North west Manufacturing Advisory Service awarded £20m as part of new regional plan
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The Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS) in the north west of England is to receive £20 million of new funding it was announced today. The news came as the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) launched a new manufacturing strategy and action plan for the region.
The new funding for an "enhanced" north west MAS came from the NWDA, including an £8.5 million contribution from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
The NWDA's new strategy provides a ten-year framework for developing manufacturing in the region, with a three-year, annually assessed action plan.
The Agency said that one of the key actions under the plan was to ensure continued support for small and medium sized manufacturing businesses via MAS – hence the new £20 million tranche of funding to enhance this programme over the next four years.
The MAS service in the north west is delivered by The Manufacturing Institute (TMI) and offers hands-on support and workshops.
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Steven Broomhead (pictured), chief executive of the NWDA, said: "The new strategy and action plan supports the vision of a modern manufacturing sector in the region that will be innovative, enterprising, highly skilled, and well led. Furthermore our new funding for the enhanced MAS service ensures the excellent Manufacturing Advisory Service continues to support our manufacturing organisations as we progress through this challenging economic period."
