Manufacturing Growth Programme delivers over 2,500 "crucial" Yorkshire jobs

One of the UK’s most successful industrial business support programmes comes to an end in June after helping Yorkshire manufacturers create or safeguard 2,524 jobs since 2016.

The Manufacturing Growth Programme (MGP), which is designed and delivered by Oxford Innovation Advice, will see funding from the European Regional Development Fund end and is now urging the Government and local authorities to ensure that tailored advice for manufacturing SMEs is quickly put in place.

A recent independent evaluation of the programme found that MGP has delivered “excellent value for money and achieved real results”. Over 95 per cent of companies surveyed expected their business to grow in the next five years because of the support from the programme, with 63 per cent identifying the development of new products as one of the key areas.

In addition, 63 per cent said they had already seen an increase in turnover, while 52 per cent cited improved productivity as the main outcome of the support received. MGP was established in October 2016 to address some of the main barriers to growth experienced by SME manufacturers.

Since then, it has been providing grant funding for business improvement/capital projects and specialist mentoring from industry experts, with hundreds of companies assisted across Yorkshire.

Its dedicated team of Manufacturing Growth Managers has delivered more than £2.85m of grants that, in turn, have unlocked over £5.2m of private sector investment. Importantly, it also generated, on average, £36,804 Gross Value Added (GVA) per employee in the region.

Jane Galsworthy, managing director of Oxford Innovation Advice, explained: “This independent evaluation further demonstrates that specialist business support programmes like the Manufacturing Growth Programme play a crucial role in supporting companies to overcome everyday challenges and barriers to growth.

“With the new UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) dividing up funding for business support at a very local level, there is a risk that Yorkshire businesses will only be able to access generic, low-quality support which delivers lower value for money and less measurable impact on businesses and the economy.

“We’ve proven over the last seven years what targeted support can do for SME manufacturers, helping them accelerate growth, improve productivity and create jobs. With funding for MGP coming to an end, this creates a significant hole in specialist high-quality support for smaller manufacturers.”

By Matthew Neville – Senior Correspondent, Bdaily

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