"University of Essex is Jump Starting Small Business" says Doug Richard, S4S Founder

Oct. 18, 2009 - PRLog -- (Essex, England) -- Doug Richard, Dragons' Den investor and serial entrepreneur delivered his "Get Started Right & Grow Fast Now" Master Class to more than a hundred entrepreneurs at the University of Essex Saturday October 10th.  The class was offered free to start ups and struggling small business owners in the Essex area under the Economic Challenge Investment Fund (ECIF).

"The University of Essex is Jump Starting Small Business across Essex and Suffolk," said Doug Richard after the event.  "The accelerated instruction provided by their progam targets the companies most likely to lead the UK out of recession."

Dr Janice Pittis, Director of the Research and Enterprise Office for the University of Essex says "Responding rapidly to the needs of employers and individuals (including graduates) during the economic downturn, the University of Essex has rolled out a programme of skills-related training across Essex and Suffolk. We are developing new online resources to help people maximise their skills and increase both profitability and employability. The programme runs until the end of September 2010 with funding from the Government’s Economic Challenge Investment Fund (ECIF)."

About the University of Essex
The University of Essex is one of the UK's leading academic institutions. Founded in 1964 when it opened its doors to a cohort of just 122 students at Wivenhoe Park in Colchester, the University has grown in both reputation and size, developing a worldwide reputation for top quality teaching and research.

Contact:
Nicola Coleman
School for Startups
+44 (0) 7702 313 226
www.schoolforstartups.co.uk
info@www.schoolforstartups.co.uk

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About Doug Richard:
Doug Richard, an original Dragons' Den investor, and successful serial entrepreneur, received an honorary Queen's Award for Enterprise Promotion for his work promoting, developing and helping entrepreneurs in May 2006. In May 2008 Richard published his investigation into the British government's support of small businesses, The Richard Report. For more information on Doug Richard, visit School for Startups at www.schoolforstartups.co.uk. You can follow Richard on Twitter at @s4startups.