Show commitment to sustainability and reducing carbon emissions
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Community Wealth Building
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Think local for supply chains
Develop member to member promotions
Become a mentor to other businesses on a lower membership level and supports other businesses in the borough
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Upskill employees with training and development
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Supports staff in gaining new skills by offering training and development to enhance their professional development
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Invest in Wigan Borough
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Be a positive ambassador for Wigan Borough
Actively engage with the Invest in Wigan team.
Promote the Invest in Wigan teams free support service to other businesses
Promote / introduce other businesses to the Believe in Business Charter
Demonstrate commitment to Wigan Borough
Become a Business Consortium Member*
Be compliant with Trading Standards (If applicable)
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