Funded training for small businesses

The University of Wolverhampton will play a central role in a £15m project aimed at transforming the West Midlands manufacturing sector.

The university's Elite Centre for Manufacturing Skills (ECMS) will work alongside academic and professional colleagues to deliver an integrated model of training, to enable businesses to develop skilled workforces and adopt new technologies.

Prof Prashant Pillai, Pro Vice-Chancellor at the university, said the site was "proud to be supporting the next wave of manufacturing innovation in the West Midlands".

He said its teams had "developed a leading programme of support to help small businesses respond to market shifts and unlock new growth opportunities".

The programme is part of the wider West Midlands Investment Zone, led by Mayor Richard Parker and the West Midlands Combined Authority, which aims to create 30,000 jobs and attract £5.5bn in new investment across three key sites:

• Coventry-Warwick Gigapark
• Birmingham Knowledge Quarter
• Wolverhampton Green Innovation Corridor

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