#WECAN Driving Change - Attracting and retaining talent

Female entrepreneurship, intrapreneurship and studies on women’s employment journeys have significantly increased in recent years, highlighting their growing importance in the business world and in particular SME’s (small and medium enterprises).

Despite this progress, women face additional hurdles compared to their male counterparts, including challenges in accessing financing, balancing work with family responsibilities, overcoming organisational barriers, breaking silos and accessing opportunities to progress within their organisation.

Evidence suggests that women have huge potential to transform organisations and ability to exhibit remarkable resilience in overcoming adversity and successfully advancing their careers.

This phenomenon highlights the necessity of empowering, enabling and equipping women to overcome the barriers that women encounter while also recognising their ability to make a real difference to organisations and our communities.….

#WECAN Research

As part of the #WECAN Project part funded by the European Social Fund (2021 – 2023), academics from Leeds Beckett University and Edge Hill University conducted research into the barriers faced by women and businesses enrolled on the project.

In the first of our #WECAN Driving Change series supported by Lloyds Bank Business and Commercial, we will be introducing the initial findings of our #WECAN research based on the life experiences of those involved in the project – how do our findings resonate with the wider industry and what is next?

Focusing on attracting and retaining talent we will be asking How can we support SMEs to identify and implement solutions that are fit for their organisation and contribute to its overall long-term sustainability and resilience?

The #WECAN Network

Led by Leeds Beckett University in partnership with Edge Hill University and SEYH, the #WECAN Network supported by Lloyds Bank is a community of women, businesses and supporting organisations

To put it simply - we support, champion and connect women in leadership.

We support you by developing your leadership skills and confidence.

We champion you by celebrating your successes and amplifying your voices.

We connect you with other women, businesses, and available support.

The #WECAN Network gives you access to a supportive community of women, businesses and supporting organisations alongside:

· Knowledge, expertise, and talent at Leeds Beckett University and our partners

· Workshops hosted by leadership development specialists

· Opportunities to connect at networking and co-working days bespoke to you

· The latest news, opportunities, and tailored resources

Supported by Lloyds Bank Business & Commercial

Thanks to support from Lloyds Bank, it is free to access our community, events and support.

Lloyds Bank are committed to supporting women-led businesses to scale, providing more networking opportunities, and encouraging more girls and women into sectors where they are most underrepresented.

Visit their Women Entrepreneur Hub for access to supportive communities, resources, and products to help you manage and grow your business.

Privacy Statement - What happens to your personal data

The personal data you provide will only be processed in accordance with a University Privacy Notice. For the purpose of this business activity the legal basis relied upon for processing your personal data is consent. Your personal data will be managed within Leeds Beckett systems for the period of the #WECAN network plus 1 year. The LBU Records Retention Schedule provides full details in relation to how long we retain information.

The University embeds the GDPR data protection principals in the management of personal information. For more information on these principals, how to exercise your rights and freedoms and how to contact us please visit our privacy webpage at https://www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/our-university/public-information/information-compliance/privacy-your-rights-and-freedoms/

Contact us

Website - www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/wecan

Email - [email protected]

Twitter - @wecanlbs

LinkedIn - #WECAN

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