Article Source: Blackburn Communications
Last Updated: 4 May 2020 13:42
A range of free online courses for Stirling’s business community have been launched on a training platform set up by the city’s Business Improvement District.
The team at Go Forth Stirling, which runs the BID, has organised the virtual programme to support businesses during the Covid-19 crisis.
Two new courses are being offered each month and the May courses cover Allergen Awareness and Fire Safety.
The online training initiative is funded in association with the Covid-19 BIDs Resilience Fund which was announced by Communities Secretary Aileen Campbell in March.
The £1 million funding package aims to help Scotland’s 37 active BIDs play a vital role in supporting local businesses and town centres during the crisis.
Go Forth Stirling’s Project Director Danielle McRorie-Smith said: “The training platform is an important initiative which provides a practical means of supporting Stirling’s business community during this testing time.
“We’re pleased with the success of the first two courses which ran during April and were attended by 57 people – a number we hope to double this month as interest grows.”
Details of the May programme are outlined on the Go Forth Stirling website along with information about further courses which will be available over the coming months.
Ms McRorie-Smith added: “The courses are available to all Stirling businesses - not just those within the BID area.
“They offer an opportunity for ongoing training at a time when many businesses have been forced to close their doors and staff who have been placed on furlough are allowed to take part.
“We believe the initiative will help our businesses ensure a better foundation for commercial success following the pandemic and enable their workforces to emerge with more knowledge and training once Stirling is fully open for business again.”
The May courses cover the topics of Allergen Awareness and Fire Safety and businesses can register by emailing Go Forth Stirling via admin@goforthstirling.co.uk
The Allergen Awareness course offers essential training on the laws relating to food allergies and how to provide the necessary information to customers regarding regulated allergens in food provided by a business.
The course covers seven levels - including Food Allergy and Intolerance; Keeping the Consumer Safe and Managing Food Allergens - and will take around two hours to complete.
It has been devised by a qualified Environmental Health Officer and is designed for anyone involved in catering as well as staff who responsible for dealing with customer enquiries about food allergens.
The Fire Safety course covers all aspects of fire safety management including the importance of a fire evacuation plan, fire risk assessment plus prevention, protection and detection.
Participants will learn what to consider when creating a fire evacuation plan and how to put this plan into practice.
Further courses, which will be running between June 1 and the end of September, include Safeguarding Children; An Introduction to GDPR; Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults and Food Safety Awareness.
A full list of courses can be found via the link - www.goforthstirling.co.uk/business-support
The courses are free to all businesses in Stirling - not just levy payers or those in the BID zone.
And once a business owner has set up their login details on the Go Forth portal, they are automatically enrolled for the whole programme and will be able to access each new course as soon as it is released on the 1st of each month.
The online training platform is part of the range of support measures being offered by Go Forth Stirling in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis.
These include working with a local partnership set up to help businesses survive the crisis.
Its website - www.investinstirling.com/investor-support/corona-virus-advice – provides Stirling-based businesses with the most accurate and up to date advice and guidance.
The Go Forth team is also working on plans to provide Stirling traders with Personal Protective Equipment and has established an online directory highlighting local shops and cafes which remain open for business.
Go Forth Stirling has also suspended levy payments for six months and has received a grant from the Covid-19 BIDs Resilience Fund which is administered by Scotland’s Towns Partnership via Scotland’s Improvement Districts.
Phil Prentice, chief officer of Scotland’s Towns Partnership and programme director of Scotland’s Improvement Districts, said: “This funding will allow BIDs to play a crucial role in supporting local businesses to access the various mitigation packages that are available, and will provide a forum to bring local businesses and communities together to try and keep our towns and cities moving.
“Many businesses are coming up with creative ways to keep trading, and BIDs can support the scaling up of this innovation and creativity across the country.”
Go Forth Stirling Business Improvement District (BID) represents close to 400 local businesses with a key objective of delivering projects and services which improve the area’s trading environment to benefit businesses, shoppers and visitors.
The BID was set up in September 2017 following a vote among the city’s traders and runs for an initial five-year term.
For more details visit www.goforthstirling.co.uk
People are being encouraged to have their say in the second stage of a consultation on four proposed active travel routes for the south of Stirling city centre.
READ MOREThe public are urged to take part in the Scottish Government's consultation on planning laws, warning that the changes could put the country's live music venues and pubs at risk.
READ MOREStrathblane artists are set to captivate the community with a charity art exhibition this weekend, aiming to raise funds for Strathcarron Hospice, Denny.
READ MOREThe shortlisted titles for this year’s Saltires, Scotland’s National Book Awards, were announced at Blackwell’s bookshop in Edinburgh.
READ MOREThe Scottish Album of the Year (SAY) Award has unveiled the 10 Shortlisted albums now in the running for 2025’s title and £20,000 prize, as well as five Sound of Young Scotland finalists.
READ MOREThistles, Stirling is set to host a spooky spectacular at the shopping centre this October half term.
READ MOREThere's loads to see and do – from pet friendly days out to breakfast with dinosaurs, loch tours and much more!
READ MOREKeela, the Scottish outdoor clothing brand, and Mountaineering Scotland Launch ‘Within You’, an new three-month campaign, inspiring Confidence, Connection, and Adventure in the Outdoors!
READ MOREScotland's national celebration of books, Book Week Scotland, returns from 17th to 23rd November and tickets are on sale now!
READ MOREDobbies Garden Centres is lifting community spirits this season with a Christmas tree donation across the country, in partnership with Needlefresh.
READ MOREFormer Celtic and Scotland football heroes to join ex-player with MND on 150-mile March of The Day to raise funds to help tackle the disease.
READ MOREAmy MacDonald, Hue and Cry, Nathan Evans and The Saint PHNX Band, Skipinnish, Shay O'Dowd and James Emmanuel are among the first winners to be announced for the GUITARGUITAR Scottish Music Awards!
READ MOREScotland’s colourful past bursts to life this October as Historic Environment Scotland (HES) returns with its popular Living History programme for the school holidays.
READ MOREMarine & Lawn Hotels & Resorts Collection have launched new offerings designed for cosy coastal retreats and joyful pre-festive celebrations.
READ MOREThe Scottish Government's Women and Girls in Sport Week launches this week, celebrating the power of movement and encouraging women and girls of all ages to get active in ways that work for them.
READ MORESome of Stirling’s sporting heroes, including an Olympic champion and a World Championships silver medallist, are supporting a drive to get more local women and girls active.
READ MOREWith the October school holidays fast approaching, ScotRail has unveiled a new, affordable way for families to make the most of the break!
READ MORESeachdain na Gàidhlig will return in 2026, under the banner Use It or Lose It – and organisers are encouraging people across Scotland and the global diaspora to get behind the rallying cry.
READ MOREBrits are now picking up the cafetière, with Macdonald Hotels & Resorts revealing a 10% rise in coffee sales across its 32 UK hotels and resorts in the past year.
READ MORESome of the latest horror blockbusters – alongside creepy classics, enchanting family favourites and the ever-popular Twilight Saga – will all be heading to Vue venues this Halloween.
READ MOREChristmas has come early as Dobbies Garden Centres kicks off the season in style at its Christmas Launch Weekend which takes place from Thursday 9th to Monday 13th October.
READ MOREChildren's Classic Concerts return with their popular Halloween concert performances in Glasgow and Edinburgh later this month!
READ MOREArnprior Farm is marking 10 years of pumpkin picking with its biggest ever patch and the launch of a once-in-a-lifetime Golden Ticket competition.
READ MOREThe Scottish Album of the Year (SAY) Award, Scotland's national music prize, has today revealed the 20 outstanding albums on 2025's Longlist.
READ MOREFor the first time, Beatson Cancer Charity has joined forces with the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service to highlight the vital role blood donors play in the treatment of blood cancers.
READ MOREThe maritime links between Stirling and the Royal Navy have been celebrated with the naming of a ship in honour of the city’s most iconic landmark.
READ MORESecret Stirling Tours – a new bespoke tour of Stirling Castle – launches today (Monday 15 September) giving visitors exclusive access to areas of the site that are normally closed to the public.
READ MOREA Stirling local is set to spend the night in one of the city’s most unusual, and eerie, locations to raise vital funds for children across the world.
READ MOREEdinburgh Spanish Film Festival returns for its 12th edition on the big screen in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Stirling and Inverness from 1st to 19th October 2025.
READ MORECineworld is excited to announce the return of 4DX Rewind this September across Cineworld 4DX cinemas nationwide!
READ MORE