Small businesses are the backbone of the Central West’s towns, but owners in smaller centres often must travel long distances, or pay city prices, to build the digital and business skills they need. RDA Central West’s Business Masterclass program was designed to close that gap by taking affordable, expert-led, practical workshops to towns across the region. This program fits in a space between Business NSW and TAFE formal training and supports many of our regional chambers of commerce and LGAs.

RDA Central West’s role:

RDA Central West leads the program. We identify demand through stakeholder feedback and a business survey, recruit specialist presenters, secure co-funding, and market and run every session. Seed funding of $20,000 from the Newmont Cadia Community Grant initially let us pilot the program in Cabonne, Orange and Blayney. Since then, support from LGAs, chambers of commerce, and business sponsors have co-funded individual sessions, so that most 2026 masterclasses were free for participants to attend.

What we delivered:

In 2025–26, RDA Central West delivered fourteen masterclasses across Orange, Bathurst, Blayney, Forbes, Grenfell and Lithgow. Topics were chosen by demand, including Canva design, LinkedIn, small business finance, search engine optimisation, branding strategy, farm and business succession, and a full-day Digital Marketing Bootcamp in Orange. A Canva session held in July 2025 drew sixty-five participants. In Grenfell, Forbes and Lithgow, masterclasses gave local businesses access to specialist training rarely offered outside the major centres.

Collaboration:

Sessions were co-funded or hosted by Orange City Council, Bathurst Regional Council, Forbes Shire Council, Weddin Shire Council, Lithgow Library, the Forbes Business Chamber, the Western Sciences Consortium, and Skillset. Councils promoted sessions through their own business networks, and RDA Central West promoted them through its monthly eNews, which consistently achieved open rates well above not-for-profit benchmarks. Every partner put in either funds or effort, and RDA Central West reported back to each partner on attendance and feedback received.

Outcomes:

Participants reported greater confidence using digital tools, promoting their businesses and planning for succession. Sessions were all well attended. The Digital Bootcamp was the most engaged content across RDA Central West’s social channels in 2025–26. Councils now approach RDA Central West to bring masterclasses to their towns, and three further sessions were confirmed for the second half of 2026, with another planned for Cowra.

Supporting diversity:

Masterclasses are free or low-cost and are able to be held in smaller towns, lowering the barriers for sole traders, home-based and women-led businesses, and farm families. Several sessions were co-promoted with the Central West Inspired Women network.