North East Enterprise Bond
NORTH EAST ENTERPRISE BOND CLOSES AT £3.83m!!!
The North East of England has long been an area of high unemployment. Other parts of the UK have responded 
to unemployment by seeing record numbers of businesses being set up. This is not the case in the North East, which has only half the national average of start-ups. This region is also bottom of the nation for youngsters wanting to start their own business - this has been dubbed the 'Enterprise time bomb'.
to unemployment by seeing record numbers of businesses being set up. This is not the case in the North East, which has only half the national average of start-ups. This region is also bottom of the nation for youngsters wanting to start their own business - this has been dubbed the 'Enterprise time bomb'.The North East Bond will fund a 'Launch Pad' project that will literally take to the streets to deliver direct action, help at the earliest stages and get people to think beyond their usual expectations. It aims to get the message over that enterprise is 'about you'.
People into Enterprise (PIE) have since Jaunary 2007, worked with over 800 people in Tyne and Wear on a wide variety of learning programmes, engaging them with enterprise from a variety of perspectives. Programmes ranged from:
- 'What a difference a day makes': FE colleges running events for nearly 400 students on vocational courses to focus on sectors which lend themselves to self-employment.
- 'Get enterprising after hours': Workshops for 44 people which took place out of working hours, focussing on economic development.
- 'Enterprising mums': programmes to re-engage mothers returning to work reached 75 mums, in partnerhsip with Surestart.
- 'New Foundations': workshops for 54 voluntary sector organisations looking for alternative funding for the long term.
- 'Enterprise agents - Gearing up for enterprise': In partnership with Newcastle University Careers department, programmes were delivered to 110 people to support enterprise throughout the whole organisation, and this pilot scheme has been so successful that scoping work is now taking place to develop this work further.
- 'Bespoke enterprise programmes': tailored programmes were delivered to 123 people to develop enterprise initiatives amongst their own groups, from Newcastle College, Gateshead College, North Tyneside Social Services and staff at Charles Parsons School in Newcastle.