WhiteLight Consulting are proud to provide PR services to the Local Enterprise Office Louth. We congratulate them on the recent announcement of their 2016 results, showing great growth in job creation and support for SME’s in the county.
The Local Enterprise Office (LEO) in Louth exists to support the needs of local business and help drive job creation and growth in the region. In their recent year-end review, some really interesting results emerged from LEO Louth, which is part of Louth County Council.
Head of Enterprise, Thomas McEvoy explains, “83 new jobs were created in 2016 by LEO supported companies. These are not projected figures, but actual real jobs that already exist. This figure is up from 45 in 2014 and 65 in 2015, a really good indicator of growth in the county.”
The Local Enterprise Office Louth has 200 grant aided clients with an average of 4 employees per client. The aim of the Local Enterprise Office is to provide support to companies that can scale up, thus helping to create strong employment growth in the county.
10% of the companies that progressed from being Local Enterprise Office clients to Enterprise Ireland clients in 2016 came from Louth. This is a very significant achievement for Ireland’s smallest county. This is a sign that indigenous local companies are being well supported and have the potential for significant national and international growth.
Over €310,000 of grant aid was approved by the Local Enterprise Office Louth in 2016. Grant aid is normally used to fund capital, helping local companies to invest in plant or equipment to aid their development.
Training is another area where there has been significant growth. “We are delighted to see a huge surge in bookings for training supports in Louth. In 2015, 413 people took part in Local Enterprise Office training. By 2016 that figure had grown to 1,116 participants taking part in 62 different training events. We work hard to ensure that our training and management development programmes are tailored to suit the changing needs of business.”
The future is looking bright for new business in the county. “In 2016, over 150 participants completed Start Your Own Business courses. Each of these new businesses will be able to access training, advice and support from the team in the Local Enterprise Office as they grow.”
Business advice is a very important service offered to clients by the Local Enterprise Office. “Last year, we provided 214 mentor appointments to 124 businesses in the county. Business advice sessions allow business owners to talk through opportunities or challenges they are facing with an expert mentor who can help them develop solutions. It is a very valuable service and one that business owners can access by calling the Local Enterprise Office on 042 9324185 .”
Youth enterprise in Louth is also thriving. “The Louth winner in Ireland’s Best Young Entrepreneur, Roisin Hogan of Hiro by Roisin, went on to scoop a top prize at the IBYE National Finals back in March. Equally, secondary school students in Louth are participating in the Student Enterprise Programme in record numbers. Over 1,000 pupils in 18 schools participated in the 2016/2017 programme.”
“Supporting entrepreneurs as they establish, develop and grow their business is crucial to the health of our local economy and creation of high quality jobs. The Local Enterprise Office Louth team are here to provide that support. Whatever stage your business is at, talk to us today.” Thomas concluded.
Find out more about the Local Enterprise Office Louth by visiting www.LocalEnterprise.ie/Louth.
Leave a Reply