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How Ipswich will celebrate Small Business Week

Queensland Small Business Week kicks off on Monday, with thousands of Ipswich SMEs taking advantage of various programs, events and grants being offered by government.

About 20 local business women have been participating in an Advancing Women in Business – People Leadership Program, with the fourth and final module, Inspire My Team, being held at Springfield Central on Wednesday.

State Member for Jordan Charis Mullen will present certificates to graduates at the conclusion.

The program is funded through the Advancing Women in Business initiative by the Queensland Government and is a collaboration between the National Retail Association and the Councils, including the City of Ipswich.

Robin McAuley, the NRA trainer/facilitator of these programs, said it was rewarding to see so many Ipswich business women attending the courses, which also included modules on effective communication, people management and leading a team.

“We’ve had lawyers, accountants, vets, retailers – such a very diverse group of business women here to pick up some opportunities to up-skill,” she said.

“These women want to learn what we call soft skills. They have the hard skills from the day-to-day running of their businesses and the general work environment. But these courses give them help with management, leadership, delegation, coaching.”

Ms McAuley said the feedback had been excellent.

Rae Carter, from Greater Springfield Veterinary, had attended the people management module and found the course helpful.

“I felt there was something to be learned from all sections. The activities were relevant to sections to cement theory,” she said.

The Queensland Government defines small business as an SME that has 20 or fewer employees. There are about 426,000 small businesses across Queensland.  According the government figures, they employ 44 per cent of all private sector workers.

The last week of May is designated as QSBW (Queensland Small Business Week) and is celebrating its sixth year.

In 2019, Ipswich City Council has worked with the region’s three Chambers of Commerce and the National Retail Association, and is supporting various events during the week.

The major event is a Regional Business Expo at the Ipswich Civic Centre on 29 May. One of the aims of this event is to encourage local Indigenous businesses to showcase their businesses as part of QSBW.

The Greater Springfield Chamber will be hosting a pop up store for its members in Orion Springfield Central for the entire week, with more than 25 local businesses expected to take part.

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