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In the business of jobs

A passion for helping young people into work has led one man to set up his own recruitment business.

Blaydon based Silverfox NE Ltd has been started by Steve Wright, 49, with help from business growth experts, Investment for Growth.

Steve is on a crusade to help the unemployed find work and believes companies have a moral obligation to provide opportunities for young people.

Steve said: “It’s the young who are being hit hardest by the recession and I think companies can do a lot more to help them out.

“The trouble is most business owners just don’t realise how easy it can be to take an apprentice on or just how useful one can be.

“Young people have lots of knowledge in using social media and can bring in lots of fresh ideas that can help revitalise a business. It can be a very rewarding experience.”

SilverfoxNE aims to match up those looking for work with those businesses in the North East who are looking for new staff, apprentices or trainees.

By not being tied to any training provider or college, Steve can match the best candidate to the business position without any bias.

Steve’s business has been running less than a month and already he’s helped a number of people find work through adverts placed in the Job Centre.

Steve has a background in sales and recruitment but has never run his own business before. To help him with the setup of Silverfox NE and the creation of a website Steve approached Investment for Growth.

Delivered by the Investment Centre and supported by the European Regional Development Fund, Investment for Growth was able to provide 40% of the funding Steve needed.

Helping Steve with his funding application was Investment for Growth advisor Karen Jones, she said: “Steve had a great business idea that he just needed to get off the ground.

“We were able to help him finance and then choose an experienced business consultant to assist Steve and share best practice.

“He now has a more structured approach and a good plan of how to develop his business further. I’m confident he’ll be very successful and help many people find work.”

Steve said: “The team at Investment for Growth really bought into my idea for Silverfox NE.

“They were incredibly supportive and I found applying for finance very easy.”

So far the Investment for Growth fund has helped more than 500 North East business access funding worth in excess of £2million.

Should any business wish to apply, a team of advisers will help guide the business through the preparation, submission and follow up of the application process.

To be eligible, businesses must be based in the North East and provide a business-to-business product or service.

To find out about Investment for Growth call 0191 426 6408 or email enquiries@investment4growth.co.uk.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ian Benet .