3,000 new firms to pave way for jobs revolution
Plans to create thousands of new jobs across Shropshire will come on the back of 3,000 new businesses being created in the next nine years, members of the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership boldly declared today.
to reinvigorate and transform the economy of Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin and Herefordshire between now and 2022.
In its strategy for growth, presented to the government, the LEP has identified five strategic priorities which could help it to create jobs and increase the wealth of the area.
Supporting businesses, improving the infrastructure of the county, enhancing skills, encouraging new business investment, and creating a low-carbon economy will be the forces that drive the addition of 12,000 new roles to Shropshire's business landscape by 2022, the organisation says.
LEP chairman Dr Geoffrey Davies said today he wanted to create a modern jobs revolution, using the inspiration of the Ironbridge pioneers to forge new businesses and jobs.
Mr Davies said: "Our vision is of a connected Marches – where businesses are connected to each other, to centres of excellence and research institutions and to a marketplace which reaches far beyond our own borders and that of the United Kingdom.
"This strong connectivity will build on the Marches' position as a national leader in the transfer of skills and innovation in precision technology and engineering across our key business sectors, which include advance manufacturing, food and drink and defence and securities.
"Ideas which changed the world were born here: the Industrial Revolution in the Ironbridge Gorge; the first modern skyscraper, the Flaxmill in Shrewsbury; the modern Olympic movement in Much Wenlock.
"These big ideas are evidence of the Marches' pioneering industrial heritage and its entrepreneurial spirit.
"It has demonstrated its ability to change and adapt to emerging technology and innovation, without losing sight of its rural advantage and the quality of life this offers."
To support business, the LEP plans to develop various means of access to finance for small companies, in addition to existing national programmes, while also mentoring small businesses.
It will also create enterprise areas in Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin, in addition to the existing Enterprise Zone in Hereford. One noteworthy addition to the county's educational landscape could be through a national aeronautical academy at Cosford, adding to existing 'centres of excellence', and the new centre for precision farming at Harper Adams near Newport.
It also pinpoints the electrification of the Shrewsbury to Wolverhampton railway line as a necessity to build links to the county, as well as connections to the M6.
The sectors of inward investment being worked on include the food and drink industry, defence and security – which is likely to connect to Hereford's enterprise zone which is based around defence and advanced manufacturing.
The Marches Green Deal will improve the energy efficiency of three pilot communities across the area, while environmental technology companies will receive support.
Meanwhile, the town centre developments in Telford and Shrewsbury are expected to stimulate growth.
The document says: "The Marches LEP was launched to create the conditions for economic vitality and sustainable employment across this diverse region, globally recognised for its pioneering industrial heritage and entrepreneurial spirit.
"This strategy for growth is our commitment to building on that recognition, securing economic health for the benefit of the Marches and the people who live here."
