Existing and future entrepreneurs in Central Alberta are going to benefit from $600,000 in funding from the Alberta government.

The money is being received by the Red Deer Downtown Business Association as part of a regional economic development partnership with the province, launching the Catapult Entrepreneurs program.

The program will provide entrepreneurs the education on how to turn their ideas into a reality and support them during their startup period.

It’s something Senior Business Development Advisor Danielle Klooster said is extremely important.

“Our intention is to really come around the entrepreneurs and help them gain those lifetime skills in the business development arena that will serve them no matter what their business idea is.”

“They can have 20 businesses over their lifetime if they want to and they will have those skills and that knowledge base of how to operate a business and that’s really our focus.”

Owner of Promark Business Solutions Mark Cherkowski is one of eight who have already been accepted into the program and said the decision to join was a no brainer.

“I’ve been going for about a year, but I find doing everything on my own I’m really limited. There are some gaps in my knowledge and I heard about the mentoring and training and I thought that’s what I need to really take the next step instead of muddling my way through everything.”

The funding came from Alberta Economic Development and Trade and is part of the Alberta Entrepreneurship Incubator program, a $10 million pilot project delivered through Alberta Innovates over two years.