Businesses to benefit from web development and digital marketing training

Small and medium-size businesses in the Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council area are being encouraged to apply for a skills-based programme that will teach them how to create a commercial website.

The Build Your Own Website initiative will assist participants in creating new websites for their businesses, resulting in functional online platforms they can manage themselves. Local entrepreneurs will subsequently be equipped with essential digital skills which will make them more competent in the online marketplace. Support will also be provided in relation to online content creation and SEO, which will help to attract customers and encourage business growth.

The programme, which is now open for applications, is limited to 20 participants and with demand expected to be high, the advice is to apply early to secure a place.

Newly appointed Mayor, Councillor Paul Hamill, said the Build Your Own Website programme offered a great opportunity for businesses to improve both their digital presence and skills.

“Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council has just launched this initiative following the success of last year’s pilot project, which proved incredibly popular and has helped a range of local entrepreneurs,” he said. “I would encourage anyone in the Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council area who wants to get their business website up and running – and to understand how to operate it – to apply.

“Council is committed to upskilling local entrepreneurs in digital technology and helping them to develop effective and efficient commercial websites, and this programme is aimed at supporting those SMEs which may not normally be eligible for assistance from mainstream government agencies and programmes.”

Caroline Diamond, who set up her business, Diamond Consulting, in May 2016, was one of the participants who benefited from the pilot programme.

She said: “I thought it was great and the quality of my website is super. It looks very professional. The one-to-one input of how to put the website together was also brilliant. We were given a comprehensive manual about how to get into the backend of it to update it, so I can make amendments now myself. I’d definitely recommend the programme to other businesses.”

To apply for the programme visit the Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council website at www.antrimandnewtownabbey.gov.uk/buildyourown Alternatively, contact Eilish Devlin from Ardean Marketing & Business Development at: eilish@ardeaninfo.com or Seonaid Rooney from the council at: seonaid.rooney@antrimandnewtownabbey.gov.uk