While the pandemic has wrought havoc on the coast’s business community, it’s no secret that small business owners and sole traders have been hit the hardest, and now support in the form of a special COVID-19 training course is available to help them navigate the pandemic.
The fee-free course is being delivered in collaboration by Business NSW, Business Australia and TAFE NSW, with the two week pilot course set to offer training in the digitalisation of products and services, digital marketing, professional/personal health, well-being, resilience and emotional intelligence.
With the latest research indicating that around 63 per cent of small businesses have been negatively impacted by the pandemic, with a further 91 per cent concerned about staying afloat as government support is scaled back, the course could be a lifeline for owners looking to get back on track and already has one local, Sharyn Burgess, singing its praises.
Sharyn runs the Wyong based Community and Business Women’s Network (CBWN), a specialised support network designed to connect, uplift and promote female business owners, entrepreneurs and go-getters trading on the Coast.
Burgess said the course had been a helpful avenue for her to learn new skills to implement into her new look COVID-safe business model.
“The TAFE NSW teacher has experience, being a small business owner, and is very aware that the owner of a small business is often the person who is wearing many different hats.
“The course has provided me with so many simple, practical tips on the types of website and social media marketing upgrades I could be doing and how to actually implement those changes,” Burgess said.
Business NSW Northern NSW Regional Manager, Jane Laverty, said that she received a lot of feedback through her conversations with industry and small businesses saying that they were struggling with digitalisation and professional well-being.
“The impact of COVID-19 had forced businesses to either go into hibernation or adapt their skillset quickly to survive the coming months.
“This TAFE NSW course has been designed to equip business owners with the practical skills they need for their business to survive the pandemic and come out thriving on the other side,” Laverty said.
Small business owners interested in learning more about the course can do so by visiting TAFE NSW’s website.
Source:
Press release, Aug 19
Sarah Lievore, TAFE NSW Media