£15M fund announced for West Midlands manufacturers

Manufacturing businesses across the West Midlands are to receive expert guidance and funding, to capitalise on a new wave of economic opportunities. 

Supported by the West Midlands Investment Zone, the programme will create and safeguard thousands of jobs, by supporting businesses pivot into high-growth, tech focused advanced manufacturing markets. Set out in the region’s Growth Plan, and further detailed in the government’s Industrial Strategy, the businesses include advanced engineering, electric vehicles and battery technology, clean tech and energy, health and medical tech, aerospace, and digital technologies.

£12.5 million has been secured for the sector by Mayor Richard Parker and the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) from the government, with the WMCA providing an additional £2.5 million of Investment Zone funding for skills training and routes to apprenticeships. 

West Midlands mayor Richard Parker said: “Manufacturing is still the beating heart of the West Midlands economy, it’s in our DNA. But we’re ever evolving as technology transforms what we make and how we make it. Opportunities are coming in this new era for manufacturing. And we’re making sure businesses and local people are ready to seize the moment so we can protect and create more high-quality jobs. This is a chance to reclaim our status as the workshop of the world.”