JOBSEEKERS and entrepreneurs on Glasgow's South Side are to get extra support from a new centre.

Glasgow Libraries have launched a new Business and Employability Hub in Gorbals Library.

Split into two distinct parts, the pilot hub will offer support to both individuals seeking to gain employment and those looking to launch their own business.

If successful, Glasgow Life hopes to replicate the model in other libraries across the city.

Councillor David McDonald, chairman of Glasgow Life, said: “Thanks to this new Business and Employability Hub residents will be supported to explore their potential and launch their dream business, all in the comfort and accessible surroundings of their local library.

“Our city’s libraries already offer a range of employment services in partnership with Glasgow City Council, Jobs and Business Glasgow, Glasgow Clyde College and Citizens Advice Bureau and I am delighted that we will be further extending the service to provide free employability training, workshops and courses in Gorbals Library.

"I look forward to creating opportunities for more people across the city to access this vital service in their local library.”

Delivered in partnership with Jobs and Business Glasgow and Glasgow Clyde College, the Business and Employability Hub at Gorbals Library will bring together existing support for job seekers and business start-ups through free skills workshops, drop-in sessions and learning courses such as the popular Goals4Work programme alongside dedicated resources and book collections.

Building on The Mitchell Library’s successful Business at The Mitchell offer, which sees almost 1000 customers every year, the business strand of the hub has been developed to provide new start-ups with the tools they need in order to launch their new business from scratch.

Andrew Reeve was one of the first people to come along to the Business and Employability Hub.

Looking for support to help launch his new online adventure tourism business, Andrew attended a Business Start-up Session workshop at Gorbals Library.

He said: “I’d had the idea of doing venture tourism and sea kayaking tours for a while but I didn’t really know where to start.

"So when I came along to the session I was trying to find out as much as I could about how to launch the business, and doing some market research into other similar businesses at the same time.

"Having this hub in the library, and knowing you can just go along and chat to someone about your idea, was really useful."

Having identified a gap in the market, Andrew hopes to launch his business delivering sea-kayaking tours around the Isle of Harris in May this year.

He added: “I think having business start-up information in a community library is a good thing.

"Libraries are generally in accessible places in the community – places you would be visiting anyway, so by having these sessions in a library it makes you think that starting a business is possible.

“If you’re looking to start your own business I’d absolutely recommend coming along to a session at the Business and Employability Hub.”

To attend one of the free Business or Employability workshops or training sessions, or find out more, see: www.glasgowlife.org.uk/libraries or pop in to Gorbals Library.