CHILDCARE businesses in Salisbury and south Wiltshire are being urged to develop their commercial expertise and team management skills to ensure long-term success.

As the demand grows for child care services, Business Link Berkshire and Wiltshire, operating as Skills4Business in Wiltshire, has organised free half-day workshops specifically for childcare organisations employing between five and 49 people.

Morning and afternoon workshops will take place in Salisbury on October 18.

They are designed as a taster to a wider programme of support provided by Skills4Business, designed to help owners and managers identify and implement processes that will have a positive impact on the performance of staff.

As well as using the principles of the Investors in People standard as the basis for the workshops, Skills4Business will also highlight other sources of support.

Workshop participants will develop an action plan for their particular organisation, learn how employee development improves business performance and how they can maintain a motivated team.

They will also have the opportunity of signing up to a subsidised programme of support, comprising four workshops and one-to-one guidance from an adviser, who will spend two days working with delegates to help implement their action plan and procedures.

Business Link says 26 childcare organisations across Wiltshire and Berkshire have already benefited from undertaking the full support programme.

Julie Cromwell-Hughes, a specialist adviser with Skills4Business, said: "Childcare organisations are under immense pressure to implement improvements that will enable their staff to work more efficiently, while still increasing parent satisfaction and profitability.

"This is a daunting task, particularly when demands on their time are so extreme.

"Our workshop will give them much-needed time to reflect on their own practices, consider their organisation's strengths and weaknesses and plan for the future."

To reserve a place or obtain more information, telephone 0845 751 2288.

Business Link is looking for partners from Wiltshire to help with its new executive coaching service to directors and senior executives of companies employing between 20 and 249 employees. The objective of the coaching service is to improve business performance by enhancing the effectiveness of senior executives and directors as business leaders.

Janet Robbins, business development manager for Business Link, said: "Our network of business partners and suppliers is crucial to how Business Link can support small and medium-sized companies."

To register an interest in the executive coaching service, contact Business Link on 0845 600 4141 or e-mail info@blbw.co.uk