ISLE of Wight businesses have the opportunity to benefit from a free university course.

The University of Portsmouth has teamed up with multi-award-winning design studio, Brightbulb Design, to bring IW Business Boost to our shores. 

The course — funded by the Isle of Wight Council, HM Government and the European Regional Development Fund — will see up to 120 businesses benefit.

It will be delivered on the Isle of Wight by the university and members of the business community, and will give each business 12 hours of dedicated support through four two-hour workshops and regular one-to-one mentoring sessions.

Pete Hooley, director of business development at the University of Portsmouth, said: “We have some outstanding courses for businesses at the University of Portsmouth, however, we have found that the stretch of water between Portsmouth and the Island has become a barrier to entry. 

"So, for the first time, we have decided to bring the university to the Island, so that Isle of Wight businesses can benefit from what we have to offer."

The programme has been specifically created for Island businesses to improve productivity and support their business resilience and growth. 

The first cohort of businesses, focussing on general business advice, started on May 24, with the second cohort focussing on digital support set to start on the June 9. 

Dates are yet to be announced for two further free courses around tourism and destination management and managing people. 

To find out more and keep up to date with the latest start dates, you should visit www.iwbusinessboost.com