Home working funding of £3,000 available

A project aimed at home working is offering funding to encourage employers to recruit more home workers.

The Home Working Fund, managed by business enterprise agency Entrust, is still open for applications.  This unique fund can contribute up to £3,000 towards the costs of training and equipment for each new home worker that an employer recruits.

To date, Entrust has helped 16 companies to successfully access the fund and create over 230 jobs. Businesses of all sizes and sectors have secured money, including a growing travel business, a digital marketing company and a research agency.

Bob Travers, Managing Director of Vir2all, a home-based virtual call centre, comments: “With modern technology, our call handlers can operate anywhere irrespective of geography. Our future operating plans will require us to double our workforce and invest in a new hub to manage our expanding home-working team.”

Staff loyalty and motivation were at the heart of VeryCheapHolidays.com’s plans for the introduction of home workers. Director Nick Jackson said: “We are delighted to have the opportunity to take part in this exciting project. Part of our USP is having the flexibility to offer home-working positions to all staff that we recruit and employ. ‘5 to 9’ working is a vital part of our service offer and enables us to stand out from High Street-based competitors.”

Entrust’s Chief Executive, Dan Brophy, said: “This unique initiative is helping employers in the region to fast track their growth plans. Research demonstrates that employers benefit from increased productivity from home workers and also reduced overheads. I would encourage all businesses out there, both large and small, who may be thinking of employing new home workers to give Entrust a call.”