Northgate Opens New Job Opportunities

A Co Antrim-based IT support company, Northgate Managed Services, has revealed plans to create 88 new jobs, mainly at its Newtownabbey head office.

The firm said it represents a £19.4m investment, supported by £2.64m from Invest NI.

Northgate provides IT support to customers in both the public and private sectors with local authorities among its biggest customers.

Stormont Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster announced the investment, which not only aims to create the 88 new jobs, but alos safeguard 241 others.

It will help Northgate achieve £62million of new business in external sales over the next three years and deliver over £8million in salaries annually into the local economy.

Northgate Managed Services provides infrastructure and specialist ICT managed services to public and private sector organisations throughout the UK and Ireland from its head office in Newtownabbey.

The Minister said: "This major investment demonstrates Northgate's focus on ensuring that it is competitively positioned to win further new business.

"Generating £8.2million annually in salaries through the creation of 88 new jobs and the safeguarding of a further 241, this investment is a significant commitment by one of the UK's leading IT services firms.

"Maintaining such skilled jobs paying above average salaries in a key industry sector, particularly in the current economic climate, is a very welcome boost for the Northern Ireland economy," she said.

The wider project will see the company centralise a number of back office functions, make a number of efficiency improvements and engage in a major training and development programme.

Invest NI has offered £2.64million of support which includes £1.12million of training assistance part funded by the European Regional Development Fund.

Arlene Foster continued: "By 2011, over 530 people will be employed by Northgate in Northern Ireland, that’s almost half of its total UK workforce.

"This is a strong endorsement of the local skills base which will be further enhanced as the training element of the project is implemented."

Andy Ross, Chief Executive of Northgate Managed Services said: "Last year we worked to reduce the impact of the global downturn and focused on increasing sales, fulfilling customer needs and protecting jobs.

"We were extremely successful in achieving these objectives and the investment announced today will allow us to build upon those achievements and prepare to take advantage of the upturn.

"We have identified new external sales opportunities potentially worth up to £62 million over the next three years and plan to implement a number of efficiency and capability development activities to ensure we achieve the targets set.

"Our highly talented employees are a key part of our continued growth and the investment in training and the recruitment of a further 88 staff will be a crucial to our future success," he concluded.

(BMcC/GK)