Entrepreneurs set to bolster local economy

Thirty talented and entrepreneurial individuals have been selected to relocate to Newcastle as part of an Australian-first economic stimulus program.

The City’s ‘New Move’ talent attraction program incentivised skilled professionals in existing and emerging industries to relocate to Newcastle with a $10,000 grant to be spent in the Local Government Area.

Over 460 expressions of interest were received from around the globe including the Netherlands, Mexico, Hong Kong, Canada and India.

The '10,000 Reasons' digital marketing campaign has been viewed more than 5.5 million times, effectively promoting Newcastle as a city of opportunity.

The successful applicants bring expertise and investment in areas such as clean energy, defence, health and tech development like artificial intelligence, virtual and augmented reality. Several are start-up founders and will be establishing their business ventures in Newcastle.

At the same time as the New Move Program, City of Newcastle is investing almost $400,000 in local training to connect locals with Newcastle’s emerging economic opportunities. The NewSkills training program will be delivered by specialist training providers through workshops, self-paced learning, intensive programs and mentoring over the next 12 months.

From assisting businesses to become more inclusive, to building resilience to market disruptions including COVID-19, the NewSkills training programs seek to close skills gaps in the local workforce.

NewSkills follows the City’s highly successful Tourism Product Development Program which provided 15 local businesses with training and business mentoring to develop new visitor experiences and products that leverage Newcastle’s unique offering to visitors, to sustain and grow Newcastle’s visitor economy.

The New Move grant recipients are required to adhere to the latest COVID-19 Public Health Orders when planning their relocation to Newcastle, when allowed to do so.

To view a video from the New Move curated ‘Famil’ weekend, visit.