Get Involved This May
May brings a range of opportunities designed to support and strengthen the creative business sector. The listing below provides numerous opportunities for creative entrepreneurs and businesses to get involved.
Portsmouth Creates Opportunities
1-1 Business Support Sessions with CEO Gemma Nichols
Use the link to book an appointment: https://calendar.app.google/1h5JRWszfTLzjrnY7
1-1 Entry Level Business Support with Business Support Officer, Jane Hodgkins
Use the link to books an appointment: https://calendar.app.google/6XK2egTfLym4Nwmz8
Ongoing each month | Southsea Library Window Installation | Monthly creative installations at Southsea Library, curated by Portsmouth Creates, showcasing local talent. Experience rotating displays of art, design, and innovation, celebrating the city’s vibrant creative community and inspiring installations.
Email Jane Hodgkins with pictures of your pieces: jane@portsmouthcreates.co.uk
Other Local Opportunities
06 May 2026 | 09:30–10:30 | Free online | Communication Skills: Effective Verbal Communication | Build trust and positive client conversations. | Delivered by SEEDL |
06 May 2026 | 09:30–12:30 | Cost upon application | Mentoring in the Workplace | This half-day session explores the dynamics of mentoring relationships and offers practical guidance on how to support others effectively through mentoring. It will help participants understand the role of mentoring in personal and professional growth, and how thoughtful mentoring can strengthen confidence, connection and clarity in workplace relationships. | Delivered by Artswork |
07 May 2026 | 09:30–10:30 | Free online | Business Skills: Manage Your Inbox | Managing your inbox effectively is crucial: the average professional receives over 120 emails daily and checks them 74+ times, consuming 28% of the working week. | Delivered by SEEDL |
07 May 2026 | 11:00–12:00 | Free online | Project Scheduling | Accurate scheduling is essential for coordinating work, setting expectations, and maintaining credibility during project delivery. | Delivered by SEEDL |
08 May 2026 | 10:00–10:20 | Free online | Presentation Skills (Hints & Tips) | Improve delivery and audience engagement. | Delivered by SEEDL |
08 May 2026 | 11:00–12:00 | Free online | Presentation Skills (Personal Brand) | Build and communicate your professional identity. Everything you do can grow and reflect your personal brand and it is what other people will remember about you. Defining, developing and perfecting your professional brand can help to achieve your passions whilst continuously learning, growing, building relationships and your confidence. | Delivered by SEEDL |
08 May 2026 | 12:30–13:30 | Free online | Mental Health Awareness for Managers | Support team wellbeing effectively. Feel confident supporting your team’s mental health without becoming overwhelmed. This practical course covers the essential knowledge managers need: what mental health means, why manager support matters, and how to support employees safely and effectively. | Delivered by SEEDL |
08 May 2026 | 14:00–15:00 | Free online | Writing Risk Assessments | Practical risk assessment skills. This session focuses on writing clear, proportionate risk assessments that genuinely support safer and more effective workplace projects. | Delivered by SEEDL |
08 May 2026 | 15:30–16:30 | Free online | Sales: Renewal Accounts | Retain customers effectively. Handling renewal accounts requires understanding that retaining existing customers is significantly more cost-effective than acquiring new ones. | Delivered by SEEDL |
11 May 2026 | 09:30–09:50 | Free online | Guided Meditation | Improve wellbeing through gratitude. Rewire your brain for happiness through guided meditation focused on gratitude. Practising gratitude releases mood-enhancing hormones like endorphins while mitigating limiting beliefs and negative aspects of life. Everyone can benefit from more happiness, even those with joyful lives. | Delivered by SEEDL |
11 May 2026 | 10:00–10:20 | Free online | Balance Sheet Basics | Understand financial position. A balance sheet is a financial snapshot showing what your business owns (assets), owes (liabilities), and what remains for owners (equity). Unlike profit and loss statements measuring performance over time, balance sheets reveal your position at a specific moment. Master the three key sections—fixed assets (buildings, equipment), current assets (stock, cash, debtors), and liabilities (creditors, loans)—to understand financial stability. | Delivered by SEEDL |
11 May 2026 | 11:00–12:00 | Free online | Cultural Differences | Work effectively across global markets. Understand cultural differences when working across global markets. The cultural iceberg shows visible elements represent only 10%, whilst invisible elements like values and beliefs drive behaviour. Learn five challenges working across markets: language barriers, time zones, cultural differences, working norms, and business politics. | Delivered by SEEDL |
11 May 2026 | 12:30–13:30 | Free online | Emotional Intelligence | Develop core workplace skill. Master Emotional Intelligence as a foundational skill for workplace success, accounting for 85-90% of professional achievement. This practical course teaches you to recognize, understand, and manage your own emotions while responding empathetically to others. | Delivered by SEEDL |
11 May 2026 | 13:00 | Cost upon application | Fostering Friendly Business Summit | Business event supporting fostering. This event brings together businesses that have already committed to supporting fostering, alongside organisations that are interested in learning more about how they can play a vital role in transforming children’s lives. | Delivered by Shaping Portsmouth |
Link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-portsmouth-fostering-friendly-business-summit-tickets-1985309310591
11 May 2026 | 15:30–16:30 | Free online | Productive Conversations | Handle difficult conversations constructively. Difficult conversations don’t have to be damaging. Learn how to approach feedback, behaviour, and boundaries with clarity and compassion, turning tough moments into trust-building opportunities. This course teaches practical techniques to prepare for and lead challenging conversations with greater confidence whilst maintaining trust and positive intent. | Delivered by SEEDL |
12 May 2026 | 09:30–13:15 | Cost upon application | Essential Safeguarding | Intro to safeguarding in creative sectors. A clear, practical introduction to safeguarding for those working across the creative, cultural and heritage sectors, and the most suitable option for annual refresher training. | Delivered by Artswork |
12 May 2026 | 11:00–12:00 | Free online | Overcoming Social Anxiety | Build confidence in social situations. In this concise and impactful webinar, “Breaking Free: Overcoming Social Anxiety,” participants will gain valuable insights and practical strategies to navigate social situations with confidence and ease. The session will address the roots of social anxiety, offer coping mechanisms, and empower individuals to build stronger social connections. | SEEDL |
12 May 2026 | 11:30–11:50 | Free online | Emotional Intelligence & Self Awareness | Improve emotional regulation. Emotional intelligence (EQ) is the ability to understand, use, and manage your own emotions in a positive way. This course explores emotional intelligence and self-awareness, teaching you to relieve stress, communicate effectively, demonstrate empathy, and overcome challenges. | Delivered by SEEDL |
12 May 2026 | 12:30–13:30 | Free online | AI Literacy | Understand AI risks and value. AI Literacy for Everyone provides essential understanding of what AI can and cannot do, including its value and risks. This course equips all professionals with knowledge to make sound judgements about AI use in everyday work, regardless of technical background. | Delivered by SEEDL |
12 May 2026 | 14:00–15:00 | Free online | Receiving Feedback | Use feedback for growth. Receiving feedback can be a gift, it can help us grow and develop, ensuring we reach our full potential. Actionable feedback can help us perform at our very best, but some people take it personally and don’t find it easy to hear, especially if it is corrective feedback. Join this 60-minute webinar to understand how feedback can reinforce your strengths, keep goal directed behaviour on course. We will also explore why receiving feedback can be a challenge – suitable for all levels. | Delivered by SEEDL |
13 May 2026 | 09:30–10:30 | Free online | Problem Solving | Structured problem-solving tools. Learn to solve complex problems using Five Whys, Pareto analysis, Fishbone diagrams, and scatter plots. This course covers root cause analysis, problem structure, and practical solution generation through a six-stage systematic process: identify, structure, generate, decide, implement, and monitor. | Delivered by SEEDL |
13 May 2026 | 09:30–11:30 | Cost upon application | This concise 2 hour course is designed for individuals in the creative, cultural, and heritage sectors looking to enhance their project planning and strategic decision-making using Theory of Change (ToC) models. Whether you’re in the early stages of project development or seeking new ways to communicate your programme or organisational impact, this session offers a clear, practical framework for success. | Strategic planning framework. | Delivered by Artswork |
13 May 2026 | 13:30–13:50 | Free online | Office Yoga | Stress reduction session. Seated Office Yoga for Stress Reduction is a course for anyone who wants to use movement and the breath to help to de stress and release tension. This chair yoga course can help to relieve stress in the mind and body, helping to improve your mood, confidence, energy levels and concentration, as well as relieving depression and anxiety. A short 20-minute session to help you reset your mind and body and get the most out of your day. | Delivered by SEEDL |
13 May 2026 | 17:30–19:30 | Cost upon application | Safeguarding for Trustees | Safeguarding for boards. A short, focused safeguarding session designed specifically for trustees and board members. | Delivered by Artswork |
14 May 2026 | 09:30–10:30 | Free online | Recovering Failing Projects | Stabilise struggling projects. Projects rarely fail overnight; they drift off course through issues such as scope creep, stretched resources, and breakdowns in communication. This session focuses on how to recognise when a project has become troubled and what practical steps can be taken to stabilise it. Learners will explore the human and structural factors that contribute to project decline and apply a simple, step-by-step recovery framework to regain clarity, control, and momentum. | Delivered by SEEDL |
14 May 2026 | 11:00–12:00 | Free online | Stress & Communication | Improve communication under pressure. |Communication plays a key role in how work gets done, but it is often one of the first things affected when people are under pressure. Stress can influence how we listen, interpret messages, and respond to colleagues, sometimes leading to misunderstandings or tension within teams. This special one-off webinar for Mental Health Awareness Week explores how stress affects communication in the workplace and what practical actions individuals and teams can take to improve conversations during challenging situations. Delivered by three facilitators, the session combines short input with podcast-style discussion and shared experiences, helping participants reflect on real situations and identify simple strategies that support clearer, more constructive communication at work. | Delivered by SEEDL |
14 May 2026 | 14:00–15:00 | Free online | Avoiding AI Pitfalls | Understand AI risks. Things to avoid using AI – Navigate the pitfalls of AI use with this essential course covering five critical cautions all users should understand. Explore copyright concerns, algorithmic bias, accuracy limitations, and other risks when deploying AI in your workplace. | Delivered by SEEDL |
14 May 2026 | 14:30–15:30 | Free online | Workload Stress | Discuss workload with confidence. Managing workload stress is essential for maintaining productivity and well-being, yet many employees struggle to speak up when they feel overwhelmed. This short, interactive session will help participants recognise the early signs of workload stress and develop the confidence to discuss concerns with their manager effectively. You will learn how to identify signs of workload-related stress before it leads to burnout. | Delivered by SEEDL |
14 May 2026 | 17:00–19:00 | Cost applies | Portsmouth Networking Event | Networking and simulator experience. Portsmouth City Council has teamed up with Full Send Motor Sport in Gunwharf Quays for a one off networking event and we would love you to attend! Felix Baggott is an F3 Racing Driver who will be hosting the event and you’ll get the chance to race in this incredible racing simulator lounge as well as networking with like-minded professionals. | Delivered by Portsmouth City Council |
Email: Danielle.Eberhardt@portsmouthcc.gov.uk
15 May 2026 | 14:00–15:00 | Free online | AI in Project Delivery | Improve delivery using AI. Many workplace projects struggle because teams are too busy delivering to stop and learn. This practical webinar introduces action learning: a simple way to improve results by learning from real work as it happens. You’ll see how action learning underpins Agile ways of working and how AI can be used as a thinking partner to help teams reflect, make better decisions, and adjust their approach without adding extra process and crucially: time! | Delivered by SEEDL |
15 May 2026 | 15:30–16:30 | Free online | Business Case Development | Build strong project cases. Explore how to use a business case as a practical planning tool to shape your project before work begins and improve the chances of approval and success. Learners will explore what information to gather, how to structure a concise business case, and how to communicate value in a way that decision-makers understand. The session also covers ownership, accountability, and how to review benefits to ensure the project delivers what was promised. | Delivered by SEEDL |
18 May 2026 | 09:30–10:30 | Free online | What is the GROW model? | Coaching framework. What is the GROW Model? Master this powerful coaching framework to facilitate employee thinking and development. This microlearning session explains the Leadership Triangle—Manager, Leader, Coach—and shows how GROW fits within coaching conversations. Learn how trust enables effective coaching. | Delivered by SEEDL |
18 May 2026 | 11:00–12:00 | Free online | Accounting & Bookkeeping | Financial basics. This live, interactive course helps you understand the numbers in your Profit and Loss account and Balance Sheet and how they are created. You’ll explore the purpose of accounting, the role of bookkeeping, and the basics of double entry. We also cover allowable business expenses and how day to day transactions flow through your records. Ideal for beginners to intermediate learners wanting practical clarity and stronger financial confidence to support better decision making overall in your work environment. | Delivered by SEEDL |
19 May 2026 | 09:30–10:30 | Free online | Project Management Basics | Planning framework. This session introduces a practical, military-inspired planning framework that helps you bring clarity, focus, and control to everyday projects. You will learn how to plan work realistically, allocate effort effectively and adapt as circumstances change. The framework is scalable and can be applied to solo tasks, small teams, or larger workplace initiatives. | Delivered by SEEDL |
19 May 2026 | 09:30–12:30 | Cost | Health & Safety in the Creative, Cultural & Heritage Sectors| Creative sector safety. This half-day course is designed to provide those working in creative, cultural and heritage organisations, as well as freelance and independent practitioners, with a comprehensive understanding of health and safety regulations and how they apply to the sector. Whether you’re managing a gallery, planning a public event, working in a theatre or museum, or working independently in shared spaces, this session will equip you with the tools to create safer environments for both yourself and others. | Delivered by Artswork |
19 May 2026 | 11:00–12:00 | Free online | Intro to Copilot | AI productivity tools. Microsoft Copilot integrates AI across everyday tools including Word, Excel, Outlook, and Teams to automate routine work and improve productivity. Learn how Copilot helps enhance writing, automate data analysis, manage meetings, and support better decision-making. | Delivered by SEEDL |
19 May 2026 | 12:30–13:30 | Free online | Transition to Leadership | Leadership skills. Transitioning from individual contributor to leader is a significant change requiring new skills, mindsets, and relationships. This course addresses the challenges of moving into a leader role, helping you understand what transitioning to being a leader means and building the foundation for success. | Delivered by SEEDL |
19 May 2026 | 14:00–14:20 | Free online | AI Prompting | Prompt writing skills. Learn effective AI prompting using four core principles: clarity, context, constraints, and role assignment. Vague prompts produce vague outputs; specific prompts generate precise, actionable results. | Delivered by SEEDL |
20 May 2026 | 09:30–15:30 | Cost | Safeguarding Practice | Applied safeguarding. This half-day course is designed to provide those working in creative, cultural and heritage organisations, as well as freelance and independent practitioners, with a comprehensive understanding of health and safety regulations and how they apply to the sector. Whether you’re managing a gallery, planning a public event, working in a theatre or museum, or working independently in shared spaces, this session will equip you with the tools to create safer environments for both you and others. | Delivered by Artswork |
20 May 2026 | 12:30–13:30 | Free online | AI Efficiency | Workflow optimisation. Apply AI tools to real workflows in your role for measurable productivity gains. This course teaches process-first thinking and effective human-AI collaboration to turn AI experiments into repeatable efficiency improvements. Learn how to implement AI practically, measure quality and time-to-value, and integrate AI into daily processes. | Delivered by SEEDL |
20 May 2026 | 15:30–16:30 | Free online | Establishing a Healthy Work Life Balance. | The pressure of an increasingly demanding work culture is a big challenge to society’s mental health. Trying to achieve a healthy balance can seem like a constant battle. Join this 1-hour session to understand how to better manage your workload, your time and feel in control and content in both important areas. | Delivered by SEEDL |
21 May 2026 | 11:00–12:00 | Free online | Leading Change in Everyday Work| Manage change. Change is constant in the workplace, yet even small shifts in priorities, processes, or expectations can create uncertainty and resistance. This interactive session explores how to lead low-level change confidently without formal programmes or complex models. Learners will examine common reactions to change, how to communicate clearly during transitions, and practical steps to maintain stability and engagement. The session provides simple, usable tools to support smoother implementation and reduce unnecessary disruption. | Delivered by SEEDL |
21 May 2026 | 12:30–13:30 | Free | Mental Health Walk & Talk – Lakeside North Harbour | Workplace wellbeing. Why not get your team out of the office for an hour and join us by promoting good workplace wellbeing opportunities? | Delivered by Shaping Portsmouth |
Link: https://shapingportsmouth.co.uk/mental-health-walk-talks/
21 May 2026 | 14:00–15:00 | Free online | PowerPoint Create a PowerPoint Presentation from Next to Nothing | Create presentations from next to nothing using Microsoft 365 features. This practical course shows you how to transform plain text into professional presentations in minutes. Learn design ideas, stock images, transitions, and animations for creating compelling visual communications quickly. | Delivered by SEEDL |
22 May 2026 | 09:30–10:30 | Free online | Influence Without Authority | You don’t need a big title to have a big impact. Influence is about trust, not title. In this session, you’ll explore how to build strong relationships, work across boundaries, and shape decisions even when you’re not the formal decision-maker. | Delivered by SEEDL |
22 May 2026 | 12:30–13:30 | Free online | Boost Your Personal Resilience | Boost your personal resilience through recovery and staying resourceful, not bouncing back. This course teaches you to recognise your stress triggers, understand rumination, and develop sustainable habits through proven techniques like the 5-4-3-2-1 exercise and attention training. | Delivered by SEEDL |
26 May 2026 | 09:30–10:30 | Free online | Confidence & Motivation | Build genuine self-confidence by understanding its roots in early experiences, mistake-handling, and belonging. This course reveals how low confidence manifests through self-criticism, imposter syndrome, and negative self-talk, then teaches practical reframing strategies. | Delivered by SEEDL |
27 May 2026 | 09:00–13:00 | Free | Personal Branding | Marketing workshop, led by award-winning marketing expert Jodie Goodchild, this session draws on nearly 20 years of experience in lead generation, sales, and marketing. Jodie created this workshop specifically for the Shaping Portsmouth community and Portsmouth Business Support Service programme so whether you’ve seen her before or not, this one is new. | Delivered by Shaping Portsmouth |
Link: https://shapingportsmouth.co.uk/portsmouth-business-support-service-jodie-goodchild/
27 May 2026 | 11:30–11:50 | Free online | The Importance of Body Language | Communication signals. Research shows the importance of body language: it communicates 55% of emotional meaning when conveying attitudes—far exceeding the 7% from words and 38% from tone. This course teaches Mehrabian’s 7-38-55 rule and explores how to read body language signals indicating disinterest, frustration, or resistance. | Delivered by SEEDL |
27 May 2026 | 12:30–13:30 | Free online | Why Projects Fail (And What to Do About It) | Projects often fail for reasons that are predictable and preventable, yet easy to overlook in busy workplace environments. This session explores the most common factors that cause projects to go off track, including unclear goals, poor resource planning, communication breakdowns, and unmanaged scope creep. Through practical reflection and real-world examples, learners will examine their own project habits and decision-making, gaining simple strategies to reduce risk and strengthen project delivery. | Delivered by SEEDL |
28 May 2026| 11:00–12:00 | Free online | Agile Made Practical | An agile mindset – As workplace priorities shift and change accelerates; rigid plans and linear approaches often create frustration rather than progress. This session introduces Agile as a practical mindset rather than a technical methodology, focusing on why Agile principles matter and how they can be applied immediately in everyday work. Learners will explore simple ways to improve collaboration, respond to change, and deliver value incrementally, without needing specialist tools, jargon, or a full Agile transformation. | Delivered by SEEDL |
28 May 2026 | 12:30–13:30 | Free online | Building Strong Relationships in Projects | Project success often depends less on the plan and more on the relationships around it. This session explores how to build strong working relationships with the people who influence your project. Learners will examine what it means to create genuine engagement, how to identify what different people need from you, and how to communicate in a way that builds trust and reduces resistance. The session focuses on practical strategies to strengthen influence, improve collaboration, and increase project support. | Delivered by SEEDL |
28 May 2026 | 14:00–14:20 | Free online | Breakeven Made Simple | Financial planning – Breakeven is the point where income equals total costs—zero profit, zero loss. This practical course teaches the breakeven formula and how to distinguish fixed versus variable costs. Learn to calculate minimum sales needed and apply breakeven analysis to set realistic sales targets. | Delivered by SEEDL |
29 May 2026 | 12:30–13:30 | Free online | From Start to Finish: Managing Projects at Work | Managing a workplace project can feel overwhelming when you have no formal project management training and are balancing day-to-day responsibilities. This session provides a simple, practical framework for running a project from initiation through to delivery. Learners will explore how to set clear goals, prioritise effectively, manage risks, and maintain momentum through delivery, using straightforward tools and techniques that can be applied immediately. | Delivered by SEEDL |
29 May 2026 | 14:00–15:00 | Free online | AI As Your Project Planning Partner | AI-assisted planning – Planning a project takes time, and when workloads are high, thorough planning is often the first thing to suffer. This session explores how to use AI as a thinking partner to speed up the planning process without handing over responsibility. Learners will discover how AI can help structure ideas, identify risks, challenge assumptions, and improve clarity. The focus is on using AI to enhance judgement and efficiency, not replace professional decision-making. | Delivered by SEEDL |
