A SERIES of free business clinics are being held across Yorkshire to help small and medium enterprises compete more effectively.

CBI Yorkshire & the Humber has teamed up with Yorkshire Forward and the DTI to present the workshops and diagnostic sessions.

They will be run by industry experts, who will give businesses the hands-on experience they need to tackle issues that affect profitability.

Whether it's cutting through red tape or getting the most out of e-business, the clinics are designed to ensure that every firm will come away equipped to improve their performance.

The clinics form part of the CBI Yorkshire & the Humber's Fit for the Future programme which is aiming to help every company in the region initiate at least one best practice business activity this year.

Penny Hemming, CBI regional director said: "These clinics will be packed full of useful information and practical help for everyone who attends. We promise that, even if delegates come along for just 20 minutes, they will learn enough to improve their business and help achieve our Fit for the Future best practice goal.

"It's an ambitious target, but absolutely necessary if we want to be able to compete in this country, Europe and the rest of the world. And with the spirit, character and hard work of people in this region, I know it's achievable."

The clinics will be launched with a conference at Weetwood Hall, Leeds on May 1, hosted by Graham Hall, Chairman of Yorkshire Forward, and guest speakers Andy Scott, director of International Competitiveness, CBI and Nigel Crouch, an industrialist with the DTI Future and Innovation Unit.

The first clinic for North Yorkshire will be at the Great Yorkshire Showground on September 13, but bewfore then events are planned at Normanby Hall, Scunthorpe on May 22, Tankersley Manor, Barnsley on June 27, at the West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds on July 18.

Workshops and diagnostic sessions will take place throughout the day on a rolling basis enabling delegates to pick the most appropriate time and activity to suit them.

Delegates will be able to measure the fitness of their business using a series of min-diagnostics or attend one of the masterclass workshops held by industry leaders across a range of business activities considered essential to improve business performance.