People running small businesses in the Bath and Swindon areas have been invited to free workshops run by the University of Bath in Swindon's Business Hub.

The workshops began yesterday in Bath and will take place in Swindon on Tuesday, July 11 from 9am to 4pm.

Designed for micro-businesses with up to 10 employees, the workshops are a taster for the Business Hub's full Leadership And Management programme, which helps employers to develop new skills and improve business performance.

Led by Jim Wade, from the Business Improvement Network, participants will set their own agenda for the day, using a technique called Open Space.

Jim has successfully run Open Space workshops in big companies such as Orange, and with groups of small businesses.

Employers will be able to identify their priorities for leadership and management, discuss issues, share experiences and create new learning tools to take back to the workplace.

The workshops are an opportunity to find out more about the full leadership and management programme which starts in September at the Business Hub in Swindon and in Bath.

The free programme includes workshops with experts in business, practical University courses and professional and friendly support for participants.

The programme is partly funded by European Social Fund to support its work with local businesses.

To register for a workshop event or find out more about the Leadership And Management programme email project officer Carole Sheppard at leadershipsw@bath.ac.uk telephone 01793 328772 or visit the website www.leadershipsw.co.uk.