To celebrate the launch of its new financial training platform, Yorkshire-based finance management specialist Mellor Financial Training is offering businesses the chance to win free access to the site worth almost £2000.

A panel of judges will decide on five start-ups and one corporate winner that will benefit from the finance for non-finance managers training the most. Judges include Rohan Sivajoti, founder of Postcard Planning and co-founder of NextGen Planners, Anna Flockett, editor of Startups magazine and the founder of the new platform, Martin Mellor.

Martin Mellor, founder and managing director of Calderdale-based Mellor Financial Management, launched the platform having run face to face finance training for businesspeople for the past four years. Running live online training led Martin to realise there was a gap in the market to do more online and create a truly interactive, on-demand digital system specifically designed to be consumed online.

Martin had already commenced activity to create the hub, escalating the development when COVID-19 hit, investing £10,000 to create the platform. Receiving 30% funding from the Leeds City Region LEP’s Access Innovation grant funding, Martin appointed fellow Calderdale business Candle Digital to build the site.

The launch comes at the same time as Mellor Financial Training has been made the first UK Xero partner able to offer certification to users of the digital accounting platform. The partnership will see the firm add training on how to use Xero, its preferred accountancy platform, as a follow on to the financial fundamentals online course.

Martin comments: “Having an in-depth understanding of finance is integral for business success and, with remote working becoming the norm, research shows that 70% of learners are increasingly looking to learn online with 80% of senior leaders seeing the benefit of their employees consuming training online.

“We’ve launched the competition to identify innovative business leaders that can demonstrate how this financial knowledge will positively impact their business.”

Having launched earlier this month, the platform has already received rave reviews.

Duncan Mallison, global learning transformation manager of Astra Zeneca comments: “The training platform is excellent, it’s fresh, engaging, well-structured and easy to follow. The user experience is perfect.”

The courses are targeted at both people that own their own business or are managers/on a development path to be a manager or director who need a better understanding of finance and accounting.

A license costs £199 for 12-months access to the site with six core modules to be completed. A certificate is provided upon completion of the course.

Mellor Financial Training is offering five startup business owners and five employees within one corporate organisation the chance to win a free 12-month license to the online training. Independent judges will review entries in August. The closing date for the competition is 31st July 2020.

To enter, submit no more than 300 words explaining how the financial training will support your business now and, in the future, at https://mellorfinancialmanagement.arlo.co/contact-us.