Resources for mentees
Useful information
Case studies
Construction & property
Consumer products
Creative services
Education & training
Hotels & restaurants
IT & telecoms
Manufacturing
Professional services
Renewable energy
Resources for mentors
Other resources
Regional events
Best Practice Toolkit

Growth in Store for Employment Coaching and Training Business

A Plymouth employment training and coaching company is set to launch new programmes after using mentoring support from Lloyds TSB Commercial and Business Mentors South West.

The Mentoring Initiative, implemented by the Business Finance Taskforce and set up by the British Bankers’ Association, aims to provide practical business tips and networking opportunities to aid growth by teaming young companies up with trained mentors.

One beneficiary of this mentoring support is In Good Company, which works with graduates, universities, colleges and businesses to provide training and coaching to allow people to improve their skills and improve their job prospects.

The business was founded in February 2011 by Jo Wheatley and Zoe Hawkins, after they left their previous jobs in HR to form their own consultancy.

Having delivered a programme of employability training for Plymouth University, In Good Company is now set to launch a new series of Graduate Bootcamps. These training courses will provide skills to help new graduates secure jobs and will take place in Plymouth, Bristol, Cambridge, Leicester and London throughout the final quarter of the year.

In February this year, Jo and Zoe joined the Business Mentors South West programme. This linked the business up with Jackie Jenks, business mentoring manager at Lloyds TSB Commercial, who has been offering impartial guidance to the business on how to explore new opportunities.

Jo Wheatley, co-founder of In Good Company, said: “As coaches ourselves, we understand the importance of seeking guidance from people with strong skill sets and this led us to take up the opportunity to benefit from some mentoring.

“The support that we gained through the Business Mentors South West and Lloyds TSB Commercial scheme has really helped to give us clarity and think about other options to grow the business. Jackie has always been accessible and open, as well as providing honest feedback.

“It’s safe to say that without the guidance from our mentoring sessions, we probably wouldn’t have thought about introducing the Graduate Bootcamps, but we are excited about the opportunities that these present for the business.”

Jackie Jenks, business mentoring manager at Lloyds TSB Commercial, said: “Jo and Zoe have used their considerable experience in HR and training in order to launch In Good Company, and they have already achieved some really strong results.

“They have also recognised the huge benefits that mentoring can provide for any business, especially those that are fairly new and still growing and developing.’’