THE social enterprise sector has the potential to create hundreds of new jobs in 2015 and boost the north's economic recovery, the chairman of Larne Enterprise Development Company (Ledcom) believes.
The organisation - which since its formation in 1985 has helped around 900 new start-up business and supported more than 1500 jobs - pledged to continue to be at the forefront of promoting and developing the burgeoning social economy sector.
Ledcom chairman Henry Fletcher, addressing its annual general meeting, said: "The Departments of Enterprise Trade and Investment and Social Development have both identified social enterprises as having considerable potential for growth, so will be stepping up our activities to support more and more business start-ups in the year ahead."
The organisation's chief executive Ken Nelson, pictured, said the company has developed a host of initiatives aimed at stimulating the social economy sector and wider economy.
He said: "In an era of huge public sector budgetary pressures, social enterprises can provide value for money solutions to deliver public services. Ledcom has been doing this successfully for local government for over 20 years. With the urgent need to rebalance the economy between the public and private sectors, the social economy is a proven way of helping to achieve that." Ledcom delivers the Social Entrepreneurship Programme (SEP) in Larne, Ballymena, Ballymoney, Newtownabbey, Antrim and Carrickfergus. During the year it worked with 14 community organisations in those areas to set up nine new social economy businesses, creating 37 potential new jobs.
The company has recently added two new social enterprises to its group of companies - the Heritage Experience, a cultural heritage tourism company developed in association with the Ulster Historical Foundation and Ulster Scots Community Network; and Business Led NI, which offers a full range of consultancy services including programme management, economic development, corporate governance support and business consultancy.
The company also developed and managed Advance - an innovative new pilot programme aimed at young people aged 18-26 not in employment, education or training.
Funded by Lloyds TSB Foundation for Northern Ireland, it placed 40 young people in paid temporary posts with social enterprises across Northern Ireland and had a 91 per cent success rate in creating full time jobs at the end of the programme. Through the year Ledcom mentored and assisted a wide range of businesses and social enterprises helping them to achieve self-employment, employment, and employability development. This includes: b 91 business start-ups assisted through advice, information, training, mentoring and other support, with around 95 jobs promoted n five social enterprise start-ups assisted through advice, information, training, mentoring and other support, with around 25 jobs promoted n 25 existing businesses and social enterprises assisted with advice, information, training, mentoring and other support n 516 individuals assisted to improve their skills and employability through training, mentoring and other support.