Bright future for young jobless in Shropshire
Out of work Shropshire youngsters have been given new hope of a bright future with the opening of Telford Enterprise Hub next week which will help them start their own business.
With 35 per cent of Shropshire's 16 to 24-year-olds unemployed – and the figure set to rise this Summer - the enterprise hub aims to put new young businesses on the right path with advice and rent free workspace at a new 6,000 sq ft office development built by the TTC Group next to their HQ at Hadley Park East, Telford.
It’s a great time to start a new business – that will be the message from Lord Young when he meets young entrepreneurs in Shropshire next week including Shrewsbury's Katie Smith (18), who has set up Tastes Marvellous, a successful food for ex pats business and already employs two people.
The Government’s enterprise advisor will officially open the new Telford Enterprise Hub on July 24th – a unique initiative offering business opportunities to new start ups aimed at breathing new life into the county’s economy.
Lord Young will meet with husband and wife entrepreneurs Graham and Jenny Wynn, who are backing the scheme with a £250,000 donation.
“We want to help the self employed young people of today who will become the employers of tomorrow. They can get the right support to succeed at Telford Enterprise Hub,” said Mr Wynn, chairman of the TTC Group, a national specialist driver training organisation.
Lone home workers and established firms which want to downsize are also invited to join the Hub, part of a Shropshire Enterprise Partnership regeneration scheme backed by Telford and Wrekin Council.
Hub Director Fay Easton said that Telford Enterprise Hub was a “landmark” project being the only one of its kind in Europe.
“We intend to convert the present statistic of 35 per cent of young people without work in this county to 35 per cent running their own businesses.
“It will make Telford the entrepreneurial capital of the region by delivering training programmes for local young people, provide role models, access to finance, mentors and modern workspace.
Youth unemployment is set to rise further when end of college year numbers come onto the Job Seeker lists, added Fay.
They were the worst jobless figures "in living memory" to affect the young age group, she added.
“Telford Enterprise Hub will be the national HQ for the Young Britain campaign as well as a commercial base for over 200 businesses with some 50 companies on site daily and many more making use of the virtual business training and services on offer.”
Graham Wynn added: “Our business has been very successful since we started in Telford in 1993. We moved onto the Hadley Park site in 2006 when the Princess Royal opened our brand new office. But we found that we outgrew the premises very quickly and so we built two new offices on the site.”
“Jenny and I have always wanted to give something back to the area and we now have the extra office space to do that, along with the will to help bring business success to others. ‘Young Britain’ is a cause close to our hearts and something that we have always wanted to support,” said Graham, who received the OBE for services to road safety.
Prospective firms interested in locating at Telford Enterprise Hub and young people, aged 16-24, with a business idea should contact Fay on info@shropshireenterprise.co.uk or call 01952 580745.
