A charity which received substantial D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership funding to extend its reach is spreading awareness of hearing problems in the business community.
The Ear Foundation of Sherwin Road, Lenton, Nottingham, specialises in helping hearing impaired children and adults through the latest technology.
Last year (2015) it opened an additional facility – the £700,000 ‘Sherman Centre’ – (pictured) with the help of a £120,000 Unlocking Investment for Growth (UI4G) grant from the D2N2 LEP, with a view to expanding its services and staff numbers.
Since then it has taken on additional expert staff and, in June (2016), launched its SoundSpace Online website, bringing together a wide range of practical resources and information available on hearing loss. The website is at www.soundspaceonline.com
Now the Ear Foundation is offering the business community awareness training on hearing loss.
The Deaf Awareness workshop for businesses and other organisations will be held next month at the charity’s base, on Tuesday September 27, from 2pm to 4pm.
It will highlight the difficulties hearing loss can bring for employees, including reducing effective communication in the workplace, and employers, with potentially lost customers, and ways of addressing these issues at little cost.
“Our deaf awareness training may be just the solution you are looking for. This training will support you and your workforce to feel confident when communicating with someone who has a hearing loss,” said an Ear Foundation spokesperson.
The charity’s workshop, to be delivered by a professional in the field, will cost £40 per delegate. Refreshments are included.
For more information and to book a place go to web link www.earfoundation.org.uk/news/articles/545
The Unlocking Investment for Growth (UI4G) programme – which has now closed and is no longer accepting applications – was funded by the UK’s Regional Growth Fund and the European Regional Development Fund. UI4G grant awards were given by the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership‘s Investment Panel, chaired by Peter Gadsby. The aim of the fund is to create long term sustainable jobs.
Grants already approved will create over 400 new jobs and safeguard a further 350 existing jobs. The programme has inspired business owners in the D2N2 area to invest over £20million, alongside the grant support of £4.7million, to grow their businesses. The programme was managed for D2N2 by EMB Ltd.
