Manchester Growth company hails first year of operation
MANCHESTER Growth Company has supported the creation of almost 18,000 jobs during its first full year in operation.
The outfit, which is made-up of the Manchester Solutions Group, the Business Growth Hub, Marketing Manchester, MIDAS and New Economy, has also placed 5,417 unemployed people into work since it was created in 2013.
Bosses said MGC has managed 92 inward investment projects, provided 3,272 apprenticeships and supported 2,596 new business start-ups, generating £349m Gross Value Added to the economy.
MGC group chief executive Mark Hughes said he was delighted with the company’s progress. “The integration of the companies that now form the group into a single organisation has enabled better coordination of the economic development functions of Greater Manchester and ensures that not only are efficiency savings delivered but that all resources are more directly aligned to our local priorities, as set out in the Greater Manchester Strategy,” he said.
“As a company we have had a very significant and positive impact on the local economy through the creation of jobs, via our business support and business finance activity and as a result of our inward investment delivery.
“We have also placed over 5,000 unemployed people back in to work and have supported 29,000 learners, making us one of the largest skills providers in the north west. I believe this has been a very productive year for the Manchester Growth Company and I look forward to the exciting opportunities that the next 12 months will bring.”
Manchester Growth Company chairman Richard Topliss said the company aims to achieve a transformation of the Greater Manchester economy, delivering on the priorities set out in the Greater Manchester Strategy.
He added: “I was delighted to take up the post as chair of MGC in November 2014, coincidentally in the same month that the chancellor announced the Greater Manchester trailblazing devolution deal.
“In the time that has passed there have been many further developments, yet we are only at the beginning of a very exciting journey and MGC will continue to work across the devolution agenda, ensuring the company is equipped for its role around implementation.
“Looking ahead, MGC has a pivotal role to play in terms of boosting Greater Manchester’s skills and business base through initiatives such as GM Futures and the next stage of the government’s Apprenticeship Reform.
“The promotion of those sectors that have the most potential for Greater Manchester and the Northern Powerhouse will also be a priority and there are some major opportunities on the horizon to help deliver this; most notably Manchester’s stint as the European City of Science and host of the prestigious EuroScience Open Forum in summer 2016.
“I have no doubt that the level of ambition and determination that we have seen at MGC over the last year, will only become bolder as we move into 2016.
“With the development of a less centralised and more sustainable economy, there will inevitably be plenty of challenges to be faced in the coming months and it is a great pleasure to be a part of a team that has the resources and the ability to come up with the solutions.”