The landmark figure was reached during a productive 2014 for Lloyds Bank, which saw it deliver its £1 billion funding commitment for a second consecutive year with plans to invest the same amount each year until 2017.
Comprising training in areas such as export finance, complex manufacturing supply chains and techniques to maintain good factory floor practices, the WMG programme is designed to offer an insight into the impact of decisions taken by banks, helping Lloyds Bank staff to deliver services with the benefit of greater industry knowledge.
A total of 288 Lloyds Bank staff across its SME and Mid-Market teams have now completed the university accredited-training.
This is complemented by the bank's partnership with the Manufacturing Technology Centre in Coventry, which is set to open in September 2015. As part of this, Lloyds Bank will commit £1 million per year to the facility, which has been backed by the UK Government and will develop over 1,000 manufacturing apprentices aged 16-19 during the partnership.
David Atkinson (pictured), head of SME manufacturing at Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking, said: "The WMG training programme has helped our staff to enhance their knowledge of manufacturing, and we know that businesses have appreciated our investment into understanding the challenges faced by the sector.
"We are committed to pledging an annual £1 billion of investment into manufacturing businesses until 2017, and having reached that target early in 2014, we will continue to go above and beyond to support this important sector in the years to come."
