Darlington Business Summit Success
Hundreds of businesses and local job seekers took advantage of the first ever Darlington Business Summit held at the Dolphin Centre from Wednesday 5 until Friday 7 October.
Organised by Darlington Borough Council’s business support team and in conjunction with Darlington Business Club, the three-day event gave local business people, and those who are thinking of starting a business, the chance to network with others and to find out more about the help and support available across the borough and the wider Tees Valley.
Dedicated seminars included social media marketing, how to bid for funding and how to address recruitment and training issues. Advice on energy efficiency, doing business with the public sector and how to grow and develop a business and much more, was also on offer.
Work opportunities and training became the focus of the middle day of the event as Darlington Jobs Fair took centre stage. Hundreds of people browsed a wide range of stalls from around 60 local employers and training providers. The event gave people the chance to chat face to face with employers to find out more about the local opportunities on offer.
Three workshops were also held to offer help and advice on how to apply for jobs, prepare for interviews and opportunities within the Civil Service hosted by Darlington Economic Campus. A live jobs board also gave people the chance to apply for immediate vacancies across more than 100 jobs.
The final event saw Councillor Alan Marshall, the council’s cabinet member for economy, along with Mark Ladyman, Assistant Director – Economic Growth, address an audience of business leaders and business people with an update on Darlington’s economy, present and future plans. In addition, a special presentation was made by Pauline Crellin, Department for International Trade and Promit Anwar, HM Treasury from Darlington Economic Campus, detailing the opportunities presented by the location of more than 1600 Civil servants in the town.
Councillor Alan Marshall said:
“I am delighted that people took time out of their busy schedules and came along to find out more about the excellent opportunities in our borough both for businesses and those who are looking to start or change their career path.
“Whilst there are challenges out there for businesses, there is also help and support and this event has helped to show what is on offer through our own business team and also through the excellent network of support throughout the Tees Valley.
“Many thanks to Darlington Business Club and to all the service providers and organisations who came along to showcase what they do, delivered seminars and offered help and advice at the event.”