North East Ambition

This programme is now closed and we are no longer accepting registrations.

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The Programme

Funding for this programme has now ended. We were able to support 700 businesses and over 800 individuals with their skills needs in the North East.

North East Ambition was a programme of free support for small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) based in the North East of England, designed to ensure local businesses were taking advantage of the opportunities available to them to develop and upskill their workforce.

The programme, which was part funded by the European Social Fund, is delivered by Education Development Trust in partnership with the North East Local Enterprise Partnership.

Each business that engaged in the programme was supported by a dedicated Skills Facilitator, who worked with the business to determine their specific requirements and develop a bespoke plan to support them in addressing skills gaps.

Key points

What we offered

Our team of Skills Facilitators provided a free, impartial consultancy service to SMEs in the North East, helping them to understand their skills needs and how to grow their business.

Finding a way through the skills landscape can be overwhelming and time consuming. Our team was available to help local businesses navigate this landscape, identifying the skills needs, training and finance options that will help them grow.

Our Skills Facilitators worked with businesses to:

Understand their skills needs and develop a bespoke action plan
Identify the most appropriate skills and employment programmes to support them in hiring new recruits or upskilling their current workforce
Find specific training courses and a trusted training provider
Advise on available funding options
Grow their networks and connect with other local businesses
Build partnerships with schools and colleges , enabling access to future talent.

Benefits of this programme

Recruit smarter
Invest in training
Achieve business goals
Access business support advice, including marketing, human resources, or financial management

Who was eligible to apply to the programme?

The North East Ambition programme was available to SMEs based in the North East. To be eligible, businesses must have met the following criteria:

Be classified as an SME

A small or medium-sized enterprise with fewer than 250 employees. A turnover of less than €50 million, or a balance sheet total of less than €43 million.

Have not received more than €200,000 of De Minimis State Aid in the last 3 years

This limit applies specifically to De Minimis Aid and not to aid granted under any other approved State Aid schemes such as the GBER (General Block Exemption Regulation).

If the applicant business declares it has already received €200,000 of De Minimis Aid within the relevant period, or if the grant of aid under North East Ambition would take them over the €200,000 limit, they would not be eligible for support.