CEBs

1
THE ROLE AND FUNCTIONS OF COUNTY AND CITY
ENTERPRIDE BOARDS WITH PARTICULAR REFERENCE TO
THE MAYO CEB Bodo, Norway 31st March 2008 FRANK
FULLARD M.Sc Chief Executive Officer Mayo County
Enterprise Board Spencer Street Castlebar
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County and City Enterprise Boards

• There is a network of 35 CEBs nationally covering
  each administrative area of the country
• Each CEB is involved in
• 1. The provision of financial support in the form
  of grants, and
• 2. The provision of training, mentoring and
  advisory support to small and micro-enterprises

3
WE TAKE AN INTEGRATED APPROACH TO ASSISTING SMALL
ENTERPRISES

• HARD SUPPORT
• includes
• Capital grants.
• Employment grants.
• Feasibility study grants.
• Equity investment

• SOFT SUPPORT
• examples
• Providing general information
• Consultancy advice
• Training
• Mentors.
• Management development.

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The Importance of Local Enterprise

• It is hugely important in Mayo because
• We have not benefited substantially in recent
  years from Foreign Direct Investment the major
  driving force of the Irish economy
• In fact, we have lost more jobs than we have
  gained from that source over the past 5 years
• We are therefore much more dependant on local job
  creation than most other areas

5
The job creation contribution of the Mayo CEB

• Employment in projects which have received grants
  from the Mayo CEB is currently
• 1,330 full time jobs, and
• 242 part time jobs
• We have paid approximately 5.7 million in grants
  to these enterprises
• We have grant aided 570 micro-enterprises
• This represents a grant cost per job of 3,872

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Also

• These jobs are widely dispersed through out the
  county which is of major significance in a local
  development and rural development context
• Small projects of the type we support are more
  integrated into their local community than
  foreign enterprises, and are less likely to pull
  out if trading conditions become difficult
• The typical project employs 2 or 3 people, so
  that if we do have a closure it is not as
  dramatic in terms of its impact as the closure of
  a multinational operation which can devistate a
  local area

7
The Contribution of Soft Supports

• We currently provide soft supports of one kind or
  another to approximately 470 people per year
  across a variety of business support programmes
• These are mostly self employed individuals or
  owner managers of micro enterprises
• These supports augment the grant support we
  provide
• But, because we do not confine our soft supports
  to grant assisted businesses they impact on the
  wider small business community in the County

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Examples of Training Programmes

• Start Your Own Business Programmes
• For those who are considering the option, or have
  recently started up
• Managing Finances
• Basic financial management, Cash Flow,
  Profitability, PAYE, VAT, PRSI ,etc
• Advanced Financial Management
• For those who are gone beyond the initial start
  up stage, but need to be able to take a more
  strategic overview of their financial situation

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Contd.

• Human Resources Management
• Dealing with key employment related issues
• Marketing Management
• Dealing with marketing related issues
• Operations Management
• Dealing with operational issues
• Health Safety
• Deals with statutory responsibilities and how to
  meet them
• E Business
• Use of the Internet for trading purposes

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Contd.

• Special programmes for special groups
• Childcare providers, Craft workers etc.
• Management Development Programmes
• Longer term programmes taking a more strategic
  approach
• One to One business advice
• Particularly to help develop a realistic and
  workable business plan, also
• Dealing with particular problems, or
  opportunities

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Young Entrepreneurs

• Last year we spent in excess of 40,000 in
  promoting enterprise at schools level. Examples
• Student Enterprise Awards
• Students set up and run a business. Winners at
  county level go forward to National final
• The Enterprise Challenge
• This is essentially a one day boot-camp for
  young entrepreneurs. We had 180 participants last
  year
• Case Study
• We had 60 participants looking at case
  studies of local entrepreneurs
• Approaches to Innovation
• 180 very young children were introduced to
  the notion of science, innovation and technology
  in business development