Grant aid to boost jobs
GRANT support from One NorthEast during 2007 will help create almost 4,000 new jobs and safeguard a further 1,400.
The regional development agency administers the DTI’s Selective Finance for Investment (SFI) grants - and last year awarded more than 110 companies £19.8m to help them grow, which has the potential to create 3,719 new jobs and protect 1,469 existing jobs.
The grant support is expected to encourage more than £134.5m worth of additional capital investment by companies in the region.
Tees Valley firms to benefit included Cleveland Potash, which will buy new equipment to open up untapped seams in its Boulby operation. The project will see the firm receive a £1.9m grant from One NorthEast to go towards safeguarding 250 jobs at the mine.
Tees Valley-based Garlands Call Centres was also given a £600,000 grant to open a new customer contact centre in South Shields.
