Nov 14, 2023

Janine Smith The Growth Company has secured a second major contract in the region this month with the award of £7.5m from the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) to deliver the GM Business Growth Hub, which is ultimately funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. The service will deliver a contact centre offering instant advice from businesses and specialised business support on accessing finance, innovation, leadership and skills development, decarbonisation. Each local authority across Greater Manchester will also be allocated a team of advisers who will work closely with councils to ensure support is aligned with existing local provision. The GM contract win for the Manchester-headquartered Growth Company follows the award of a contract to deliver three of five business services in Lancashire last week. The Growth Company is to deliver a Growth Catalyst programme, and a Scale to Thrive programme as part of Lancashire’s £3.9m funding deal for the Boost programme. Janine Smith, Director, GM Business Growth Hub, said: “GM Business Growth Hub has a long history of delivering meaningful business support to SMEs across Greater Manchester. Over the last 10 years we’ve been embedded in the Greater Manchester business support landscape working closely with businesses, partners and stakeholders to ensure that the support we provide supports Greater Manchester’s ambitions and those of the businesses based here. “Greater Manchester is one of the most exciting places to be in the UK right now and we couldn’t be prouder to be part of that future. From helping businesses innovate, to developing their green potential and closing skills gaps, we look forward to continuing this important work with GMCA and the 10 local authorities.” Since it was formed in 2011, the Hub has engaged with more than 90,000 businesses and individuals wishing to start a business, created 14,793 jobs, and safeguarded a further 12,309.