A ‘SIGNIFICANT impact’ has been made locally in the five years since the South of Scotland Enterprise (SOSE) started.
That was the agency’s message to First Minister John Swinney this week, as he joined them to mark the milestone.
SOSE say that so far they have helped create and safeguard an estimated 10,000 jobs, and given out direct grant funding of over £50 million to 800 businesses, organisations and community groups.
Also in their first five years, they distributed £26 million of covid funding to 626 businesses, social enterprises and community groups; dealt with over 5000 enquiries; supported the establishment of 100 new businesses in the last eight months through the Pathways programme; and responded to around 100 national and regional consultations.
Commenting, First Minister John Swinney said: “Since its inception, South of Scotland Enterprise has had a truly transformative impact on businesses and communities across Southern Scotland.
“It has helped galvanise the region, ensuring that Southern Scotland remains an attractive place to visit, to live and to work.
“The Scottish Government is proud to support SOSE’s efforts and I look forward to seeing how the agency goes from strength to strength in the future.”
SOSE chair Russel Griggs OBE added: “When we launched in April 2020, we made a promise to the people of the South of Scotland that we would be bold, different, ambitious and would listen.
“Moving forward, we will ensure we are adaptive, forward thinking, innovative and responsive to the needs of our fantastic region.”
