Employment and economic development

For example, in the late 1990s we started to allocate around 100 hectares of our site in IJmuiden to boost regional economic development and several dozen small and medium sized companies are now established in the IJmond Business Park.

We are active members of a number of local working groups, employers’ associations and advisory boards. Amongst these bodies is the Enterprising IJmond Federation, a co-operative network set up to share the economic interests of its local members.

Regeneration - UK Steel Enterprise

Steel supply has often exceeded demand over the past 25 years and this remains the case in certain market sectors.

To remain competitive, established companies in the steel industry, like Corus, have had to become more productive. This has resulted in the rationalisation and closure of some facilities. Where redundancies or plant closures are unavoidable, we work hard to minimise the impact on our employees and the communities in which we operate. We offer retraining, help with finding alternative employment and outplacement services.

Through UK Steel Enterprise, a wholly owned subsidiary, we try to support the economic regeneration of communities affected by changes in the steel industry. Since its establishment in 1975, UK Steel Enterprise has invested almost £68m (EUR92m) in new and expanding businesses and £29m (EUR43m) in managed workspaces. We have supported over 4,440 small businesses and helped create over 67,300 new jobs. In addition the business has provided over £5m (EUR7.7m) to assist numerous community initiatives and organisations assisting regeneration in steel areas.

Over the years, the business has been able to attract additional external funding for its clients of over £307m. The case study on page 51 provides two examples of how UK Steel Enterprise is supporting regeneration in steel areas.