Ballymena Council: backing business
A range of programmes and support services are available to help companies grow in their business in the North East and also look further afield for opportunities.
Ballymena Borough Council’s Economic Development Unit has designed a number of successful business support initiatives, aimed at helping local businesses thrive amid difficult economic times. They have included export programmes, business efficiency reviews, mentoring support, ICT solutions, product transfer programmes and town centre business development opportunities.
The work is set to continue with funding in place from the Sustainable Competitiveness Programme (2007-2013) which provides up to €613 million from the EU’s Structural Funds to support economic development in Northern Ireland.
Ballymena Borough Council will be participating in a series of Regional Collaborative Initiatives in partnership with its neighbouring councils and Invest NI over the next two years.
One forthcoming initiative of particular relevance is on the topic of How to Procure Public Sector Contracts. The programme seeks to work with small business owners to make them aware of public sector tendering opportunities, including e-tendering, to build their capacity in using modern procurement systems and to encourage collaboration with other firms in a way that creates business networks and opens the possibility of developing supplier chains and clusters. Ballymena companies can benefit from information sessions, workshops and one-to-one mentoring support. Other programmes in the pipeline are:
- Raising Finance for Small Firms;
- Digital North East – Broadband infrastructure and Development;
- Step Up to Export;
- The Family Business Programme (Succession Planning);
- The Business Advancement Programme;
- The Building your business;
- The Renewables Sustainability Development programme;
- The Sales Growth Programme; and
- International Business Linkages Programme
For further information on any of these forthcoming initiatives, contact Jacqueline Reid at Ballymena Borough Council Economic Development Unit on 028 2563 3930 or email jacqueline.reid@ballymena.gov.uk
