SHEFFIELD’S THE PLACE TO SET UP YOUR OWN BUSINESS
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More local people citywide are going to get the chance to become an entrepreneur, thanks to new investment being brought into the city by Sheffield City Council.
The Council is securing £4.8 million from Europe (the European Regional Development Fund) to swell the ranks of Sheffield self-made men and women.
The money will be spent on coaching for individuals who have a business idea, support for new and existing businesses, help in bidding for public sector contracts and a range of enterprise activities in schools and colleges across the city, including the business start-up competition called the BiG Challenge.
Cllr Paul Scriven, Leader of Sheffield City Council said: “This is excellent news for anyone who lives in Sheffield who has got a great business idea and has the drive and ambition to become an entrepreneur and set their own path.
“We want to make Sheffield the easiest city in which to set up and run a business and this new investment will play a key role in making that happen.
“We will be offering more help and support to local people who want to set up their own business. And as a result there will be more new businesses, new jobs and more money coming into our economy.”
The new investment is expected to deliver 451 new businesses, 944 new jobs, support for 436 small and medium enterprises and boost Sheffield’s economy by £13, 530,000.
Paul continued, “We also want to raise people’s aspirations, especially Sheffield’s young people, so that they know that setting up your own business is something they can do, and is something they can realistically aim for.”
The new investment is expected to be in place by the beginning of May.
This will be a huge boost to the Council’s existing enterprise programme, BiG - Make It Your Business, currently worth £18 million and lasting until March 2010, that provides a wide range of support. There’s enterprise coaching for local people in the period before they start a business, as well as support for business start-ups, enterprise work in schools and other innovative projects designed to bring new business ideas to Sheffield. To find out more look at www.thebigwebsite.org.uk
So far, over 1000 people have been helped with business start-up activity, and more than 250 businesses have been developed.
Councillors are expected to agree the plans in a report called ‘Expanding the Enterprise Programme’ at the meeting of the Cabinet tomorrow, Wednesday 8th April.
The European investment comes from the region’s European Regional Development Fund programme that is investing over £500 million by 2013. South Yorkshire benefits from additional funding from Europe to help it secure the advances its economy made with the earlier investments made under the Objective 1 Programme.