Member Article

£290k funding allows Newcastle contact centre to create 70 new jobs

Contact centre company Echo-U has revealed it has created 70 new jobs after securing Let’s Grow funding from the Regional Growth Fund.

Launched in 2001, the Newcastle-based business applied for the funding last year and has since received £290k.

Currently employing 175 people, the money will provide working capital to recruit and train 128 additional employees.

A remaining 58 jobs are expected to be created by the end of this year which will allow the business, which works with names including Sage and the National Careers Service, to tender for larger contracts.

Echo-U director, David Blakey, said: “An opportunity came to us which was much bigger than most of the projects we had previously been involved with. It’s fantastic to be in a position to accept this type of work.”

Let’s Grow, which is administered by the BE Group in partnership with UNW and The Journal and Evening Gazette, supports SME growth and job creation in the North East.

Aimed towards manufacturing businesses and service sector businesses, grants are available to businesses of all sizes, with higher levels of support available to SMEs.

Phil Sly from the BE Group said: “Since receiving Let’s Grow funding, Echo U has done a fantastic job of moving into a larger marketplace and positioning itself appropriately in order to win new business.

“When you consider the value of the grant alongside the number of jobs created, this has been a very worthy investment.”

Neville Bearpark, who leads the UNW grants team, said: “This is a great success story for Echo-U. We’re delighted that Let’s Grow enabled the company to expand its workforce and as a result, is able to compete for, and win, larger contracts.”

Mr Blakey said: “I would like to thank everyone who assisted us throughout the grant process, including the team at BE Group and UNW.

“Although it can seem a little daunting at the outset, practical no-nonsense support is out there. The creation of 128 new careers in my hometown makes me feel very proud and made the whole process worthwhile.”

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