28th November 2003
“TRAINING BARNSLEY”

Barnsley’s Single Regeneration Budget (Round 4) ‘Enterprise and Employment: A New Deal for Barnsley’ has been running for the past 4 years to strengthen the local economy, support expanding companies, bring on young entrepreneurs and improve supply chains.



From 1999 until its completion in March 2004, just over £1.5 million has been assigned to ‘Investor Development Support’ which aims to enhance existing inward investment and business support activities to provide a comprehensive and proactive aftercare service. Support available to growing companies and inward investors include Customised Training and Recruitment, Product Feasibility and Exhibition Grants, all these are managed and administrated by a small team of dedicated people at Barnsley Development Agency (BDA).

A study has been undertaken to assess the value of the three grants and to look at how they have performed. Results have shown that the programme has been hugely successful with nearly £600,000 been allocated to support local companies over the last 4 years. As at September 2003 484 people had achieved promotion in their jobs because of the grants that were available to them through the scheme and 301 unemployed individuals filled these resulting vacancies.

The BDA provide grants to companies in Barnsley by match funding up to 50% of the cost, capped at £5,000. Training supported can be either certified or in house on bespoke equipment and machinery. In 2002 leading sealed window manufacturer AG Glass Barnsley invested £6.2 million on new machinery. BDA supported them by providing a business training grant to enable staff to be sent to Austria to be trained to use the new machinery. Derrick Beedham of the BDA added, “ It has been a pleasure to work with AG Glass, so far we have contributed to the training of 88 employees and we look forward to continuing to work with them in the future.”

Although the SRB 4 funding will be coming to an end, an Objective1 grant will continue, to support feasibility and exhibition grants and the BDA are looking at ways to continue the training scheme grant after March 2004, in order to continue helping local employees in Barnsley.

END

www.barnsleydevelopmentagency.co.uk

Press Contact: Sarah Hopwood
Marketing & Communications Assistant
Barnsley Development Agency
Telephone: 01226 640 086
Facsimile: 01226 286 606
Email: shopwood@barnsleydevelopmentagency.co.uk



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