Grants help 1,100 unemployed people in Wales to start businesses

A Welsh government grant scheme has helped 1,100 unemployed people to start their own business to boost the employment rate.

The Barriers to Start-up Grant for over 25-year-olds allows economically inactive and unemployed people to start a business with funds of up to £2,000.

Grants have been targeted for people facing barriers to finding work or starting their own business, with 57% of successful applicants being female, 26% being disabled and 13% identifying as Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic.

The scheme was designed in the hopes it could help to close the gap between the employment rate in Wales and the UK by 2050 through fair work and raising participation from under-represented groups.

Speaking at the start of Global Entrepreneurship Week, Economy Minister Vaughan Gething said: ‘The Welsh Government is determined to create a fairer and more prosperous Wales, where people are supported to fulfil their true potential.

‘We are working hard to create good-quality jobs in communities across Wales. That includes supporting people into work, regardless of their individual circumstances or the barriers they face to employment.

‘We are also focused on supporting more people to start their own business, fostering an even more vibrant SME sector, and prioritising enterprises built on sustainability and the industries and services of tomorrow.’

The Barriers to Start-up Grant is part of a package of support, which includes one-to-one advice and webinars, to provide people with business knowledge and help them to develop plans.

One successful applicant unemployed single mum Sami Gibson had struggled to set up a business, as she lived in an isolated rural location and had no laptop or internet connectivity.

Since receiving a grant, Sami bought equipment and marketing materials to help her set up a business called Roots. She now grows herbs and other plants sustainably, creates herb blends for pizzas or stuffing mix and sells them.

She said: ‘Thanks to invaluable support from Business Wales, I now trade regularly at markets and I have a thriving website for sales.’

Photo by Catrin Ellis