Robert Gordon University – partnering with women entrepreneurs

Since 2021, Women in Business has supported more than 100 women and mothers in the Aberdeenshire area who are considering starting their own business venture or entering self-employment. The initiative is a partnership between Robert Gordon University and Aberdeenshire Council and is funded by the Scottish Government’s Parental Employability Support Fund. Through free, online, interactive workshops delivered by the University over a seven-week period, the programme takes participants through the necessary steps to create a feasible and viable business, focused on the needs of women as mothers.

Women in Business is a strong fit with the University’s entrepreneurial strengths and the initiative seeks to address a persistent gender-gap in entrepreneurial participation in Scotland. The programme won the award for Outstanding Business Engagement at the Herald Higher Education Awards in 2023. Recognising the success and achievements of the programme, in 2024 the University was awarded funding to scale-up the programme through partnering with the University of Stirling and the University of the West of Scotland to deliver the programme in other local authority areas.

From 2025, the programme will be delivered in the Orkney Islands, Shetland Islands, and Outer Hebrides as part of the pan-island TalEntEd Programme, supported by funding from the Islands Growth Deal.