The New Enterprise Allowance (NEA) scheme has helped launch 203 businesses by unemployed benefit claimants on average each week in the UK, since 2017. Older claimants and people in the North West in particular have shown entrepreneurial skills.

Helping unemployed people become their own boss as a route from claiming benefits, the NEA scheme offers claimants a personal business mentor, weekly living allowance and funding of up to £25,000 for their business idea.

New figures released today show a total of 209,000 benefit claimants have been supported since the scheme was launched in 2011, with over 130,000 businesses set up as a result – nearly 20,000 in the last 2 years alone.

Older claimants and disabled people in particular have seized the chance to be their own boss.

Almost a quarter of all businesses created have been started by disabled claimants (over 29,000), with the same proportion started by those aged over 50 (31,000).

The scheme has also provided a platform for budding entrepreneurs from ethnic minority groups. Of all businesses started since 2011, almost 14% were launched by a person from a black and minority ethnic (BAME) background.

The North West proved itself to be the most entrepreneurial region, with almost 20,000 businesses launched by claimants since the scheme began. London and Yorkshire and Humberside were close behind, with an entrepreneurial boost of 15,370 and 13,700 new businesses respectively.

Employment Minister, Mims Davies, said:

Starting a business is an exciting, challenging and potentially life-changing experience. Moving forward from being on benefits to having the power to become your own boss, it’s vital we do all we can to help fulfil the dreams of those with entrepreneurial ambitions and innovative ideas.

The New Enterprise Allowance scheme is supporting people who want to make that journey regardless of their background or any disability they might have. Work coaches stand ready to provide advice and support, across our network of over 600 Jobcentres – helping every claimant achieve their potential.

Today’s figures show the UK’s entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well, and we are backing it.

The new figures come as small businesses across Britain have boomed in recent years. There are over 570,000 more ‘micro’ enterprises (with 9 or fewer staff) based in Great Britain since 2011 – an increase of almost a third.

The number of self-employed people in the UK also reached a record of almost 5 million in June according to latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures – with construction the most common industry, followed by science and technology and retail.

NEA is available to people claiming certain benefits, such as Jobseeker’s Allowance or Universal Credit.

Participants in the scheme get a mentor to help with a business plan. Once they start to trade, they’ll also have a mentor for the first year.

Cash support is available through the scheme for up to 26 weeks, with a weekly allowance of £65 paid for the first 13 weeks, followed by £33 per week for the remaining 13 weeks. Claimants may also be able to access a start-up loan of up £25,000.

Further information on NEA.

Media enquiries for this press release – 020 3267 5144

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We are inviting organisations to submit tenders through the e-Tendering system for a 2018 Civil Legal Advice (CLA) contract.

This is to deliver CLA specialist telephone advice services in housing and debt.

The LAA is seeking to award a single contract through this procurement process, in addition to the two existing contracts which will continue.

The contract will be offered for an initial period until 31 August 2021. This is subject to the LAA’s rights of early termination and the right to extend.

How can I tender?

Tenders must be submitted using the LAA’s e-Tendering system – see below. A link is also available on the tender pages of the LAA website.

If you wish to tender then you must submit a response to both the:

1. selection questionnaire (SQ)

2. invitation to tender (ITT)

Tender deadline

The deadline for submitting tenders is 12 noon on 22 November 2019.

Tenders will be assessed both on quality and price.

Further information

Specialist telephone advice in housing and debt – to find out more and download the Information for Applicants document

e-Tendering system – to submit your tender

Published 23 October 2019

The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland invites applications for the appointment of a new Chief Commissioner and six Commissioners to the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland.

These appointments will be made with effect from 1 March 2020.

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If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email Comms@nio.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

Published 23 October 2019

Geochemists Abby Moorhouse and Alice Mellor together with R&D Technical Manager Cara Callingham, and hydrogeologist Megan Nicholson, were representatives of the BEIS Science and Engineering Network (BSEN) at the international event.

It was absolutely fantastic,” said Abby “It was a ‘once in a lifetime’ trip to one of the most incredible collaborative scientific research projects in the world, which is part funded by Britain. It gave us the opportunity to see numerous experiments associated with the Large Hadron Collider up close and the chance to talk face-to-face with the academics, scientists and industry professionals working there.

We were all immensely proud to be representing BEIS and the Coal Authority. Plus, as women in STEM, the visit showcased the investment the Coal Authority has made in our training, wellbeing and careers.

Organised by a group of departmental networks of the Government Science and Engineering Profession, including BSEN, the 4 women had exclusive access to some of the most exciting parts of CERN and included an underground tour of one of the Large Hadron Collider experiments (ALICE) and visits to the Data and Control Centres and the Antimatter Factory. The 2-day visit included a dinner with expert guests.

CERN was set up in 1954 and plays a large part in the UK’s science landscape. In 2019 the UK, the second largest contributor after Germany, will have contributed £145 million to CERN, where the world’s largest and most complex scientific instruments are used to study the fundamental particles that make up the universe.

The Hadron Collider is an example of a big collaborative scientific project that includes an academic community of over 12,200 scientists. They are made up of 110 nationalities from institutes in more than 70 countries as well as hundreds of PhD students from the UK and the rest of the world.

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Latest information and actions from the Education and Skills Funding Agency for academies, schools, colleges, local authorities and further education providers.