FIVE graduates have been handed grants totalling £20,000 to start their own businesses.
A learning scheme, funded by the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (Nesta), was piloted in the North-East to coach graduates for the world of business.
Insight Out is open to graduates who have completed a higher education course in a creative industries subject, such as art or design, and who want to set up a creative business.
Those who attend the training programme, hosted by the University of Teesside, can apply for up to £5,000 in start-up funding.
Mark Fenwick, director of the Creative Pioneer Programme at Nesta, said: "Insight Out aims to encourage an enterprising spirit and provide not just financial support but also business advice."
The winners of the funding are Hannah Campion, Emma Dyson, Louise Hepworth, Graeme Patrick and Joanne Riddle.
Their businesses range from producing interactive children's books to innovative surface design, using acrylics and PVC.
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