MGC Performance Highlights 2015/16 by Manchester Growth Company

2015 2016 Performance Highlights Enable Growth Create Jobs Improve Lives

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3107MGC

MGC is a group of companies whose core purpose is to enable growth, create jobs and improve lives. MGC is a group of companies whose core purpose is to enable growth, create jobs and improve lives.

The Manchester Growth Company’s (MGC) purpose is to enable growth, create jobs and improve lives in Greater Manchester and the other communities in which it operates. It is driven by the economic development strategy of the Greater Manchester city region and is commercially focused. Any surpluses are re-invested to support achieving our aims.

MGC comprises the following

The Group was formed with core objectives to drive forward Greater Manchester’s economic development and help deliver the Greater Manchester Strategy (GMS) to address GVA growth differential, (for Greater Manchester to become a net contributor to the national economy) and to ensure the inclusive impact of growth. MGC provides the Combined Authority and the Local Enterprise Partnership with additional resource to tackle these strategic challenges.

MGC comprises the following

Service Alignment

MANCHESTER’S INW ARD INVESTMENT AGENCY

part of MGC

Skills Support -

MANCHESTER’S INW ARD INVESTMENT AGENCY

raising skills & productivity of those in jobs, equip new/returners to job market

Additional services that MGC is contracted to deliver part of MGC

ECONOMIC STRATEGY

Additional services that MGC is contracted to deliver

RESEARCH

MICRO LOANS

Recent Awards and Accreditations

Employment Support -

Recent Awards and Accreditations

assist young and long term unemployed people into economic activity

Visit Manchester won Regional Industry Award 2015

Aspire Recruitment won Best Candidate Experience Award

Skills Company gained highest award for quality of work experience placements

MGC, in partnership with the University of Manchester, won Social Impact award

Enworks runner-up in Carbon and Energy Management catagory

Visit Manchester won Regional Industry Award 2015

Aspire Recruitment won Best Candidate Experience Award

Skills Company gained highest award for quality of work experience placements

MGC, in partnership with the University of Manchester, won Social Impact award

Enworks runner-up in Carbon and Energy Management catagory

DEVELOPMENT Chris Murphy of Business Growth Hub for contribution to business support

This Skills Company in partnership with Wardworth Ltd and Tiddlywinks Day Nursery

Chris Murphy of Business Growth Hub for contribution to business support

This Skills Company in partnership with Wardworth Ltd and Tiddlywinks Day Nursery

Group Strategy & Corporate Services

Organisation Development and Business Support -

Market & Sell Greater Manchester as the place to invest, work, study & visit

EVALUATION

improve productivity and create job opportunities

1025 employees · £107m turnover · IIP Silver Accredited

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The MGC shared values

Review of the year organisation. This work continues into 2016/17, with the aim of harnessing the true potential of operating as an integrated business to ensure additional growth, greater client engagement, enhanced outputs and maximised resource efficiencies.

Manchester Growth Company staff took part in a company-wide programme to develop new corporate values, to describe how we go about our purpose of enabling growth, creating jobs and improving lives, whilst making MGC a great place to work. Our new values - and associated behaviours – are now helping to steer our corporate culture in the right direction.

Another important development this year has been the launch of the MGC Values. These were created after input from our staff, and have helped to define our shared identity, attitudes and behaviours to cement a workplace culture based upon the values we have agreed upon. These values can be seen across our results from 2015/16, demonstrating how the way we work has an effect on our customers and clients to deliver growth and productivity in the region.

I am delighted to introduce the annual performance results for the Manchester Growth Company (MGC) following an exciting year of growth and development. This has been our second full year of operation as MGC and has come at a time of greater political stability following last year’s General Election. The plans for devolution continue to take shape, which places us as an organisation uniquely able to help Greater Manchester meet the challenges of the future and take advantage of the many opportunities. At this point I’d like to say thank you to our Board members for their excellent work guiding MGC through these important times and ensuring that we are a part of the ongoing conversation regarding the future development of our region. I’d like to pay particular thanks to the departing David McKeith and Ian Stewart for their work and we wish them well. 2015/16 has seen MGC deliver a series of strong results which is testament to the work that has gone on this year in building a cohesive and robust

Through our activities across MGC, we have added £414 million GVA to the economy, creating over 15,000 jobs and we’ve actively engaged with over 17,000 companies. We have also demonstrated strong performance in bidding for commercial contracts, with the Work Company securing contracts for the Skills for Employment Programme and the Working Well Extension. Meanwhile Business Finance Solutions (BFS) signed a deal with the Start Up Loans Company to manage £200m of loans nationally. Also crucial to our work is supporting the Greater Manchester inclusion agenda, working with hard to reach groups. We placed 8,947 unemployed people back in to work across the UK, over 6,000 of whom were previously claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance. 37% of loans received through BFS were

to previously unemployed people, while 67% of the 640 people Aspire Recruitment placed into jobs had also been unemployed. We also supported 260 North West companies to achieve export business wins of £511m to over 1100 new export markets, £74m of which were generated in Greater Manchester. Our role in placing Greater Manchester on the international stage also saw Marketing Manchester co-ordinating £6m of Northern Tourism Growth Fund campaign activity to grow long-haul leisure and business visitors to the North of England. Meanwhile the International Trade team led the first Northern Powerhouse trade mission, taking 62 northern businesses to Malaysia and Singapore. In October Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Manchester to announce the first direct flights to Beijing, a huge boost to our region. Last year I mentioned the work going on to prepare for Manchester’s status as European City Of Science and these activities and events are underway, building up to July when the eyes of the science world will be upon us for the Euroscience Open Forum. With all of these achievements, 2015/16 has been another hugely successful year for MGC and I would like to thank all of our employees for their hard work and dedication. I look forward to the opportunities and achievements that this year will bring. Richard Topliss, Chair, Manchester Growth Company

“2015/16 has seen MGC deliver a series of strong results which is testament to the work that has gone on this year in building a cohesive and robust organisation.”

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2015-2016 Timeline

2015

April 2015 Manchester University, The Work Company and The Skills Company launch the Construction Academy to create 1,000 jobs for local unemployed people

May 2015

June 2015

UKTI signs five year contract with MGC to deliver international trade support to North West businesses assisting them to increase exports

Marketing Manchester designated Northern Tourism Growth Fund, lead destination for long-haul international delivery, co-ordinating £6m campaign activity to grow leisure and business visitors to Manchester and the North of England

The Work Company places 60,000ʰ client into employment

August 2015 Green Growth announces that businesses in Greater Manchester have saved £100m by improving resource efficiency as a result of their help

Business Finance Solutions signs deal with Start Up Loans company to manage £200m of fund nationally

The Skills Company launches BBC Digital Traineeships, which will equip 5,000 young people with employability and digital skills

October 2015

Aspire wins Best Candidate Experience Award at national Recruitment Business Awards

Launch of European City of Science 2016, Manchester delivering a diverse programme of events to celebrate science

December 2015

Business support services help create or safeguard 5,400 jobs in the contract period of 2012-15

Green Growth enables businesses to save one million tonnes of CO2e through resource efficiency support

March 2016

The Work Company secures contracts for Skills for Employment programme (£23m) and Working Well Expansion (£4.8m).

Greater Manchester awarded first place in three categories in Financial Times fDi European Cities of the Future report

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International Trade team organise first Northern Powerhouse trade mission taking 62 northern businesses to Singapore and Malaysia. A number of contract wins were secured

September 2015

January 2016

February 2016

July 2015

Business Growth Hub granted £30m to expand services to offer new services and strengthen growth

Lonely Planet selects Manchester as a top 10 city in the world to visit in 2016

£9.5m Export Fund for Greater Manchester launched to enable local businesses to secure and grow export contracts all over the world

Business Finance Solutions reaches £1m milestone with the NW Fund for micro loans, offering loans of £25k-£50k to businesses at all stages of development

As a result of IDG’s services, five of its businesses won awards at the National IIP Awards

Chinese President Xi Jinping visits Manchester and announces direct flights to Beijing. A new ‘China Cluster’ at Airport City Manchester, is also announced

The Skills Company opens new purpose built training centre in Salford delivering more training opportunities to local young people.

The Skills Company celebrates its first Apprenticeships Awards - winners announced as part of National Apprenticeship Week

New £20m Textiles Growth Programme opens for business, supporting capital projects, skills training and R&D

November 2015 Manufacturing Champions’ Network launched led by nine of Greater Manchesters’ top manufacturers to support the growth of manufacturing SMEs.

Marketing Manchester leads largest ever delegation of Greater Manchester business to MIPIM 2016, the worlds largest property market, profiling Manchester on an international stage.

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2016

Freshfield Bruckhaus Deringer opens Freshfield Global Centre in Manchester with support from MIDAS. Over 300 paralegal and business services jobs relocated from the south

Business Growth Hub launches Green Growth Pledge to help businesses to develop sustainable business practice

MGC Performance Highlights 15/16

£414M

33,320

15,502

Additional GVA

Additional visitor spend

Business engagements

The value of goods and services produced in Greater Manchester boosted by business support and finance, trade advice and inward investment. 18% increase since 2014/15

Generated through seasonal marketing campaigns. More than double the previous year.

Engaging with businesses through one-to-one contact and events to promote business support, business finance, workforce development, recruitment and organisational development services

Providing in depth advice, support and loan or grant finance to businesses to help them grow and become more productive

£30M

£8M

3,625

1,861

Value of grants or loans to businesses

Resource efficiency savings by supported businesses

Enabling businesses who cannot access mainstream funding to grow and create jobs

Increasing companies’ profitability by reducing their environmental impact

£36.6M Economic impact from conferences

Economic impact of major conferences bid for and secured for Greater Manchester

£76.2M

MGC Performance Highlights 15/16

£643M

Businesses supported to gain or retain IIP accreditation

Investors in People is the standard for people management. IIP organisations are statistically more profitable, sustainable and optimistic about the future

655

Increased sales (domestic and export)

Businesses assisted in improving their foreign trade

Through advice and trade support

By providing intelligence on foreign markets, enabling access to overseas buyers, governments and supply chains and allowing access to trade missions

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Business assists

Business start ups

Through the work of Business Growth Hub and Business Finance Solutions

361

Business mentoring relationships

Our network of over 300 mentors help organisations set new goals and clarify the direction of their business. They assist managers in developing new skills and expertise, and prepare for times of change

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MGC Performance Highlights 15/16

15,542

8,947

33,960

Jobs created or safeguarded

Clients placed into work

Career management progressions

Foreign Direct Investment in Greater Manchester

Through business support and finance, trade advice and inward investment

Through MGC employment services, overcoming barriers including long-term unemployment and ill health

Helping clients under the National Careers Service to progress into another job or other career related activity

Supported by MIDAS, bringing 2485 new jobs

2,738

994

2.5M

1,737

Successfully completed pre-apprenticeships

Work experience placements

Visitors to visitmanchester.com

Successfully completed apprenticeships

Individually designed courses for young people aged 16 to 18 that combine qualifications with a work experience placement so they can secure employment and apprenticeships

MGC was awarded Fair Train’s gold standard Work Experience Quality Award for the quality of our placements

Helping to attract 1.15m international visitors to Greater Manchester (International Passenger Survey 2014)

98% progress into employment or further training. Four in 10 apprentices are from socially disadvantaged areas

1,489

MGC Performance Highlights 15/16

New workforce development services employers

Inward investments into GM

Working with employers under work programmes and supporting their recruitment of people on benefits

Attracted by consultancy, trade missions, relocation services and assisted recruitment by MIDAS

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£6M

AVE International media coverage promoting Greater Manchester

Advertising value equivalent (AVE) of positive media coverage promoting Greater Manchester as a place to visit, invest, work and do business. An increase of £1.5m AVE on the previous year

15,863

Tonnes of CO2 saved by supported businesses

Helping Greater Manchester reach its target to cut emissions to 45% of 1990 levels

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Enable Growth large scale European Commission led investigation.

Funding support for digital specialists Evidential was formed in 2014 to capitalise on the government’s aim to develop digital technology in the courtroom to help jurors to understand complicated evidence. Whilst the team at Evidential were experts in this niche industry, they needed support in taking the business forward, and so approached the Business Growth Hub’s start-up team. Director Sean Murphy had previously secured a start-up loan from Business Finance Solutions (BFS), however as the business grew, the requirement for further funding became apparent. Sean was introduced to the Access to Finance team at the Hub and they began working on financial forecasts to sit alongside the existing business plan. Additional funding from BFS was approved and used for marketing, IT and staffing costs, aiding further business growth. In 2015, Evidential won ‘Best Use of Technology by a Startup’ at the Start Smart Awards. The Hub has since helped the business to apply for various other development grants and introduced them to both the Enterprise Europe Network and UKTI. This has led to the opportunity to exhibit at an international criminal justice conference and Evidential has been awarded prestigious contracts with the International Criminal Court and a

Working with the Hub has ultimately led to Evidential securing work with the Home Office and various police forces in the UK and abroad. With the company doubling its turnover, Sean has been able to expand his team and provide additional services. Recognition of the brand is growing exponentially with Evidential recently invited to present a business case to HRH Prince Andrew as part of the Pitch@Palace event and winning further funding at Creative England’s Catalyse event at the Google headquarters in London.

Northern Powerhouse trade mission boosts exports Bolton-based Vernacare is a pioneer in infection prevention products for the healthcare sector. During the Northern Powerhouse mission to Singapore and Malaysia in July 2015, Emma Sheldon, Group Marketing Director from Vernacare sat on a panel discussion to speak about the success of the trade mission and how participation and working with UKTI helped with export trade. Vernacare also took part in the Chancellor and Lord O’Neill’s Northern Powerhouse trade mission to China in September 2015. This market visit led

to a Memorandum of Understanding being signed to deliver £10m in business to Chinese hospitals over the next 5 years. The Vernacare System of infection prevention reduces the risk of cross infection when toileting and washing immobile patients and is considered the gold standard globally. It is used by 96% of NHS hospitals and healthcare facilities in 48 countries. In addition to participating in these trade missions, Vernacare has also utilised a range of UKTI services including TAP funding, OMIS reports on various markets and introductions to overseas Embassy officials. Emma has since been appointed to act as a Champion for the Export Champions Initiative, a unique project from UKTI North West. This role enables her to work with northern companies in order to raise the profile of exporting in the region, and helping others to develop opportunities. Emma said “UKTI has helped us to focus and drive our market entry process, speeding up our entry to these markets and allowing informed decision making based on clear intelligence from experts in our sector.”

Recruiting a new generation The P.P. Group of Companies is one of the UK’s leading independent metal profiling and processing companies. Operating across three sites, the Group employs almost 100 staff, and in recent years, the age profile of the workforce had begun to cause concern among the group’s senior management. Group Technical Director, Sam Bentham explained: “Our business is growing well, but a lot of our experienced staff were approaching retirement age and we were struggling to recruit staff who

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Enable Growth had the skills we needed. We had taken on apprentices occasionally in some parts of the business through the Skills Company, but we decided that we needed a more strategic approach to securing the skill base for the future of the group. “We looked at our workforce needs over the next few years, and planned our apprentice recruitment accordingly, not just in the workshops, but also in administration and sales. We wanted to bring in ambitious and enthusiastic young people, and give them the skills and attitudes that we need to succeed as a business. Most of our existing workforce started as apprentices in the past, so they are well placed to help our younger recruits to flourish in their careers. “We currently have sixteen apprentices across the group in a wide range of disciplines. We have a great working relationship with the Skills Company, and we get good feedback on how our apprentices are doing at college and vice versa. We firmly believe that by thinking and planning long term, and investing in youth in partnership with the Skills Company, we’re identifying the future leaders of the P.P. Group, and securing the success of the group for years to come.”

Health innovators get a boost

Promoting Manchester and the North

The Business Growth Hub has secured €216k of funding to be part of Boost 4 Health, a northern Europe-focused Life Science network for internationalising innovations. The project which will engage with 450 SMEs, provides support to overcome barriers to commercialising health innovations and enter new markets in Northern European countries. It will help them find the right sources of expertise to validate new products in target markets and offers the opportunity to share knowledge and experience with other like-minded SMEs.

The Northern Tourism Growth Fund (NTGF) represented a significant step in the progression of Manchester as a visitor destination. Consisting of a core £10m funding from central government and £10m match funding from partners in the public and private sectors, the NTGF set out to change perceptions of the North of England and grow leisure and business visitors.

The project aims to generate €25M in new sales and includes 11 SME support organisations, which are part of leading Life Sciences networks in Holland, England, Spain, France, Germany and Denmark. At a local level, the project will help develop joint working between Innovation, the new Sectors programmes, UKTI and MIDAS and link into local partner GM Academic Health Science Network, Trustech and Bionow.

Marketing Manchester took the lead on a number of key activity areas of international marketing for the three key long-haul markets, USA, Australia and China as well as Business, Visits & Events across all markets. Activity has been based on three distinct work streams; maximising connectivity, influencing the travel trade and leisure promotion. While the programme is still being evaluated and the benefits will be felt over several years Marketing Manchester anticipates to have delivered an additional 2m visitor nights to the North of England equating to £177m in international visitor expenditure, in addition to creating 3,280 jobs. Most importantly, the project has provided the opportunity to deliver a step change in collaboration and partnership working across the North, creating new ways of working together and joining up the product offer for visitors.

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Create Jobs Tech Sector Gathers Pace

Computer pioneers return to Manchester

2015-16 was a standout year in the continuing growth of Manchester’s tech sector. Firstly, 2015 saw the launch of the Co Angel Investment Service, which will build greater connectivity and capacity in the funding of early stage science and innovation. Co Angel has access to a network of over 250 angel investors and has already closed six deals for tech based businesses raising an average of £300k per deal, with a further 25 tech businesses in the current pipeline looking to raise a total of circa £18m. Marketing Manchester continued to promote the region’s tech sector nationally and internationally, including a profile at the global tech conference SXSW in conjunction with BBC Connected Studio, the University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University, and Wakelet.

Ferranti Computer Systems Ltd has opened its first UK office for over 20 years at The Landing at MediaCityUK with the support of MIDAS. The opening came exactly 65 years to the month since the world’s first commercial computer, The Ferranti Mark 1, became operational at Manchester University.

MIDAS reported a record year of growth for the sector with 1,276 jobs created in the creative, digital and tech industries with MIDAS support, an increase of 169% on the previous year. One of MIDAS’s most successful projects of the year was supporting the relocation of a large portion of TV and telecoms company TalkTalk’s workforce to MediaCityUK. Neil McArthur, TalkTalk’s head of innovation, said the company’s aim is to be the “first FTSE 100 business in Manchester”. MGC also announced the appointment of Claire Braithwaite to the position of Tech Advisor, where she will boost the work MGC does to benefit the region’s thriving tech community. According to the 2016 Tech Nation report, Manchester’s digital industry is now worth £1.7 billion to the local economy, growing by 92% between the years of 2010-2014. The report also credited Manchester as having the largest UK agglomeration of jobs in digital skills (51,900) outside of London. 14

Improve Lives

Bright future for solar power company Wigan based Utilitri is a an installer of domestic and industrial solar installations. With most of its sales coming from existing clients and referrals, Utilitri needed to develop a sales and marketing strategy to increase direct sales leads and reduce business risk. Utilitri received low-carbon sector support from the Hub’s Green Growth team to help identify and overcome barriers to growth in Greater Manchester’s low carbon economy. Following an on-site business review, the company benefitted from one-to-one support from a low-carbon sector advisor, Amy House. Amy provided market intelligence to help identify new sales leads and advice on developing a sales and marketing strategy to help Utilitri build its own sales team. As a result, Utilitri recruited three new staff, and is now in a strong position both as an individual business and as part of Greater Manchester’s low-carbon sector. Operations manager Ross Winstanley said: “The relationship has blossomed between the Business Growth Hub and Utilitri to the point now where we’ve now got a sales team, which we never thought we would have, and it’s put Utilitri in a great position. The company is flourishing with the help we’ve had.”

MIDAS worked closely with the company throughout the process from the original enquiry which came through UKTI through to the opening of the office. MIDAS organised an in-visit for Ferranti, showcasing the region and taking them to potential office locations. MIDAS also helped to make introductions to the right networks, including to recruitment agents. Now headquartered in Antwerp, Ferranti has established a UK operation in Manchester to support its specialist customer management, billing software and services developed for companies within the water and energy sectors. Mark Hurcomb, Chief Commercial Officer of Ferranti Computer Systems, said: “Everyone at Ferranti Computer Systems is keenly aware and very proud of the company’s Manchester roots and the historical significance the city has in the history of computing and technology. Therefore when we were looked to open a UK office we immediately thought of Manchester. “However our decision to locate to The Landing was not just driven by nostalgia or heritage, the facilities and location perfectly met our needs in terms of physical and technical connectivity, a strong emphasis on collaboration and a fantastic social and cultural environment for all our staff to enjoy, both Belgian and British.”

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was expecting from their staff, the questions I might be asked and helped me with interview techniques. I was successful in being offered a Duty Manager role and I’m excited to say I’m now becoming a Tenant, and I’m about to view two pubs which I hope to take over running soon. Without the support of Aspire I don’t think I’d have been able to fulfil my dream of running my own pub.”

From Apprentice to Banker of the Year

Aspire supports local people back into work

Since 2006, over 150 young people have become apprentices with The Skills Company and BNY Mellon. Some are now senior managers, others are working around the world and one was named 2016 Banker of the Year.

Aspire Recruitment worked in partnership with Frederic Robinson’s Brewery in Stockport to supply 45 staff to the newly refurbished Airport Pub. The positions included chefs, servers, runners, kitchen porters, bar staff, cleaners, and parking attendants.

A decade ago Sean Turner was one of BNY Mellon’s first apprentices in the new Manchester office through the Skills Company. The main appeal of the scheme to Sean was the ability to progress from the apprenticeship to gain a degree in Financial Services, Planning and Management at Manchester Metropolitan University. Sean said: “Starting as an apprentice through the Skills Company acted as a springboard for my career. I gained industry insight and technical knowledge very quickly and was able to develop my skills and expertise. It was a real opportunity for me, which I grabbed with both hands.” Sean has worked across a range of business units and countries, from the USA to India and now holds a senior role in the organisation, as Head of European Cash/Liquidity Management. He manages a team of over 35 people, and was named Banker of the Year 2016 at the recent Made in Manchester Awards at the age of just 29.

Aspire used a variety of methods to attract local unemployed candidates, including organising a hospitality careers fair and using social media and traditional advertising. Aspire met each candidate several times in the run up to the employer’s group interviews, delivered communication skills and team building training and ran mock assessment centres and interview techniques workshops to prepare them. Candidates attended a group interview, took part in group activities and had a one-to-one interview with a senior manager. James Russell, one of the 45 successful candidates said: “I previously worked in the hospitality business before taking a break, but was eager to get back into it. I relocated back to Manchester and was unemployed for several months. I used online job sites, the jobcentre and various agencies but couldn’t find work. I heard about the jobs at Robinsons and contacted Aspire.” “They explained the positions available and supported me through the process. They went through what the employer

Helping others help themselves A partnership project designed to help Wirral people recover from drug and alcohol dependency and lead independent productive lives has achieved record success in placing clients into employment thanks to the Work Company. The Wirral Ways to Recovery project, led by national drug and alcohol charity CGL has placed 81 people into employment, including 16 in the month of October, a record figure since the project began. The Work Company works with CGL service users who’ve reached a point of stability in their treatment to help them into education, voluntary work and employment. The jobs are with a range of employers including Carillion, Penn Construction, Wirral Council and Vauxhall Motors. Charlotte Wood, Service Manager for the Work Company said: “We’re delighted with the success of this project, as we only became involved in February. Many of the clients we work with have not worked for many years, or have never worked, so there is a big job to do in terms of raising employability levels, providing them with qualifications, and where appropriate, voluntary work and work placements. Our clients have achieved over 220 qualifications already this year, a mix of general employability and job specific qualifications, and again, for many, it’s the first qualification they’ve ever achieved.”

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Going Forward Looking to the years ahead, it’s clear that there are some significant events on the horizon, each with a unique set of challenges and opportunities for both the organisation and Greater Manchester. Chief amongst these is the ongoing drive towards regional devolution, which will open new opportunities for the organisation as these regions begin to establish the implementation of their newly established package of powers. Similarly, the government’s Northern Powerhouse agenda will represent a significant opportunity for the organisation to position itself as a leading provider for the North of England.

As we take stock of MGC’s current position in its continued development, it’s apparent that the organisation is uniquely placed to achieve great things in the years to come. Over the past few years our focus has been to create a robust organisation, bringing together a number of companies, creating synergy and driving efficiencies. In many ways we have now achieved this, with MGC delivering activity that is truly unique in its breadth, scale and impact. As such the organisation now has the ability to provide integrated packages of services and solutions that will drive forward economic development across Greater Manchester.

As we move forward, it’s crucial that we build on this progress, creating a fully integrated offer across MGC from initial promotion through to delivery, and maximising on our USP as the only organisation able to offer such a package. It is imperative that the organisation continues to perfect the integration of its services; capitalising on the unique journey that MGC can offer across the group. The organisation will also aim to strengthen the reach of its delivery across Greater Manchester, ensuring that all areas of the region are able to benefit from the services we provide. Through furthering the spread of support we offer to businesses, we can ensure that all areas across Greater Manchester are able to fully contribute to the economic performance of the region.

The coming year is also set to be one of transformation following the Comprehensive Spending Review, which will bring radical changes in how key services will be funded, including the work and health programmes and apprenticeships. In particular, the introduction of the Apprenticeship Levy in 2017 will present significant opportunities for companies to rethink the way they recruit and train their workforce. This is an area where the Manchester Growth Company can add a great deal of value to local employers. Also key to our future approach is the importance of forming effective partnerships. The establishment of GM Futures, a six member alliance working together to enable a collaborative approach to delivering Greater Manchester’s employment and skills ambitions, is a perfect example of the impact we can have when joining forces with other organisations.

Through working with other bodies across Greater Manchester, MGC will be in a much stronger position to support Greater Manchester’s international ambitions. Together we can increase the volume and value of international trade, leisure and business tourism, and inward investment, in addition to promoting the strengths of Greater Manchester on a global platform. Thanks to the work and commitment of everyone across the organisation, MGC is now beginning to secure its place as a world-class integrated service provider. As we continue to work closer together to achieve this common goal, we will renew our drive to enable growth, create jobs and improve lives in Greater Manchester and beyond. Mark Hughes MBE, Group Chief Executive, Manchester Growth Company

A key priority for us this year is to increase the scale of our commercial activity. We must work to capitalise fully on our unique positioning within commercial markets, seeking out new opportunities to bring in revenue. The reinvestment opportunities brought about by this will ultimately allow us to increase the quality and impact of our services.

“As we move forward, it’s crucial that we build on this progress, creating a fully integrated offer across MGC from initial promotion through to delivery, and maximising on our USP as the only organisation able to offer such a package.”

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Strategic Priorities Our strategic priorities for 2016/17 are set out below.

Support and Enable Greater Manchester Strategic Priorities

Increase the Productivity Performance of Greater Manchester

Achieve Internationalisation Ambitions

Achieve Improved Surplus

In particular on Devolution, position Greater Manchester at the heart of the Northern Powerhouse and delivering on behalf of, and in partnership with, the Greater Manchester Local Authorities, with MGC playing a leading role in driving forward key strategic initiatives and positioning Greater Manchester on a local, national and international stage.

Using our evidence base and understanding of the Greater Manchester economy to ensure that MGC delivers services that enable more and higher value businesses to be created as well as improved employment and wage rates. In doing so to support the aim that all parts of Greater Manchester and specifically those underperforming areas, to have a strong and sustainable economic function to stimulate future growth and maximise their ability to share in its benefits.

Building on the new Internationalisation Strategy and outcomes of the Marketing Manchester and MIDAS Reviews, MGC will play a lead role in supporting Greater Manchester to achieve its international ambitions by increasing the volume and value of International Trade, Inward Investment and Leisure and Business Tourism, in addition to promoting Greater Manchester on a global platform and exploiting the potential of City of Science.

Secure commercial growth in target business areas (e.g. Work Company, Business Finance Solutions, Organisational Development Services/Consulting and Aspire) and increase both the Group’s overall turnover and profit.

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Improve Efficiencies

Integrate Services

Ensure that the overall MGC operating and shared services cost base is minimised and that broader resource (sustainability) efficiencies are maximised. Also, improve cash reserves and ensure effective financial management.

Design, promote and deliver packaged services to business customers and increase cross selling and cross referrals throughout the Group, utilising enhanced targeting of clients and resulting in increased market penetration.

Deliver Internal Transformation

With the MGC values at the core of all activity and building on progress to date, MGC will move to complete its internal transformation which delivers the change required to achieve MGC’s ambition, its aspiration to become a high performing organisation and to maximise the impact the organisation has on the communities with which it works through our approach to social value.

Develop MGC Leadership Role

Develop and implement mechanisms for harnessing and utilising MGC’s unique access to knowledge and intelligence in order to establish the Group as a “thought leader” for economic policy and delivery solutions. Utilise our unique positioning and intelligence to achieve prime contractor/strategic partner status within key partnerships and supply chains.