Background & History
Where we came from
Train 2000 is an award winning women's economic development agency established in 1996 in response to an identified need for accessible and quality economic development programmes for women on Merseyside. The agency operates as a non profit distributing social enterprise delivering a range of bespoke enterprise, education, employment, consultancy and research services on behalf of a variety of public, private and third sector clients.
Since its inception, Train 2000 has secured and successfully delivered a number of large UK and European public sector contracts and is now recognised as a leading developer and deliverer of innovative and effective enterprise support interventions.
The organisation has an international reputation in delivery of social enterprise and women's economic development services working with public, private and third sector partners across Europe, South Africa, USA and in Japan.
Train 2000 has been recognised as a model of good practice by the European Commission in both 1999 and 2003 and was awarded the prestigious Euro Cities Award in 2002 for its innovative programme development and delivery in women's enterprise. The organisation was a winner of the Inner Cities 100 Award for achieving outstanding levels of growth since 1996 as a social enterprise operating in the inner city. Train 2000's consultancy services were recognised as a leader in the field when our client WEETU received the first Barbara Castle award for Equality in Pay Model.
Mission and Objectives
Train 2000 seeks to be an innovative organisation that provides quality enterprise and employment services for women and influences policy in order to improve the economic position of all women.
We achieve this mission in three key ways:
- Through providing a range of quality, client sensitive enterprise and employment services for women in Merseyside.
- By influencing local, regional, national and international policy and practices in the area of women's economic development.
- By developing and maintaining Train 2000 as a sustainable organisation able to meet achieve its mission.
Our Values
All of Train 2000's activities are underpinned by our organisational values, which are:
- To be inclusive, recognising the needs of individual women and particularly ensuring that we reach and respect the needs of disadvantaged and underrepresented women.
- To be innovative, continually improving the way we work and provide services by incorporating new ideas, information and methods.
- To work in partnership, adding value to what we do by working with others to build trust, develop mutual understanding and through reciprocal actions develop social capital.
- To strive for quality, committing the organisation to improvement and high standards in all aspects of its activities and working environment.
Client Feedback
Comments from participants who have benefited from Train 2000 enterprise support include:
"I didn't know where to start. Train 2000 has shown me how to put my ideas into action in an organised and structured way. I now feel able to go for it."
"The atmosphere and group were important. I found it useful to share experiences and anxieties. All tutors and speakers were extremely accessible and supportive."
"Without getting help from Train 2000, I wouldn't have know who to approach or how to raise funds for my business start."
"If I hadn't got support from Train 2000, there is no way that I could have started in business."