A new hub for women looking to set up in business, seek employment or training opportunities and gain confidence has been unveiled in Dundee today (Monday 8 August 2022).
As part of its mission to remove barriers to employment and entrepreneurship, Women’s Business Station has taken up residence within a previously vacant retail unit in the city’s Wellgate.
Today, various businesses, Dundee City Council officials and other guests joined to celebrate the new premises, while local artist Daisy MacGowan created a live installation within the space, a timeline of Women’s Business Station’s journey to date.
The move coincides with the organisation’s decision to remove monthly membership fees due to the ongoing cost of living crisis and, instead, to implement a one-off fee giving members access to a community of over 500 like-minded women, 11 empowerment partners and the new hub.
The 2,000 sq ft space on the first floor incorporates a number of spaces including a Learning zone which will accommodate all workshops and training programmes, including the Aspiring Women programme and courses offered by Dundee and Angus College. The Learning zone can also be rented out by local businesses.
Meanwhile, the Showcase zone will allow women to promote their products or services, with extra space to conduct market research with shoppers.
As well as housing a co-working space where members can work and interact with other members, an additional area has also been created for local organisations to rent. The Discovery zone will provide a space for employers to engage with local women, including for recruitment or networking purposes.
One of the businesses currently benefitting from the space is Balhousie Care Group, also a Women’s Business Station Empowerment Partner.
Louise Byars, Head of Corporate Services, said, “The Place of Possibility has created an accessible and safe hub for women in our community to network, develop and learn so they can thrive and reach their full potential. Balhousie Care Group looks forward to working with the WBS community in this space to offer support, training and job opportunities. A career in care is not only extremely rewarding due to the fundamental difference that can be made to the lives of others, but also offers job security, flexible working, career progression, training and the opportunity to work on cutting-edge research programmes”.
Since its launch in 2019, Women’s Business Station has supported 800 women, 209 of whom have launched businesses and 168 growing a business. An additional 243 have entered into positive pathways such as education, career progression or volunteering, with 195 new jobs created. In doing so, a staggering £10.4M of economic impact has been generated within the city and surrounding areas.
Angie De Vos, CEO of Women’s Station, believes that the new unit will allow the organisation to support even more women – “Having a presence in Wellgate is a real game-changer for us and will be a place of possibility for so many local women.
“Every day, women are walking through our city centre who aspire to do more, whether training, finding work or setting up their own enterprise. However, taking that first step can be daunting. We want to welcome these women, provide a safe space to talk through their ideas, gain support, make connections and make things happen. The unit also gives us the perfect, flexible space for everything from training programmes and networking events to a place women can pop in and do a bit of work, meet other women and feel part of something bigger.”
The new premises have been made possible by a number of funders and local businesses, including Women’s Business Station Empowerment Partner McLaughlin & Harvey, who have provided flooring and electrics free of charge, Dundee City Council and Tricorn.
Mark Flynn, Convener of Dundee City Council’s City Development Committee, said, “Backing new and innovative ways of creating a vibrant city centre is important, particularly when it is clear that the tried and tested business models are currently under strain. Our grant comes in three parts for the fit-out, start-up and contribution to the first year’s running costs and each part is only paid on successful completion of the previous stage.
“I very much welcome the opening of this hub, with its double benefit of providing valuable and useful services for women looking to set up their own business or get into employment or training, as well as creating a destination that will encourage people to visit Wellgate.”
As part of its mission to engage with more women and to support hard-to-reach communities, Women’s Business Station has also removed its membership subscription. Replaced by an annual £20 membership admin fee, training programmes and networking events will be offered on a ‘pay as you go’ basis, with some opportunities available through a small donation.
Angie continued, “Throughout Scotland, many female sectors, already affected by inequality, were decimated by Covid. However, there’s a quiet army of undervalued and low-paid women with a vision, talent or something they’d love to do, and we can help them get there. By removing our membership subscription, we become one less bill to pay. Instead, women can pay for what they choose to do, meaning we can attract even more women into our community and make our offering more accessible and affordable in the process.”
The new premises are located at Women's Business Station, Unit 18, First Floor, Wellgate, Victoria Road, Dundee, DD1 2DB. open from 9am until 5pm, Monday to Friday.
For more information, visit https://www.businessstation.co.uk/
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Womens Business Station
Founded in December 2019, Women's Business Station aims to be “The first stop to the best start” for women looking to start, build or grow a business.
