A FAMILY-RUN Inverclyde business which is now able to train and hire young people thanks to support from Business Gateway is set to expand.

A & I Geotechnical, run by Ross and Maria Cameron, provides geotechnical ground investigation services including surveying, site supervision, reporting, and project management. 

Ross and Maria recently approached Business Gateway for advice on growing their business, which was founded in 2016. 

With support from adviser Mario Alonzi, Ross and Maria have been able to access wage-subsidy grants from Inverclyde Council, and secure a place on the Inverclyde Business Growth Programme which has helped Maria learn about finance and net zero strategy. 

The business has now grown from just Ross and Maria to a team of six.

Four members of the team are young professionals who have been trained up, and two of these young men are Ross and Maria's sons. 

The young men are being trained in geotechnical ground investigation and their work will help them achieve an NVQ in Land Drilling. 

Ross and Maria say they now want to give back to communities across Inverclyde by sponsoring events and sports teams, using local suppliers wherever possible, and only employing people from the local area. 

Mario Alonzi, Business Gateway adviser said: "By helping Ross and Maria to grow their business and access funding, we've supported the hiring and training of people in the local community.

"I look forward to seeing how they continue to grow their business and give back to the area."

Maria Cameron said: “Mario has given us fantastic help and advice. With his support, we have managed to secure a grant for equipment that will help us expand the business and also secured a meeting with Scottish Enterprise.  

“Mario has been a great help in continuing to grow the business and provide us with invaluable support.”