Your pathway to business growth and skills
Welcome to your single destination for business support, industry collaboration and skills development in Hampshire.
Whether you want to grow your business, connect with sector networks or upskill for the future, here we’ve brought together services that help organisations and individuals thrive.
Business support – Hampshire Growth Hub
The Hampshire Growth Hub provides fully funded guidance, mentoring and workshops to help businesses start, grow and scale. Our expert advisers offer tailored support in:
- Business planning and strategy
- Sales and marketing
- Workforce development
- Sustainability
- Access to finance
The Hampshire Growth Hub connects you with local, regional and national services and delivers dedicated programmes for SMEs looking to overcome challenges and accelerate growth.
Skills and employment – upskilling for the future
Access free and impartial advice and guidance on apprenticeships, Skills Bootcamps and wider employment initiatives. This includes support for organisations looking to recruit and upskill their employees, as well as for individuals in Hampshire who want to gain the capabilities employers need now and in the future.
Connect to Work
Connect to Work is a new supported employment programme funded by the Government, designed to help people with disabilities, health conditions or complex barriers into sustainable jobs. The programme will provide up to 12 months of personalised support, including job search assistance, employer engagement and in-work coaching. This voluntary programme uses the proven “place, train and maintain” model to help residents succeed in work.
Get support to find work
Advice on apprenticeships and training
Get support to navigate apprenticeship schemes and government-funded training opportunities.
Hampshire Careers Hub – connecting education and employers
The Hampshire Careers Hub links schools and colleges with employers, strengthening careers education and bridging the gap between the classroom and the labour market. Working to the Gatsby Benchmarks, the Hub enables business volunteers to share sector insights and create experiences that help young people make informed choices and build employability.
Skills Bootcamps – flexible training for real jobs
Part of the Government’s Lifetime Skills Guarantee, Skills Bootcamps deliver flexible, sector-specific training (minimum 60 hours delivered across a period of up to 16 weeks) with clear pathways into jobs, including guaranteed interviews for eligible learners. Programmes respond to local employer demand and support both new entrants and existing staff to progress.
Driving innovation through industry clusters
Hampshire and the wider Southern region are home to world-class industries. These are strengthened through targeted cluster development in sectors such as:
- Defence and security
- Creative and digital
- Life sciences
Support includes:
- Facilitating collaboration – bringing together businesses, academia and research organisations to share knowledge and drive innovation.
- Unlocking investment – promoting regional strengths to attract inward investment and help businesses scale.
Data and Insights – intelligence for growth
Explore data and insights on sector trends, skills needs and growth opportunities. Access strategies and programmes that align training with employer needs – supporting recruitment, staff development and long-term growth.
