PRIME Initiative

PRIME’s nationwide offer for anyone over 50 in the UK is described here. This is the basic offer made to anyone over 50 contacting PRIME for help with self-employment, from anywhere in the UK.

Startup pack
Because a very large number of people contact PRIME, our initial response is a “light-touch” offer. It consists of a pack of easy to follow guides and work-books, written in a straightforward style that avoids academic and specialised language. The pack, based on our unique experience of this age group, is designed specifically for those aged over 50. The pack enables our clients to orientate themselves on the enterprise journey. They can then email or use the web (www.primebusinessclub.com to “ask our experts”. The pack also contains instructions on where further support can be found in their locality. For some of our clients the pack is just what they need.

Mentoring

PRIME is working towards a universal mentoring offer. We have found that many of our potential olderpreneurs, especially those who have been employees for 25 or 30 years, are faced with one of the biggest changes in their lives. They need a mentor who is trained to work with them rather than to be left on their own to make major decisions. We cannot guarantee to have a mentor for all who want and need one - recruiting, training and co-ordinating mentors costs money - but the mentor network is growing.

Road-shows and training programmes

PRIME runs a range of pre-enterprise road-shows for the over 50s where clients can hear about enterprise, discuss issues and meet their peers. For many, this is exactly the spur they need, and very few come out of a PRIME road-show without having found someone else to at least discuss the enterprise journey with and without knowing where further help can be found. PRIME also offers more specific programmes centred on subjects we have found many over 50s want help with. This includes thinking about an area of business that suits you, understanding marketing, the role of IT in your business, and many more.

Concentrated support

In some areas of the UK the support has to be concentrated. These are often areas where heavy industries have disappeared and people have been unemployed for long periods, often experiencing successive training courses or programmes for jobs that do not exist. The support needs to be far more concentrated, often involving one-to-one sessions. This kind of provision is effective but it is expensive on resources. Some of the work PRIME is currently doing is shown on the projects links above. It is also the sort of thing the new government’s new Working Neighbourhoods Fund may support.