BUSINESSWOMEN in Swindon have been offered the chance to make a lasting difference to others starting up their own company.

The University of Bath in Swindon started a Women into Enterprise scheme in October, which launched 62 people off on three different classes.

Another class started on Saturdays in January and there are plans to have a fresh intake of about 100 in September.

Now the university is looking for businesswomen to become mentors to the women going through the course.

Marc Braddock, Bath University's assistant director of business skills, says it is a win-win situation. Mentors may be from a background of having run a successful business on their own, or they may be in management at a large corporate.

They will be trained in mentoring by Business Link Berkshire and Wiltshire and in return will be asked to provide at least 20 hours of mentoring.

Mr Braddock said: "The mentor may be a bank manager, who would be able to return to the bank with extra skills.

"They need to be able to listen to the mentee. It's not about telling someone how to do their job but about allowing them to consider the options. Out of that experience both the mentor and mentee will develop personally."

The Women in Enterprise project was set up after a grant from the European Social Fund.

Among the companies under development are cleaning, beauty salons and childcare businesses.

Mr Braddock said: "The aim is to support women who have an idea they want to develop. It takes them through confidence-building, creating a marketing and business plan and a host of skills associated with business.

"At the moment we want to provide them with business mentors, preferably female.

"The next step is that we, as a university, are seeking to complement that with a follow-on training programme for the mentors and provide ongoing feedback and support and use a really first class facilitator.

"At the moment we're working on getting funding for that."

The extra course would run in tandem with the Business Link training.

Mr Braddock said: "We hope that people will stick around or take on other women to mentor, so not only does the expertise get passed on but also we can help build up our and Business Link's stock of mentors.

"If any women go directly to Business Link, rather than coming through us, they will have a good set of people to turn to."

l If you think you have what it takes to nurture the next generation of Martha Lane Foxes, Anita Roddicks and Sly Baileys, contact Women into Enterprise project officer Amar Basra on 01793 328770 or Business Link's Lesley Brooker-Smith on 01225 712302.

There is a free Women into Enterprise roadshow at Hartham Park in Corsham on Thursday between 10.30am and 4pm. Call Katie Green on 01793 428336.