A contract for just under £5 million has been awarded to a consortium to deliver free business advice to social enterprises.
Just Enterprise, a consortium of social enterprises led by Community Enterprise in Scotland (CEIS), has won the £4.75 million four-year Scottish Government contract.
They will give free business advice and workshops to social enterprises, covering subjects such as start-ups, business planning, marketing and pre-investment support.
The consortium previously had a similar £5 million contract from 2014-2018.
Gerry Higgins, CEIS chief executive, said: "Following a positive independent evaluation of Just Enterprise last summer, we were delighted that our recent bid to continue to deliver these key services was successful.
"A social enterprise ourselves, we know the challenges for our clients in balancing income generation with social impact.
"We look forward to continuing to work with our partners across Scotland to deliver an innovative and effective programme of business support to enterprising third sector organisations."
Communities Secretary Aileen Campbell said: "The social enterprise sector contributes over £2 billion to the economy every year and employs over 80,000 people so it is vital social enterprises are able to access the support and advice they need to succeed."
