400 new jobs created for Barnsley
THE Enterprising Barnsley programme has created more than 400 jobs since its launch last year.
The business support programme in South Yorkshire is expected to generate 550 jobs by June 2015, but has already led to 402 new posts – well ahead of its target. It has also helped safeguard 111 jobs.
Funded by European money, the programme works by offering free coaching to eligible businesses.
Since the launch of phase two of the programme in April 2012, 279 companies have been supported; nearly half of them have created new jobs.
Among them is VC Electronics, which manufactures circuit boards for anything from cars and boats to street lights and tracking devices.
The company has taken over part of a former rival firm and has taken on ten of its staff, as well as a further five people, at its factory in Goldthorpe, bringing the total number of staff to 33.
Pat Cummins, managing director, said: “Enterprising Barnsley’s support has been invaluable.”
The work of Enterprising Barnsley phase two, builds on the success of phase one, which ran between 2009 and 2012. Phase one supported the creation of 630 new jobs and the protection of 397 posts.
The Enterprising Barnsley programme is a partnership between Barnsley Business and Innovation Centre and Barnsley Development Agency (BDA). BDA is the economic development team at Barnsley Council.
It is supported financially by the European Union and has attracted £2,259,511 investment from the European Regional Development Fund as part of Europe’s support for the region’s economic development, through the Yorkshire and Humber ERDF Programme.
