Skills For Enterprise Blog

Think Green!

Tue, 20 Jan 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Think about the world you live in, don't just take it for granted. Here at Skills for Enterprise we contribute by recycling paper, card and plastics, we turn down the heating and switch off the lights when leaving a room. Here are a few things you can do to help and become more environmentally aware.

Reduce

Think before you buy, do you really need it?
leave messages for family members/roommates on a reusable message board
make your own present labels from christmas/birthday cards
use your own shopping bags

Reuse

Do a car boot sale or sell unwanted items on an internet auction site
switch from disposable to re-usable products including food containers, pens, razors, bags etc
donate items to charity shops
when printing, use both sides of the paper wherever possible
create notepads with scrap paper
use the library for books, cd's, dvd's and magazines
use rechargeable batteries

Recycle

sort your recycling and use the bins provided by your local council at home, your local recycling point or at the tip
buy products made from the highest recycled content whenever possible.
make your own compost heap and use grass cuttings as a natural fertiliser

And remember, whenever possible, keep lights off during the day. Encourage family members to get in the habit of turning off lights when they leave a room. Also try to reduce the amount of water you use, old washing up water can be used to water the plants.

Top Tips to Save Money in 2009!

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 00:00:00 +0000

I often ask myself "where does my money go every month?" We often pay for things with a debit card instead of cash and set up Direct Debits so it is easy to lose track.

If you take a look at what you're spending, you only have have to make some minor changes to save cash. Here are my Top Tips..

Learn to cook

Don't eat out when you can experiment in the kitchen and save money at the same time. As tempting as it may be to get a take away or go for a meal, just think of the cash you could save by eating at home and the satisfaction of eating your own creation!

Take a Packed Lunch

You could be spending up to £25 a week on lunch and could easily save this with a little preparation. You don't have to get up earlier in the mornings, you could make a sandwich the night before and refridgerate it or cook a big batch of food and freeze individual portions.

Cancel your Gym Membership

How often do you actually use the gym? Is it really worth £20-£50 of your hard earned wages every month. Instead you could get gym equipment for your home, workout DVDs or play dancing or exercise games on your games console.

Stop buying a daily paper

It may only be pence but think of the money you'll save and you can read the same articles online, plus they'll be updated regularly.

Take the bus or cycle

Bus fares are usually cheaper than petrol and car running costs, plus you'll be saving the planet, even more so if you cycle which gives you the added bonus of exercise. If you choose either of these methods of transport you may also save money on your car insurance as you'll be driving fewer miles.

Shop around for the best prices

This applies to food, clothes and utility bills. You should shop around for absolutely everything to save cash and it doesn't necessarily mean by traipsing around the shops. You can look online, there are many price comparison websites available. Try to buy food that's on offer and remember you can always buy discounted food and freeze it if it's close to the best before date.

Make your own beer/wine

A great way to reduce costs, beer/wine making kits are easy, affordable and often make 40 pints for as little as £9.99 that's 25p a pint! Patience is required as it can take 4 weeks to ferment but the results and the savings are worth it.

Realise your Potential!

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 00:00:00 +0000

What do you want to be? Why aren't you doing it now? Get skills with Skills for Enterprise!

Don't let a lack of qualifications or basic skills hold you back from realising your potential. You can be great!

Check out our Find a Course section now.

If you want to start your own business, you've come to the right place. Click here for our Start a Business section

Welcome to SfE!

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Welcome to the brand new Skills for Enterprise website.

I'm really pleased to be able to welcome you to our new website - a lot of hard work and preparation has gone into it and I hope you'll agree it was worth while.

The new site will allow our clients and customers to see the full range of services that we offer and, more conveniently, book courses and workshops online.

We hope you enjoy browsing the site and would be grateful for any feedback you may have to make this even better.