Antrim and Newtownabbey on course for 80 new jobs despite pandemic

The council has reported that 106 jobs were created during 2019-20 through the ‘Go for It’ programme which supports entrepreneurs and helps them to develop a business plan.

The local authority has an annual statutory job creation target of 80 jobs to be created through participation in a ‘regional start-up’ initiative.

A report presented to councillors this month stated that the local authority is expected to meet its target for the 2020-21 year by the end of March, despite the impact of the Covid pandemic, in particular during the first lockdown.

It has been running since September 2017 across all council areas.

A fresh round of funding has been secured from the European Regional Development Fund and Invest NI, covering 80 per cent of costs to deliver a new regional programme from April until March 2023.

The local authority has a coaching and support programme in place which offers up to five hours of business coaching and a bursary of up to £200 to support the set-up of businesses in the borough.

This programme is unique to Antrim and Newtownabbey and is delivered through a partnership of Antrim Enterprise Agency, Mallusk Enterprise Park and Ledcom in Larne.

To date, 41 entrepreneurs have benefited from coaching support with 19 applying for the bursary.

The current programme has been extended until September to assist participants whose start-up plans have been adversely affected by Covid.

Michelle Weir, Local Democracy Reporter

Click here to read: ‘9,000 news jobs’ expected in next decade for Antrim and Newtownabbey

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