Business Development Programmes

‘Go for It’ is a business start-up and growth programme, in partnership with all 11 local Councils and delivered by Enterprise Northern Ireland and its Local Enterprise Agencies of Northern Ireland.  If you are thinking of starting your own business you can access a free comprehensive package of support for your new business idea through the ‘Go for it’ Programme, including:

• One-to-one assessment with a business advisor
• Tailored financial and business planning advice
• Advice on how to access grants and funding
• Access to best practice guides, tools and videos
• Support and help to get you started

Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council in partnership with economic development organisations from France, Holland, Switzerland and the Republic of Ireland has developed an INTERREG North West Europe Social Enterprise Programme led by the Highlands & Islands Enterprise.

This free programme will assist the start-up of new social economy enterprises as well as assist established social enterprises to grow and develop.  This will be achieved through one-to-one support, innovative idea generation workshops, best practice learning from other countries and networking opportunities.

A project supported by the European Union’s INTERREG VA Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB).

This programme offers free training, advice and support to young people to develop their skills and help them become future entrepreneurs.

The Council is working closely with The Prince’s Trust and Young Enterprise NI to deliver specialist support for young people.  These projects will provide opportunities to access training and employment, as well as inspire young people to consider self-employment as a potential career pathway.

The aim of the SME Mentor Growth Programme is to enable local businesses to access free essential business knowledge and expertise on a one-to-one basis to become even more competitive and achieve growth.

The Programme offers a flexible tiered support offering of up to 30 hours of support.  Through listening to the needs and requirements of local businesses, the range of expert support includes:  sales development, strategic planning, digital marketing, branding and financial management.

This project is part funded by Invest Northern Ireland and the European Regional Development Fund under the Investment for Growth & Jobs Northern Ireland (2014-2020) Programme.

The Small Business Procurement Programme supports local companies and social enterprises identify procurement opportunities and build their capacity to construct tender bids more effectively to win new work.

This programme will provide an insight into public tendering needs and structures.  Each participating business can benefit from one-to-one support in preparing and submitting high quality bids, participate in workshops focusing on increasing awareness of the procurement process, attend ‘Meet the Buyer Events’ as well as explore and develop new partnership and clustering opportunities.

This project is part funded by Invest Northern Ireland and the European Regional Development Fund under the Investment for Growth & Jobs Northern Ireland (2014-2020) Programme.

The Digi Growth Programme offers businesses in the Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council area a bespoke package of support which will help them to develop viable commercial projects and identify the funding to deliver these.  This fre Programme will support businesses at various stages of their digital transformation journey to transform and grow through the use of digital technologies and E-commerce, to enhance customer engagement, increase sales and ultimately create jobs.

Programme participants will received support including:

• Specialist mentoring suited to individual businesses and projects
• Research and Development support to develop new products and processes
• Innovation workshops & networking opportunities
• Signposting advice to receive further support

This project is part funded by Invest Northern Ireland and the European Regional Development Fund under the Investment for Growth & Jobs Northern Ireland (2014-2020) Programme.

Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council have partnered with South East Regional College and a consortium of local employers to recruit and provide highly trained, motivated and professional engineers.  

Students will use their skills to develop engineering solutions and will have the opportunity to work in a highly technical industry working with everything from bridges, structural steel, cladding systems, ventilation, marine and agriculture products.   The Council is keen to engage with businesses within this sector to address any current or future skills deficits.

One of Northern Ireland’s premier investment areas, Lisburn Castlereagh is an ambitious and entrepreneurial city. A business-friendly location, it’s a superb choice for investors who require a strategic all-island base, offering easy access to the UK and the Republic of Ireland.

Businesses relocating or searching for new premises in the Lisburn Castlereagh area can tap into free support from the Council’s Investment Team to assist their own individual business requirements.  This ‘Soft Landing’ service includes matching investors with opportunities in Lisburn Castlereagh as well as supporting businesses to connect with a network of top-class companies, Universities, Chamber of Commerce and research centres.

The Investment programme includes a number of initiatives including:

• Property Agent Forum 2019/20
• Lisburn Castlereagh Investment Guide
• Made in Lisburn Castlereagh 2020
• Annual Business & Investment Networking Reception, London spring 2020
• Attendance at European Trade Shows and Conferences 2019/20

In 2017, the Council received Fairtrade City status, supporting the principles of the Northern Ireland Fairtrade campaign with the following actions:

• Actively promoting Fairtrade to workplaces and community organisations (places of worship, schools, universities, colleges and other community organisations) within the Council area;
• Exploring tendering and public procurement of Fairtrade products within the Council’s own purchasing policies and embracing Fairtrade where possible;
• Facilitate a regular Voluntary Steering Group made up of representatives from across the Council area focusing on Fairtrade activity with representation from the Council

If you are a local business and keen to promote and raise awareness of fair trade in the workplace please feel free to contact us.

The Entrepreneurs Network is a free monthly networking and discussion breakfast forum for local Lisburn Castlereagh businesses. These monthly events offer practical information aimed at addressing key business issues and promoting local business development.