A recent report showed that, as the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic has continued, more and more male-founded businesses have found ways to grow – whereas the number of women-led start-ups reporting growth has seen a sharp decrease.

With women-owned businesses already in the minority, STV and WES have stepped forward to support women with resources, training and insights to help boost their business aspirations and enable them to play a leading role in the Scottish economy.

The partnership will include:

• STV Masterclasses for subscribers to the Women’s Business Centre website, an innovative new, free support platform helping hundreds of women across Scotland to start up and grow a business
• WES expert presentations at STV Growth Academy events to catalyse business innovation and growth
• Women’s Business Centre presentations at STV Growth Academy events to build business community resilience and strategies for managing through the pandemic, from the lived experiences of leading businesswomen
• STV training and support for the Women’s Enterprise Scotland Ambassador programme, which brings together over 50 female entrepreneurs to provide visible, relatable role models for women who are considering starting a business or are growing an existing one.

WES was created in 2011 to develop the full potential of female business owners, and create an environment where women-led businesses can thrive.

STV, as the leading media brand in Scotland, reaches at least 82% of Scots each month. By harnessing STV’s wealth of experience in media planning, creative brand development, consumer insight and driving a return on investment, the new partnership will support women entrepreneurs in building successful, enduring businesses.

Research shows that women-owned companies contribute £8.8 billion into the Scottish economy every year and have created over 230,000 jobs in local communities across the country. However, women-owned employer firms still make up just 15% of the business base in Scotland.

Carolyn Currie, Women’s Enterprise Scotland CEO, said: “Since our inception in 2011, WES has been committed to calling for the needs-based, gender-specific business support which research shows will enable more women to fulfil their aspirations and unlock an £8.8bn economic opportunity for Scotland. One of the ways this support can be delivered is by collaborating with commercially astute, expert partners, which is why we are delighted to be working with STV to give women business owners access to their wealth of media skills and to the STV Growth Academy and its experience in supporting SMEs.

“The inclusive economic growth set out by the Sustainable Development Goals will not happen without targeted action. Our recently launched Women’s Business Centre is the first freely accessible digital platform providing gender-aware business support in Scotland, created by experts in women’s enterprise and women entrepreneurs themselves.

“The platform is designed to help women start and grow their own businesses and realise their full business potential. We look forward to collaborating with STV on a number of initiatives which will enable women business owners from across Scotland to access a new range of expert resources to boost their business growth.”

Peter Reilly, commercial director at STV, added: “We’re thrilled to partner with Women’s Enterprise Scotland as an ‘agent of change’, helping to provide a strong network of support for women business owners to develop, scale up and thrive during this challenging time.

“At STV, we’re committed to supporting the next generation of businesses to drive Scotland’s economic recovery. This collaboration will unleash the potential of women business owners across the country and, in turn, help tackle the unacceptable gender gap in Scottish enterprise participation.”