Business Training Programme

Horsham District Council's Business Training Programme is an exciting series of business training workshops, projected over three years (2023 to 2025). The Horsham District-focussed programme seeks to help entrepreneurs and business leaders build-in resilience to their business models, keep them well informed and enable opportunities for upskilling.
Using a blend of online and in-person formats, the programme provides skills development and enhanced opportunities to share and learn from the latest best practice.
Course content is delivered by locally based independent business experts in their fields.
Contents
Here is a list of training currently available to access or book. To find out more, click on the course name.
Emergency First Aid at Work courses
Business management training
- Sales and negotiation skills quiz
- 'Debunking the complications of Apprenticeship Talent' masterclass
- 'Recruiting via social media' masterclass
- 'People power strategy' workshop
- 'Budget setting and cash flow forecasting for small businesses' workshop (Sole Traders)
- 'Budget setting and cash flow forecasting for small businesses' workshop (Limited Companies)
- Ready, Set, Grow! 7 intensive SME support workshops
- 'How to create a strategy for business growth' workshop
Business marketing training
- Horsham Film Festival Best Business Video Award
- 'Don't panic! Changes to social media' workshop
- 'Advanced social media for business' masterclass
- 'Making your brand picture perfect' workshop
- 'Introduction to videography' workshop
- 'TikTok for business' masterclass
Market trading training
To make sure you're the first to know the latest updates on the Business Training Programme, sign up to our fortnightly business e-newsletter.
Current training opportunities
Emergency First Aid at Work courses
Join Jenny Legg of Training Legs First Aid for a 1-day FAA Level 3 Award course to get training for a variety of emergency first aid situations in the workplace.
Gain confidence to deal with any of these safely and efficiently.
There are course dates available for venues in Storrington, Pulborough and Henfield.

First aid training: Storrington
- Date and time: Tuesday 3 October 2023, 9:30am to 4:30pm
- Location: Chanctonbury Leisure Centre, Spierbridge Road Storrington, RH20 4BG
First aid training: Pulborough
- Date and time: Tuesday 23 January 2024, 9:30am to 4:30pm
- Location: Pulborough Village Hall, Swan View, Pulborough, RH20 2BF
First aid training: Henfield
- Date and time: Thursday 1 February 2024, 9:30am to 4:30pm
- Location: Henfield Hall, Coopers Way, Henfield, BN5 9EQ
Business management
Sales and negotiation skills
How good is your business at making sales?
Take a new five-minute online quiz to test how effective your business is at sales and negotiation.
This aims to inform businesses and the Council alike of the need to improve skills in this area and identify future training requirements.

'Debunking the complications of Apprenticeship Talent' masterclass
- Join Amy Blick from ExhilHRate HR Consulting for a masterclass on how to successfully unlock apprenticeship talent.
- Date and time: Monday, 8 January 2024, 11:30am to 12:30pm
- Location: Online
'Recruiting via social media' masterclass
- Join Michelle Betts from ByJove Media and Amy Blick from ExhilHRate HR Consulting for a masterclass exploring the benefits of recruiting via social media and which platforms would work best for your business' recruitment strategy.
- Date and time: Tuesday, 6 February 2024, time TBC
- Location: TBC
- For further information email businessdevelopment@horsham.gov.uk.
'People power strategy' workshop
- Join Amy Blick from ExhilHRate HR Consulting for an interactive and focussed session on attracting, onboarding and keeping talent for your business.
- Date and time: Thursday, 29 February 2024, time TBC
- Location: TBC
- For further information email businessdevelopment@horsham.gov.uk.
'Budget setting and cash flow forecasting for small businesses' workshop (Sole Traders)
- Join Carolyn Burchell from Composure Accounting for a practical and relevant session for sole traders to gain the knowledge and the confidence you need to create your own budgets and forecasts.
- Date and time: Tuesday, 5 March 2024, 10am to 2pm
- Location: Billingshurst Community Centre, Roman Way, Billingshurst, RH14 9QW
'Budget setting and cash flow forecasting for small businesses' workshop (Limited Companies)
- Join Carolyn Burchell from Composure Accounting for a practical and relevant session aimed at limited companies to gain the knowledge and the confidence you need to create your own budgets and forecasts.
- Date and time: Tuesday, 12 March 2024, 10am to 2pm
- Location: Billingshurst Community Centre, Roman Way, Billingshurst, RH14 9QW
Ready, Set, Grow! 7 intensive SME support workshops
- Join the team from Digital Islands for 7 expert-led workshops, helping businesses in their first two years of trading. Develop an action plan including tax and accounting, HR and recruitment, PR marketing and social media for businesses. Also included are 1-2-1 progress review sessions tailored to your needs.
- Dates and times:
- Workshop 1, Strategy and Action Plans: Tuesday, 16 April 2024, 10am to 12:30pm
- Workshop 2, HR and Recruitment: Friday, 19 April 2024, 10am to 12:30pm
- Workshop 3, Value Proposition and Positioning: Friday, 26 April 2024, 10am to 12:30pm
- Workshop 4, Key Messages: Friday, 3 May 2024, 10am to 12:30pm
- Workshop 5, Marketing Plan: Friday, 10 May 2024, 10am to 12:30pm
- Workshop 6, Social Media Content: Friday, 17 May 2024, 10am to 12:30pm
- Workshop 7, Finance and Planning: Friday, 24 May 2024, 10am to 12:30pm
- Location: Horsham Library, Lower Tanbridge Way, Horsham, RH12 1PJ
'How to create a strategy for business growth' video series
- Join Mike Clare from Intrinsia for this online video series, where you will be taken through the process of developing and refining strategies, to enable you to identify and achieve the growth you want and adapt to changes in the business environment when they arise. Mike will also take you through how to best prepare for successful implementation of your plans.
- Location: Online pre-recorded video series. Sign up for free to the West Sussex Business Hub to access.
Business marketing
Horsham Film Festival 2023: Best Business Video Award
The Horsham Film Festival is back for its 5th year, run by local video production company Silvertip Films in partnership with the Horsham Everyman Cinema.
For 2023, a new award has been introduced in partnership with the Horsham District Council Business Training Programme – the "Best Business Video Award", where local businesses can enter a video they have produced for their business.

'Don't panic! Changes to social media' workshop
- Join Michelle Betts from ByJove Media for a workshop delving into social media platforms based on current state of play. This will include working out which to use for your business, understanding business social media content, and exploring algorithms and how to work with these to maximise reach and engagement.
- Date and time: Monday, 25 September 2023, 10am to 12pm
- Location: Horsham Park Barn, Park Barn North Street, Horsham, RH12 1RJ
'Advanced social media for business' masterclass
- Join Michelle Betts from ByJove Media for a masterclass exploring each social media platform in detail so you can identify which ones you should be using for your business. It will explore how you should be using each platform, the metrics to monitor, creating a social media strategy , planning content and the dos and don'ts of social media.
- Date and time: Tuesday, 23 January 2024, 9:30am to 4pm
- Location: Horsham Football Club, The Camping World Community Stadium, Worthing Road, Horsham, RH13 0AD
'Making your brand picture perfect' workshop
- Join Sophie Ward Photography for a workshop which will help you build brand confidence through your images so you are seen to be authentic and unique in your business. Also get practical photography tips for use in your business imagery.
- Date and time: Tuesday, 6 February 2024, 10am to 12:30pm
- Location: Shelley Arms, 16-18 Old Guildford Rd, Broadbridge Heath, RH12 3JU
'Introduction to videography' workshop: making video work for your business
- Join Geoff and Mike from Silvertip Films to learn how to make video work for your business with tips, tricks, practical work and more!
- Date and time: Tuesday, 13 February 2024, 9:30am to 4:30pm
- Location: Shelley Arms, 16-18 Old Guildford Rd, Broadbridge Heath, RH12 3JU
Book now by emailing Silvertip Films
'TikTok for business' masterclass
- Join Michelle Betts from ByJove Media for a masterclass exploring social media platform TikTok and how to use it for your business.
- Date and time: Friday, 15 March 2024, 9:30am to 12pm
- Location: Horsham Football Club, The Camping World Community Stadium, Worthing Road, Horsham, RH13 0AD
Market trading
How to make the most of your market stall: top tips video series
- Join Brendan from the National Market Traders Federation (NMTF) to learn useful tips, as a market trader, on how you can make the most of your market stall. The five-part video series covers what to bring, social media for market traders, maximising your stall layout, pricing and signage and taking cashless payments.
- Existing Horsham District market traders who watch all five short videos, have the chance to win one of ten LED rechargeable lights to use on their market stall. Prizes will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis until 30 September 2023.

Join the West Sussex Business Hub
Sign up for free to the West Sussex Business Hub to access further videos and other resources related to the Business Training Programme, alongside an expanding range of local business support, information, advice and opportunities to connect with other local business owners.
The hub is part funded by Horsham District Council in collaboration with Councils across West Sussex and developed by Digital Islands.


The Horsham District Business Training Programme is part-funded by the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.