Grow your business

If you're planning expansion or investment in Middlesbrough, you can contact Invest in Middlesbrough using the business support enquiry form.

A range of support advice and grant support is available for SMEs through the Tees Valley Business Hub. Advisers can work with your business to complete a full assessment of what your business needs to grow. This includes energy efficiency improvements, up-skilling of staff / managers / owners, digitisation of your business, capital growth grants, and exporting your products and services.

Tees Valley Business offers business support for new and growing businesses. New funded support programmes include: supply chain development, investor readiness, innovation, digital transformation, scale up, and help with carbon reduction planning. Some schemes have a small grant to support your plans.

If you're a larger company looking to invest in Middlesbrough, Middlesbrough Council provides further information about the town and area.

If you're looking to expand your premises, grow or relocate into Middlesbrough you can look at council premises and land available to rent, or search a variety of commercial agents to discuss your specific needs.

High street banks and a range of organisations offer commercial lending, loans, private finance, and private equity, as well as accessing public funds to support the growth of your business.

Local organisations with newly-launched funds include:

FW Capital - Teesside Flexible Investment Fund

GB Bank - commercial developer finance

NEL Fund Managers - Northern Powerhouse Investment Funds II

Northstar Ventures - EIS Funds

UKSE - equity and business funding

If you're looking to expand your business by taking on new employees, Tees Valley Combined Authority offers apprenticeship support for employers.

The Tees Valley Combined Authority Wheels 2 Work scheme offers young people (aged 16+) the chance to hire an electric motorbike or electric bicycle. This supports people who cannot access employment or training because they live in remote areas which are not well served by public transport, or who work outside of normal working hours.

Your local Jobcentre Plus (JCP) offers an extensive range of free services to assist business growth, including HR advice and a recruitment service to help your business take on staff under work experience placements, apprenticeships, and work trials. You can contact the Employer Engagement Advisor at Middlesbrough's Jobcentre Plus on 01642 398557.

Middlesbrough College and The Forge at Teesside University can work with you to recruit apprentices and graduates, as well as offer work experience placements and internship opportunities.

Support from Middlesbrough Community Learning

Middlesbrough Community Learning is Middlesbrough Council's apprenticeship, adult learning, and employability service. It offers free advice and support, as well as a range of training and qualifications.

This includes:

• apprenticeships and apprenticeship funding for new and existing staff
• digital skills training and qualifications (classroom-based and online)
• Functional Skills English and Maths qualifications (GCSE equivalent, both classroom-based and online)
• English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)
• health and wellbeing
• recruitment events and campaigns
• training linked to local job sectors, for example catering, hospitality, cleaning, and health and social care
• work experience opportunities with Middlesbrough Council

To find out more, contact Middlesbrough Community Learning on 01642 811400 or email info@mcls.ac.uk.

There are various methods of marketing you can use to grow your presence, including advertising, sponsorship, writing press releases, and digital marketing (social media, email newsletters, etc.). There are many high quality marketing agencies in the region which support businesses. You can find out more about digital marketing training for your staff on the EMS website.

The Invest in Middlesbrough website lists upcoming business events. Organisations which provide business support may have mailing lists you can sign up for, to find out about events, as well as news and advice.

Attending networks can help to grow your business, as well as giving you the chance to connect with support organisations and businesses which would benefit from your services. See the list below:

• CBI North East
• EEF - The Manufacturers' Organisation
• Enterprise Made Simple
• Entrepreneurs' Forum
• Federation of Small Businesses
• Institute of Directors North East
• North East England Chamber of Commerce (NECC)
• North East England Process Industry Cluster (NEPIC) - companies and supply chain of the process industry
• NOF Energy - companies in the oil, gas, nuclear, and offshore renewables sectors
• RTC
• Tees Engineering Network
• Tees Valley Business Club
• Teesside University
• The Materials Processing Centre

If you can offer a service or product to the council, you can visit the commissioning and procurement section to find upcoming contract tender details.