SMALL to medium-sized manufacturers in Worcestershire have created new jobs through a dedicated business support initiative.

The Manufacturing Growth Programme (MGP), funded by the European Regional Development Fund, has helped firms across the region to grow, develop new products and improve their processes and quality.

The MGP was set up to fill the void left by the Manufacturing Advice Service by providing access to specialist assistance to help manufacturers grow.

The MGP has led to 38 new jobs, with an additional 25 positions expected to be created once ongoing projects are completed. By the end of January, more than £112,000 of grant contributions have been made, with money in place to support hundreds more between now and March 2019.

Martin Coats, managing director of EGS, said: “UK manufacturing has just posted its ninth consecutive month of growth and SMEs in Worcestershire are at the forefront of leading this expansion. It is great to see we are playing our role with our manufacturing experts able to get under the skin of what support firms need to grow.

“Across the UK, more than 2000 companies have now been assisted and we’ve created more than 1000 new jobs."