FOUR specialist enterprise coaches have been appointed to take forward South of Scotland Enterprise’s pathways pilot locally to help women and under-represented groups to start a business.
They will be in place until March 2025, and will provide tailored advice and guidance to help individuals – particularly women and other under-represented groups – to help kick-start their business ideas.
The pilot is part of a Scottish Government investment of up to £2.6million announced in July this year.
Covering Dumfries and Galloway will be Sarah Hanson and Holly Young, both of Interactifs; Victoria Lane from Solway Blankets; Martina McKinnell of Enterprise Coaching Services; and Karen Riddick.
SOSE chief executive Jane Morrison-Ross said: “Our newly appointed enterprise coaches will support people in the South of Scotland to realise their entrepreneurial potential.
“There is a huge amount of talent, ambition and determination in the South of Scotland and we are working hard to support and ignite that.
“Awakening entrepreneurial talent is one of our six key priorities, highlighted by our annual report published this month which showed we engaged with almost 500 women and over 800 young people in 2023/24.
“We are even more ambitious than this for the South of Scotland and believe this Scottish Government-supported pilot can help us ignite the spark and accelerate how we work with our existing and new entrepreneurs.”
Alongside the pilot, there will be a new Scottish Government-administered Pathways Fund to support entrepreneurial activity. It will provide support, mentoring and advice services for people starting a company or seeking to expand a fledging business. Groups currently under-represented in the start-up community, including women, will be particularly targeted.
The Scottish Government will also offer grants of up to £1000 available to give practical help to turning business concepts into a reality.
Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes said: “Supporting this pilot operated by South of Scotland Enterprise to increase the number of women and under-represented groups starting and scaling businesses is a key Programme for Government commitment.
“We want to ensure everyone, from every walk of life, is given the right support and encouragement to make their business idea a reality.”
* To join the pathways programme and work with an enterprise coach for your area, go to www.southofscotlandenterprise.com/pathways.
