Ritchie offers free training programme for Lurgan residents

Social Development Minister Margaret Ritchie today announced a funding boost of nearly £7,000 for local people, in the Lurgan Neighbourhood Renewal Area, to take part in a business training programme.

The ‘Exploring Enterprise Programme’ which starts on 28 September, offers free training to help local people into sustainable employment or self employment. Using a mixture of group training and one to one mentoring, participants will be able to learn about business and gain an accredited level 2 Certificate of Business Enterprise. The course covers matters such as:

• CV preparation;
• interview skills; and
• developing business ideas.

Margaret Ritchie said: “This project will provide real and significant opportunities for people in the local area. It will allow residents to participate in a specifically designed training programme to improve their employability.”

“By contributing to this project my department is demonstrating its commitment to improving the lives of people living in the Lurgan Neighbourhood Renewal Area.”

The programme, which will cost over £18,000 in total, is being jointly funded by Enterprise Northern Ireland and will be delivered by Craigavon Industrial Development Organisation (CIDO) which is currently engaged in a recruiting campaign to attract suitable participants. The Minister urged residents of the Neighbourhood Renewal Area to apply for the limited places available.

She said: “This project offers encouragement and assistance for those, including young people, hoping to enter the labour market in these current challenging times and I would urge anyone interested to contact CIDO at 028 3839 6520 for further details.”

Notes to editors:

1. The Neighbourhood Renewal Strategy ‘People and Place’ was published in June 2003 to close the gap between the quality of life for people in the most deprived neighbourhoods and the rest of society. The Neighbourhood Renewal Strategy has four interlinking strategic objectives:
   Community Renewal – to develop confident communities that are able and committed to improving the quality of life in their areas.
   Economic Renewal – to develop economic activity in the most deprived neighbourhoods and connect them to the wider urban economy.
   Social Renewal – to improve social conditions for the people who live in the most deprived neighbourhoods through better co-ordinated public services and the creation of safer environments.
   Physical Renewal – to help create attractive, safe and sustainable environments in the most deprived neighbourhoods.
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