Jobs have been lost with the axing of a scheme that helped entrepreneurs in disadvantaged areas set up a business.

The New Entrepreneur Scholarship (NES) project, launched with a fanfare by Prime Minister Gordon Brown when he was Chancellor of the Exchequer, was killed off by the Government’s decision to stop NES funding through the Learning and Skills Council.

That move has cost three jobs at Technology Enterprise Kent (TEK), the Dover-based agency that ran it with Kent Business School, Canterbury, and The Prince’s Trust.

The scheme has been going for eight years and helped hundreds of people across Kent and Medway, Brighton and Sussex, with a dream of going it alone.

The scheme offered business training and grants to people living in certain disadvantaged postcode areas - especially in Thanet, Dover, Shepway and Medway. Many overcame personal obstacles to realise their dream.

TEK chief executive Peter Parsons said: "Our project has helped 257 entrepreneurs to start and develop their business, many of whom have had to overcome personal and professional obstacles.

"These statistics demonstrate that the scheme has made a positive difference in supporting the graduates to successfully start their business.

"This national programme has now been withdrawn by the Learning and Skills Council and organisations such as ours have had to deal with the resultant financial issues.

"TEK is as vulnerable to the effects of the recession as any other small business and as a result has sadly needed to make two full-time and one part-time staff members mainly associated with NES redundant."

He added that 11 remaining staff would continue to offer "outstanding services to entrepreneurs and innovators across the county".

The last group of graduates gathered at Kent Business School a few days ago to receive their accolades from Alex King, TEK chairman and Kent County Council deputy leader.

He told them these were tough times and they were likely to get tougher. But it was people like them who would help the economy out of recession.

"I’m absolutely sure that with the determination you guys have shown that you have an important contribution to make," he said.