Online Event To Help Armagh, Banbridge & Craigavon Residents Explore Self-Employment
20th Oct 2025
A new online workshop is set to help people in the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council area explore self-employment and discover how to turn their skills, passions, or side hustles into a business.
Taking place on Thursday, October 23 from 10am to 11am via Zoom, Side Hustles & Self Employment: How To Get Started In Business will introduce participants to the Go Succeed: Get Started In Business programme.
Delivered in partnership with Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council as part of the wider Go Succeed initiative, the session is designed for individuals who are not currently in employment or unable to work traditional hours. It offers a supportive and practical pathway into income generation through self-employment.
This informative hour-long workshop will guide participants through discovering their skills, exploring ideas for self-employment, and learning how to test and refine their business concepts. It will also provide details on how to access up to 10 hours of one-to-one mentoring, attend local drop-in clinics and business development workshops, and apply for a £750 financial assistance package to help start or grow their business.
Facilitated by entrepreneur and trainer Tina Calder, alongside local entrepreneur Katie Matthews-Furphy from The Mind Tribe UK, the session will share practical tools and insights to help people understand their customers, avoid common pitfalls, and build confidence in pursuing self-employment.
Economically inactive people are those who are not currently in work and not actively looking for a job. This can include people who are long-term sick or disabled, carers, parents without access to childcare, students, or those recovering from illness. It can also include people who have stepped back from work due to confidence, transport, or digital barriers, as well as early retirees or those waiting for a change in circumstances before returning to employment.
The term also covers those caring for family members, managing long-term health conditions, studying full time, or taking time out for personal reasons. Many people in this group want to contribute but face barriers that make traditional employment difficult.
Typically, economically inactive people may or may not be in receipt of benefits but are considered outside the active labour market.
There are 50 places available for the workshop, which will also help attendees better understand how to begin their self-employment journey and access available support through the Go Succeed programme.
To find out more about the eligibility criteria for the Go Succeed: Get Started In Business programme, go to https://bit.ly/EconomicallyInactive2
To sign up for Side Hustles & Self Employment: How To Get Started In Business, go to https://bit.ly/ACB2310Listings
For further information or to discuss the programme, contact projects@excaliburpress.co.uk project lead Tina Calder at tina@excaliburpress.co.uk or stakeholder liaison officer Carole King on 07841714056 or carole@excaliburpress.co.uk
To find out more about Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council’s business support programmes, go to armaghbanbridgecraigavon.gov.uk or for more on the wider Go Succeed go to go-succeed.com
